Monday, March 19, 2012

Etching with stamps on Dichroic Glass








I love etching designs in dichroic glass. There are a number of methods doing this, but my favorite has always been to draw my designs on with a black sharpie, and then use Armor Etch to etch the glass. The sharpie works as a resist and the dichroic coating is removed everywhere that is not covered by the marker. Not long ago, I found another fun way to do the etching using rubber stamps and Stazon Metallic ink. I use the copper, because it seams a little thicker and tackier then the silver and gold.



You will need - a piece of dichroic glass (I like to work on clear dichoric so that I can watch the etching process from the back.), a rubber stamp, copper Stazon ink (and pad), Armor Etch etching cream, broad paint brush, rubber gloves, rubbing alcohol.





Wipe the glass down with rubbing alcohol to be sure it is free from residue. Press the rubber stamp into the ink pad and be sure the stamp is evenly coated with ink. Then carefully stamp the design onto the dichroic glass. Stamping on glass can be a little tricky, as the stamp wants to slide around if you do not come straight down and straight back up. But the nice thing is that if you don't get it right the first time, you can wipe it off with a little rubbing alcohol and try again.


Once you are happy with your stamp(s), let the stamps dry for 5 to 10 minutes.







Now for the fun part.......Put on your rubber gloves to protect your fingers from the etching cream. Holding the glass piece from the edges, brush a thick coat of the etching cream over the entire surface of the glass. Different dichroic colors etch at different speeds so it takes a little practice to get the timing right, but if you are working with clear glass it makes it a lot easier to judge when it is ready to rinse. Periodically hold the glass so that you can see the back side. You will see your design emerge and the etched area will become white. Tip the glass to different angles so that you can be sure that all the areas you want etched have turned white. If there is an iridescent sheen, it is not done yet. Once you feel it is ready, run the piece under clear water and remove all of the etching cream. The copper ink will probably come off at this point too, but if not use a little rubbing alcohol to remove it. Your dichroic design will be revealed.


You now have a lovely etched design to finish into a project. The pendant above was finished by fusing the dichroic glass to a piece of black base glass. For those without access to a kiln, I am working on a non-fired version of this....stay tuned.





















8 comments:

  1. WOW beautiful stuff. Can't wait to have some time to try it out. I have been holding onto some cigar boxes. Knew I wanted to make something with them but did not know what. Will have to find some time to make these.

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  2. KC, so very nice and sounds easy! But how do you get the multiple coloring on the glass? Do you use high fire enamels? What temperature did you fuse at? I really want to know this whole process! Thanks!

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    1. Hi, This is done with patterned dichroic glass from Delphi Glass. I think this one is called "Tie-Dye". It was fused to about 1500 degrees. Thanks for your interest!

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  3. Just stumbled upon your page...such beautiful creative stuff :) Did you figure out a way to have a non fired version of this?

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    1. Here is a post I did for Red-Rubber Designs for the non-fired option. http://blog.red-rubber-designs.com/2012/05/tutorial-tuesday-etching-dichroic-glass.html

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  4. KC, this looks so great! Do you know if I can use any Stazon solvent-based ink? I went to a class, and I think it washes off...so does the color of the ink matter? eg I am thinking of using Stazon black. Thank you!

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  5. Hi! Thanks for the compliments! I have not tried Stazon Black, but it might work. You could test it on a small piece. I used the metallic because it is thicker and tackier and it works great. But I have also etched by using black Sharpies, so the black Stazon may work as well. Good luck and show me how it turns out!

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