Glass etching in one form or another has been around for approximately 100 years. Various methods exist. Etching through the use of sand blasting, a newer method of acid etching, and then through the use of drill tips / bits to grind the glass.
Sandblasting - this method is the preferred professional method of glass etching, because of the variety of results that can be produced. Surface etching can be attained by keeping the abrasion of the glass to a consistent and uniform shallow depth. Multi-level carving can be achieved by the use of a resist material which is peeled off in sections based on the depth that the section of glass needs to be etched. The end result with various parts of the glass etched at different depths, creates a 3-D like image. Shaded etching is another form of glass etching, which, although looking fairly simple, is most probably one of the hardest methods to perfect. This is done by increasing or decreasing the pressure of the etching material to the glass by either varying the distance or the actual pressure that the etching material is applied.
Acid etching involves creating an image on a resist media such as vinyl or rubber, removing those sections that are required to be etched, thus exposing the glass, and applying a light acid cream, which is later washed off. This method can only produce a uniform surface etching and no shading or depth carving can be achieved.
Using a high powered drill with diamond burs can also achieve an etched result, but this method is done in a free form or freehand manner. A small amount of depth variation can be achieved, but it usually creates the best results with a uniform depth.
The latest method of glass etching is with the use of lasers and a computer generated image. Due to the nature of the laser, it is really only capable of performing surface etching at a decent level of detail. If one attempts to etch too deeply with lasers, the end result ends up very rough because the glass is broken away in minute shards.
For more information about glass etching and examples of finished products, please feel free to visit my website, listed below: www.rocolglassetching.com
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information presented herein intended to substitute for the advice provided to you by any health care or other professional
or organization.
