Easy And Fun Glass Etching With Stencils

easy and fun glass etching with stencils

Have you ever wondered how glass etching works? Well it’s actually really simple and fun! In this post I will be showing you exactly how to etch glass using just a few simple tools. Without further ado let’s get to this easy and fun glass etching with stencils tutorial!

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What You Will Need

For this glass etching project you will only need a handful of items.

  • Armour Etch Cream
  • A Foam Brush
  • A Glass Object
  • Stencil
  • Gloves For Safety

You will need to decide what kind of stencil to use for your glass. This can be any stencil you want.

Make sure you measure the surface area of your glass object to make sure that the stencil will fit.

If the stencil isn’t sticky be sure that it is taped tightly to your glass.

What Kinds Of Glass Can I Use For This Project?

In my experience I have noticed that very basic glass works best.

Mason jars, candle jars, glasses, clear bowls, clear wine glasses, champagne flutes, and even some mirrors.

I haven’t etched on much else, but the Armour Etch bottle suggests not using thick Pyrex glass.

The only negative experience I have had was when I tried to etch on a tinted glass. The tint of the glass simply became patchy and the etch didn’t transfer at all.

You Can Make A Stencil Using Cricut

Rather than use a traditional stencil I chose to cut my design using the Cricut Design Space for this project.

It’s actually extremely easy!

Simply choose a design with Cricut Design Space and cut out the vinyl using a Cricut machine. Weed out the vinyl and use the excess to place on your glass surface.

If there are intricate pieces to your cutout then you can use transfer tape. If it is simple like the one I chose that won’t be necessary.

Just apply as is.

Get Ready To Use Armour Etch Cream

Armour Etch is very easy to find. You can get it in pretty much any craft store as well as Amazon which is where I got mine.

I got a larger container and I assume it would last me for a very long time.

Grab Armour Etch for this project right now on Amazon

The first thing you’re going to be alarmed by is all of the warnings Armour Etch has on the bottle. I highly recommend wearing gloves, long sleeves, and open it in a well ventilated area.

Honestly I didn’t notice much of a smell other than it kind of smelled like a fart or something. (Seriously, it does.)

Anything that can leave a permanent etch on glass could burn or harm you very badly so really be careful not to get any on your skin.

I took a foam paintbrush and dipped it into the bottle directly instead of spilling it out everywhere.

Apply The Armour Etch Cream

I highly suggest applying a very liberal amount on your stencil. Take great care not to go off of the edges.

If I had to recommend a way to apply the cream I would say to dab it on rather than spread it.

Dabbing it seems to give the best coating as far as evenness goes.

It basically is just going to look like a glop of cream over the stencil. Make sure the glass is entirely covered in the area that you want etched.

Allow the cream to sit for about 1 minute or so then take it to the sink.

When the water is lukewarm you can begin rinsing off the cream.

When the Armour Etch cream is rinsed off you can then wash over the stencil with soap and water.

Peel Off The Stencil

You may be looking at the wet glass surface and thinking….wait a minute that didn’t work!

The water is going to make the etching look completely transparent so don’t be too alarmed.

Peel off your stencil and be ready with a paper towel to dry off your glass.

You should have a perfectly etched glass surface!

I hope you enjoyed this easy and fun glass etching with stencils craft!

I would love to see how your glass etchings turned out! Feel free to email them over to [email protected] if you give this try.

Let me know in the comments if you enjoyed this craft!

If you want to stay updated on my new craft posts you can always follow me on Pinterest if you haven’t already.

Also you can shop all of the items you need for glass etching conveniently on my Amazon storefront.

9 thoughts on “Easy And Fun Glass Etching With Stencils”

  1. Wow this looks great! It’s a shame that the etching didn’t work so well on a tinted surface but the outcome you’ve shared looks really good regardless! X

    1. Thank you! It really turned out great! I was a bit bummed out by the tinted glass not working, but I was skeptical to begin with lol. I am going to be trying a lot more etching in the near future to see if I can come up with some really unique designs. Thanks for reading!

  2. I tried my hand at glass etching leading up to our wedding. We toasted on our big day with custom Bride and Groom glasses that I created. They are still sitting in our china cabinet on display, a great memory of a special day! I have made a couple for friends during their wedding planning as well.

    1. Yes glass etching is really great for souvenirs and keepsakes! It is really cool that you get to keep that as a memento. I hope to do much more with glass etching in the near future!

    1. Thank you so much Suchita! I really want to do more with etching. I think there are plenty of cool things you can do with it!

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