Everything you needed to know about ETCHING

Started by SueP, January 29, 2008, 06:14:18 PM

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Pat from Canvey

Just had a thought. If you want to make a dotty bead, candle wax drips will work well plus some art shops sell a rubber solution you can dab on. Lets face it. Almost anything that doesn't dissolve straight away can act as a resist.

Trudi

Gosh - I only ever washedoff with water, didn;t know I was supposed to use bicarb!!

turnedlight

I bought the etching paste, and you can paint it on using a paintbrush and leave areas un - etched.
kathryn

Mary

Washing with plenty of water should be enough, but a strong solution of bicarb helps neutralise the acid.
I use fishing line too, it's easier than string to rinse all the acid off.
I wear those thin latex gloves in case of drips.
Different glasses might need different etching times, some take longer to see results.

Dragonfire Glass

never used bicarb - just a good rinse  :)

Kaz

Thanks for posting this Grandmabead - I have had a jar of this stuff sitting on my shelf for about 2 months and really want to try it but was nervous.....
Got fishing line, got surgical gloves, got bicarb!!!
Kaz
She's made of real glass. She got real real emotion. But my heart laughs I have that same sweet devotion!

Caroline

only etch in plastic, i once used a porclin bowl to etch and it was ruined and i know a few people on here have etched in a glass bowl.

And i just wash mine in water and washing up liquid afterwards, 5 mins is enough etching for most glass

Lush!

I keep all my etching paraphenalia in a big plastic tub, lined with kitchen roll.  I put the beads in a small plastic tub and pour the etching fluid over them - leave them for 10 minutes (or an occasional A&E shift if I'm having a particularly forgetful day) - then use a plastic tea strainer to pour the fluid back in the bottle.

Then all the beads go into a plastic jug and get thoroughly rinsed and rubbed under lots of cold running water, and dried off on a tea towel.


Oh and I use a wooden cocktail stick to turn all the beads over in the fluid.



www.lushlampwork.etsy.com

grandmabead

#38
All this info is great - thanks girls  :-* much appreciated.

I am going to start etching in a while so will bear all this info in mind. I'll let you know the results.

I was just musing.......
I must say that i am a little apprehensive about using this etching fluid, the tiny amount of info on the bottle is, to say the least, pretty inadequate. I am quite surprised that supplies like this don't come with a Health & Safety type leaflet. Are there no laws/guidelines governing the use of this type of chemical for the hobby user?
All the really useful safety info/advice i have found comes from hours of reading up on the subject on the net on forums like this, from people who are more experienced and are good enough to share their knowledge with the rest of us. Thank God they do because i would never have known just how dangerous this etching fluid can be to your health...........cancer fer chrissakes!
Maybe i am just a silly old worrier but having survived cancer myself i do worry a little that so many young people are taking up lampworking and that they may not be aware of the risks involved with many of the techniques/materials they use.

I know that when i was deciding whether to take up lampworking i was entranced by all the fabulous beads being made by gifted artists and spent most of the time looking at their website/Etsy shops etc and never really came across safety advice or comments to make me hesitate. It was only after i had bought all the kit and paraphenalia that i discovered forums like this where safety and good old common sense was freely available to guide me. This leads me to wonder just how many folks are out there happily torching away without a good grounding in safety measures they should be taking. Even when i was on my lampworking course, there were no extractors in the room nor were we told that fumes from using various materials on our beads gave off dangerous toxins.
Sorry, i am just an old worrybags!  :'(

Dragonfire Glass

I think you will find reams of stuff on most forums about the safety aspects - it just needs reading (like the small print on an insurance policy). The difference with an insurance policy is that it isn't hidden but I guess you do need to know to look.


beadysam

Just for the record - etch all burns if you accidently get it on your skin.  Not instantly but within a few mins - but it washes off and it didn't leave anything except a small red area that cleared up in a couple of hours.   ::)
I'm a bit slap dash and just chuck a load of beads in on cotton string, then shake them up every couple of mins or so - when I remember! I once left some beads in the solution for 2 days by accident, with no terrible effects at all, they were just very nice to touch.  I rinse in running water, then dump in a bi-carb solution, it does make a slight difference to surface texture I think - though that could be my imagination... 

grandmabead

Thanks everyone - here's my first etched beads. I hated them as they were some of my first and very un-round but i like them better now they are etched, it's a great way to pretty up uninteresting beads innit?

Sweated with fear of poisoning myself but after being gowned up like a doctor preparing to do open heart surgery i survived to etch another day..........i will always be wary though......old age makes you value your life a lot more than when you're a spring chicken.
:D



turquoise

OOOOOh super beads, I have a heap of ones ready to etch too, I have the fluid but like you was a bit worries.I think I may give it a go later today, some beads look so fab when etched.  I these ones look super. I reckon I will take the plunge it may stop me from buying more beads off etsy!!!! I am trying to hold off until Saturday at Stourbridge.   ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ::) ::) ::) ::) ::) ::)


www.morellobeads.co.uk

Lush!

Quote from: grandmabead on August 20, 2008, 01:54:12 PM

i like them better now they are etched, it's a great way to pretty up uninteresting beads innit?


Yessss!

;D ;D


www.lushlampwork.etsy.com

mad bunny

Those are pretty beads.   8)   Etching does give them such a nice finish.

I have some etching fluid and haven't tried it yet.  Must get my finger out and do stuff, there is so much to learn.  ;D
Practice and Patience really does pay off!  Beads actually looking good  Yippee  :o