Picture Frame Glass Etching
Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2009 10:54 am
I etched the glass in this picture frame last night and want to share the process with you.
Etching the name:
This frame is 8 x 10, so I used the Vivaldi font (1") so that it the name was about 8.5" wide. I cut it into vinyl using the Sure Cuts A Lot software (blade @ 3, med pressure, med speed). I trimmed around the vinyl and removed the letters to leave the reverse image for my etching template. I pressed transfer tape on the front of the image, removed the backing from the text, and placed it on the glass with the frame still assembled (so that I could see exactly how things would line up). I then removed the glass from the frame and masked around the vinyl with the easy-to-remove blue masking tape. I dabbed on Armor Etch and left it for 10 minutes, then rinsed it thouroughly with cool water and removed the vinyl.
Etching the other images:
I etched the name on the front of the glass, but etched the images on the back of the glass to add dimension and to help me line things up. To do this, first I cut the images out of ordinary paper. (Flourish and butterfly images are from the Cricut "Potpourri Basket" cartridge.) I placed them on the front of the glass with the mat underneath, so I could see how things would look. Once I decided on their positioning, I attached these paper cutouts to the glass using blue masking tape. Time to cut the vinyl. I used the flip setting on my Cricut Expressions machine to cut flip images of each in the vinyl. I removed the image, leaving the reverse template. With transfer tape, I attached each image to the back of the glass, using the previously taped images on the front as my guide. I masked around each image with masking tape and etched the images (Armor Etch for 10 minutes). I thouroughly washed the etching creme off and dried the glass, then re-assembled the frame. Beautiful!!
Etching the name:
This frame is 8 x 10, so I used the Vivaldi font (1") so that it the name was about 8.5" wide. I cut it into vinyl using the Sure Cuts A Lot software (blade @ 3, med pressure, med speed). I trimmed around the vinyl and removed the letters to leave the reverse image for my etching template. I pressed transfer tape on the front of the image, removed the backing from the text, and placed it on the glass with the frame still assembled (so that I could see exactly how things would line up). I then removed the glass from the frame and masked around the vinyl with the easy-to-remove blue masking tape. I dabbed on Armor Etch and left it for 10 minutes, then rinsed it thouroughly with cool water and removed the vinyl.
Etching the other images:
I etched the name on the front of the glass, but etched the images on the back of the glass to add dimension and to help me line things up. To do this, first I cut the images out of ordinary paper. (Flourish and butterfly images are from the Cricut "Potpourri Basket" cartridge.) I placed them on the front of the glass with the mat underneath, so I could see how things would look. Once I decided on their positioning, I attached these paper cutouts to the glass using blue masking tape. Time to cut the vinyl. I used the flip setting on my Cricut Expressions machine to cut flip images of each in the vinyl. I removed the image, leaving the reverse template. With transfer tape, I attached each image to the back of the glass, using the previously taped images on the front as my guide. I masked around each image with masking tape and etched the images (Armor Etch for 10 minutes). I thouroughly washed the etching creme off and dried the glass, then re-assembled the frame. Beautiful!!
