How to Etch a Glass Bottle
When I started cutting bottles, I had a lot of ideas for what to do with them. I had plenty of ideas for the clear bottles, and not as many for the colored bottles. Alcohol ink wouldn’t show up so well on a green bottle, for example. One thing I knew would be striking was etching. I’ve etched glass before (a couple of jars and a baking dish), but it had been a while. I was excited to try it again!
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Here’s my supply list for etching:
- Something to etch
- Etching cream (I love Armour Etch)
- Something to spread the cream (I used a wooden craft stick)
- Stencil
- Disposable gloves
- Masking/painter’s tape to secure stencil
You also need access to a sink you can use to rinse off the cream. Preferably not porcelain or ceramic, which could be etched.
How to etch a glass bottle (or jar… or whatever you can think of!)
The first step in *my* process was to cut and sand the bottle. If you’re etching something you’ve purchased, of course you can skip this step. Do make sure your item is clean and ready to go, though. I used an alcohol wipe for my dandelion vase. You just don’t want to use anything that will leave a residue.
Next you need to figure out a stencil. I used my Silhouette software to size my dandelion and my Cameo to cut it out. I cut it out of stencil material, but in the past I used both vinyl (not permanent) and contact paper. You can also buy stencils if you’d prefer to go that route.
Position the stencil on your bottle, watching for bubbles as you go. Press down all around the design to make sure you get a tight seal. You don’t want the etching cream sneaking underneath. If your stencil doesn’t cover much around the design, you can add a border of tape. This helps protect your glass from getting etched where you don’t want it.
Wearing gloves, apply a liberal amount of etching cream. I started out using a foam brush, but I switched to a craft stick because I had an easier time covering my design evenly. Whatever you use, you shouldn’t be able to see the stencil design underneath.
The official Armour Etch instructions say to leave it on for no longer than a minute, but I’ve left it on for 5-10 minutes each time. Any longer than that and you wish the etching cream ruining your stencil.
I always scrape off the excess cream. I scrape it off back into the jar to reuse later!
Once you do that, carefully rinse off the remaining cream—making sure not to get any of it anywhere outside of the taped off area. Peel off the stencil, and wash your bottle/jar. Dry it completely to reveal your etched design.
Ahem… with my dandelion vase—even though I should have known better—I didn’t think my design had actually etched. I rinsed it off in our utility sink and didn’t see any etching. Apparently I just didn’t dry it properly. I set it aside that night, and it wasn’t until a couple of weeks later that I saw it again and realized it actually HAD worked. So learn from my mistake and make sure you dry it.
Here’s how my dandelion design worked out, and just for fun, a throwback to my first etching project. I loved this silhouette of my kids so much that I used it again to make a couple of different projects. As many things as I could think of, anyway. I think this jar is my favorite, though.
I’d love to see your etched projects. You can find me on Instagram or Facebook.
Happy crafting!
