An easy to follow DIY etched glass tutorial!
I’ve been having a lot of fun with DIY glass etching lately, it’s so addicting! If you’ve never tried it, this is actually something you can easily do at home. It’s super easy and cheap!
There are so many possibilities of what you can make and these make great gifts. It doesn’t have to be wine glasses, you can etch anything glass… mason jars, beer mugs, trifle bowls, candles, etc…
Just follow my DIY etched glass tutorial and sit back and admire the beautiful etched glass that you made!
Materials for DIY Etched Glass Tutorial:
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- Armor Etch Cream
- Glass of your choice – I buy a lot of my wine glasses from the Dollar Tree
- vinyl – I use Oracal 631
- Transfer Tape
- Cricut cutting machine– always check prices between Cricut.com and Amazon (click links to compare!)
- paintbrush
So, let’s get started!!
Update: I now have a much more detailed glass etching tutorial with a video tutorial and how to design a Monogram to etch into glass here.
Etching Glass DIY: Preparing Your Stencil
First thing you’ll want to do is cut out your design on vinyl. I use my Cricut but you can use any cutting machine, buy something off Etsy or even use stickers.
For this project, we are using the vinyl as a stencil so you will want to weed OUT the design. You’ll want to leave a 1/2 inch to an inch of vinyl around the design so the cream doesn’t run over.
Here’s my design weeded out with my Cricut weeding tool.
Apply transfer tape to your vinyl and then apply it to the glass where you want it.
Tip: With rounded surfaces, I usually make slits around the edge to make sure it lays down flatter.
I pull on the vinyl a little and stick it down really tight. Press all around to make sure it is really stuck everywhere!
Then you can take off the transfer tape.
Since some of the edges weren’t very thick I added some painters tape around to keep the cream from touching the glass where I don’t want it!
Then you’re going to apply the etch cream. Make sure you do this in a ventilated area, it’s pretty smelly!
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Glass Etching Tutorial
Dip a paintbrush into the cream and dab it onto the design. Make sure there is enough to cover the exposed area but not so much that it drips.
These were some mason jars that I made for my daughter’s 13th birthday party for all the guests to use as cups.
Sometimes I will turn the glasses upside down halfway through if they seem to be running a little. I leave it on for about 15-20 minutes.
You can scrape some of the etch cream off with the paintbrush to put extra back in the bottle if you want.
Then take it to a sink and rinse off the cream with soap and water.
Peel off the vinyl and wash the whole glass. Then hold it up in the light and admire your DIY etched glass masterpiece! I’ve made quite a few lately.
For these DIY etched glass wine tumblers, I put etching all the way around so it’s kind of hard to take a picture of since you see both sides!!
Along with the DIY glass etching wine glass, I also made a How to Tell Time board. (click link for tutorial)
If you’d like to find out all the wonderful things a Cricut can do, check out my Cricut resource guide here!
If you’d like to save this tutorial on etching glass for later, make sure to PIN it now. Just hover over the top left of the image below.
Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day!
Yas
Tuesday 14th of February 2023
Very detailed information on how to etch a wine glass.
Kathie
Sunday 29th of November 2020
Is there a reason you used Oracle 631 vs Oracle 651
Leap of Faith Crafting
Tuesday 1st of December 2020
I find it a little easier to peel off, but you could use either. It's only on the glass for 20 minutes or so, so you'll be able to peel off either of them!
Donna
Monday 13th of July 2020
I don’t have the machine,where can I buy vinyl with flowers or anything so I can do it. Thank you very much
Leap of Faith Crafting
Tuesday 14th of July 2020
HI Donna, you can find a bunch of decals sold on Etsy. You could probably get personalized ones too there.
Islia
Sunday 28th of June 2020
The Armour Etch must be baked to be permanent.?
Leap of Faith Crafting
Monday 29th of June 2020
No, once it's left on and then rinsed off it's permanent!
Lee
Thursday 9th of April 2020
How did you get the etch so bright with the Armour etch I've done a few they look okay but not as bright as yours.
Leap of Faith Crafting
Sunday 26th of April 2020
HI Lee, I left mine for about 20 minutes but it really depends on the lighting on how dark they look. I would also figure out a way to make it darker or even a different color, but I haven't yet!