Hi
I wanted to etch some plain beads and leave a star shape left shiney - I had some stickers and tried putting them in the etching solution - but the stickers fell off!!
Does anyone have any ideas - I don't think I'm neat enough to mark lots of stars free hand with nail polish! I was thinking about etching cream - but I have no experience of this! If anyone can offer advise I'd appreciate it!
NB - I have see these on Ebay
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/etchall-glass-etching-cream-designer-tip-kit-/170450114989?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Crafts_Glass_Art_Supplies_CV&hash=item27af9e59ad
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Glass-etching-cream-engraving-art-and-craft-/170450075929?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Crafts_Glass_Art_Supplies_CV&hash=item27af9dc119
Thanks in advance!
I would have thought you'd need to be neat whether you went with nail polish over a small area or etching cream over a large one!
You could try making a stencil and applying the nail polish to that? Should keep the edges tidy as long as you let it dry a bit before lifting it off, I think.
I don't know what your stickers are made of Trudi but if you put electric tape onto some silicon (kitchen paper, punch out your star shape with a paper punch and then remove the backing from the star (fiddly) I'm wondering if this would work. Alternative is the adhesive stuff you line shelves with - this has an adhesive backing that you remove. I think I have a bit somewhere ???
Diane x
The etching cream works the same as the etchall but is just like painting on thick cream, a bit messy and definitely to be done with good disposable gloves. Although it gives good results I think it'll be time consuming on beads.
I have used masking tape stuck to the glass and then cut out the pattern for etching which works well on larger pieces of glass.
Hi Trudi - I've got some etching cream, you could paint it on. Wanna have a go?
Kirsty
Are you using diecut stickers? I use these for sandblasting with and they are quite tricky on non-flat surfaces but I find if you leave them at least overnight then they stick on a little better, I'd be interested to see your results with etched cream though as I'm thinking of going down that path myself.
die cut??? Just stickers I bought from a staioners, they have good clean edges, just didn't stick. But I didn't leave them overnight - the idea came to me this morning and being the impulsive person I am I had to have a go!
Could try leaving them on overnight!
Kirsty - if it doesn't work I would love to try the cream. I'm due a visit to you anyway :D - perhaps next week?? (Need to see the new shedio!) :D
Not sure how flat your beads are but a small girly star-shaped rubber dipped in PVA and left overnight could work?
oohh - now there's a thought!
You could get those plasticy stickers that are sold for cardmaking, pop those on, and use them as a mask and splash nail polish around them? ??? I did try using them directly but they peeled off in the etch solution as they didn't stick very well, but they might hold long enough to pain around them. ??? I've seen some of these sorts of things with nice pattern and border designs http://www.madaboutcards.com/section.php/382/1 (http://www.madaboutcards.com/section.php/382/1)
That's the diecuts I'm talking about, they are fine on flat things but curved etc they are not so good and the thing with the etch stuff is it creeps under any non-sealed edges really easily.
Has anyone used PVA on it's own? You can get really nifty liner pots that you can put PVA in for a fine application or use them for liquid stringer too!
Make a small star shaped stencil so you don't have to be careful with the nail polish
Beady Sam is right. I used to do this and it worked a treat. ;D
I always used sticky backed plastic when either etching or sandblasting on both flat and curved surfaces. I've also used beeswax as the resist. Cover the object in liquid beeswax and use a heated stencil pen (those that are used for cutting out acetate stencils) to melt intricate patterns in the wax. See
http://www.stencilstore.com/accessories.htm top right picture