I don’t use etching cream quite as much as sandblasting, but many people here use it and I enjoy experimenting to find the better products.
I also find it interesting to mix/combine cream with sandblasting or engraving as I will be discussing in the member’s area here.
So it is something you might want to try out if you don’t currently work with the creme.
Experiment in action to test 3 brands: Etchall, Armour Etch and Matronics own brand
Anyway, this post is to show my experiment that I did to compare a few different brands of etching cream. I cut three similar stencils of a marlin fish example, placed them on the same piece of scrap glass and coated them with the following brands:
- Armour Etch
- An off-brand by Matronics Corp.
- Etchall
What I found out, as shown in this last image, is they all visibly looked fairly similar. As discussed in a few other places, one didn’t seem to stand out more than the other so I don’t believe one brand will give a deeper, whiter etch unless it has Hydrofluric acid in it.
However, there are some brands available that are faux creams which don’t permanently etch in the glass but may market them as providing an etched-look so read about the product before you buy.
I went in depth about this experiment and listed a few different brands in a free ebook report which can be downloaded here.
In terms of consistency, I do believe some brands are better such as Etchall because they are smoother and are less likely to provide a blotched etch. This is one reason why I sell this brand here and call it a premium etch cream. It is even more important to use a premium brand for larger projects and/or more surface areas that need to be etched because an inferior product usually leaves an inconsistent finish.
If you have found a brand that seems to work better or if you have questions, please leave them below. Thank you and I hope you enjoy that free report.
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I started doing etching the 70s & 80s. I used hydrofluoric acid I got at a stand glass shop . After they closed I never found it. I tryed Armour Etch but do not like it. So I haven’t done any in a long time. Is there any way to get it now. I would love to do it again. Thank u if you can help.
I started off with using cream, after about a year I noticed my designs started to get blurred. I stopped and now I blast everything. I can control my work better this way. I had to redo some of my first work I did with cream and blasted them.
@Jane, if you have a business name and have a commercial address, you can buy it and it is relatively inexpensive.
@Rick, I agree it’s just not as professional as other methods.
Has anyone worked with a Dremel with different burrs for etching and carving? What does anyone think of this technique?
Has anyone used a Moro Dremel with different burrs for etching? Comments? I no longer have access to sand blasting and am looking for alternative techniques.
@Eilleen, I have used numerous dremel types. They can bite into, and run away over glass, if your hand is not steady. I tried a Dremel first (without a shaft, which I would recommend if going with Dremel for more control), and a Foredom motor with shaft, second (more speed than a Dremel). I found that the Dremel is hard to control, the Foredom, with the shaft and hanger, with a higher speed is a little better, the best of the three is the engraving tool from SCM (other brands are out there also) that runs on a small air compressor. All three are very time consuming to get to a finished piece, and can give more of an “engraved” look. Scm has numerous videos on their website to watch. I did purchase a sandblast cabinet and large air compressor, which gives me a much better finish on all types of surfaces, and saves time. Of course, each step up costs more……I hope this helps.
I’m looking for zodiac sign stencils that can be sandblasted. I’m really bad at making them myself, plus it would be impractical if I want to repeat it given that they most likely are disposable. Help anyone?
If you leave the cream on longer than the minute stated in the directions will you get a better image?
@Jimmi, great question. I’ve done a few types of tests and even tested leaving it on overnight, at different temperatures, etc and it still hasn’t seem to made much of a difference. Just an FYI though– most brands state to leave it on 5-15 minutes, except that brand from Matronics which states 30 seconds.
Eric, I am doing some cleanup of my archives and I found a test report on glass etching cream done by the ITT Space Systems Division. Its in PDF and almost 3 MB. Where do you want me to send it for you since you had asked if anyone has other test reports
@Uwe, that would be great to see. You can contact me via the form here https://www.glassetchingsecrets.com/contact.html or via the email address listed there. Thanks!
I have tried other etching cream Armour etch is the only one I’ve used for 20 years. My glasses from 20 years ago look as new as the ones I did yesterday I’ve never had a complaint from any of my customers.
Eric, do you know if either Armour Etch or Etchall will etch away the dichroic layer on dichroic glass? If so, what do users of the etching product use for photo-resist material? I had a photo-resist made/marketed by Bosler, Inc, but the company seems to have folded.
Any info you can supply to me on this topic would be greatly appreciated!