You may have heard me state before that etching both sides of a glass cup or beer mug is a great idea to give it a little more character.
On the opposite of this mug that was etched for a gift shown here, I also added a simple design that was found using the search pattern techniques mentions in the membership site. Since this person loves her pet, I found this graphic of a beagle dog inside of a heart with an “I” and a pawprint.
Tip for Drink-ability
Can’t remember if I mentioned this tip before, but I always try to leave room for a person’s lips. What I mean by that is I try to etch below the top 1/2″ to 3/4″ of the glass. If it is a beer mug, I recommend seeing if they are right handed or left handed and giving more space in the inside they would be drinking.
This is important because a lot of times, I will sandblast carve etch designs deep which could irritate or cut their lip. You could also etch the top portion lightly and the bottom deeper if desired.
Measured Glass, Cut to Size & Adhered
- Taking the previous tip into consideration, I measured the surface dimensions of the glass that can be etched.
- Then scaled the design to size with my software and cut the stencil out, as explained in the ebook or membership site.
- I then aligned the stencil to the glass to adhere it.
Tape Edges of Stencil and Etch!
Then I taped the edges of the stencil so no sandblasting abrasive would overspray and etched it!
A view of the stencil after it is sandblasted.
Complete
A view of the completed mug to show depth at an angle. It is hard to photograph and looks best in person. First photo shows detail with a dark colored backing inserted in the glass.
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Are the re useable stencils good for sandblasting?
@Mike, to some extent they do work for sandblasting. However, these are only meant for very light pressures and fine abrasives. The lighter the abrasive (180-220 grit) and pressure, the longer they will last.
They are only what I believe is about 3 mils thick. They are advertised to work for light sandblasting, as well as cream etching- they recommend 220 grit be used.
@everyone else, we are referring to these stencils here https://www.glassetchingsecrets.com/cat-dog-pet-stencils/ or here on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=pet+stencils&asin=B01LWP2VX8&tag=glasetchsecr-20
Beautiful work. I have done Animal (Dogs) Glass Etchings, but I use a Dremel and etch the designs by hand. There are so many different ways to etch designs into glassware, I prefer using a Dremel and Diamond Tip.