How to Silk Screen on Glass

Silk screening is one of the oldest techniques for transferring a design onto an object such as fabric, wood or even glass. Traditionally, the process was performed by stretching silk onto a frame and pressing ink or dye through the silk, although today, most silk screening is done with wire mesh and several easy-to-use chemical products. Using silk screening techniques, you can transfer your own designs onto any type of glass surface, such as a tabletop, window, flat glass object or glass frame.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Sketchpad and pencil
• Pre-made silk screening screen
• Paintbrush
• Drawing fluid
• Screen filler
• Squeegee
• Clamps
• Masking tape
• Glass paint or ink
• Glass surface
• Glass cleaner

1. Draw out the design you wish to transfer to glass on a sheet of paper, or choose an existing design from a magazine or Internet website. Make sure your design is as large as the glass area you wish to cover. If necessary, you can enlarge your design using a photocopy machine or computer image-editing program.

2. Find a framed silk-screening screen in the size that you need. Place your drawn design under the screen and trace it onto the mesh with a pencil. On the areas of the design you want transferred to the glass, use the paintbrush to apply drawing fluid. Let the drawing fluid dry completely with the screen in a horizontal position.

3. Pour screen filler onto one end of the screen and, using the squeegee, sweep the screen filler completely across the screen so that every part is covered. Use only one pass, as multiple passes of screen filler can damage the drawing fluid and cause problems in transferring your design. Let the screen filler dry completely with the screen in a horizontal position. Clean the screen filler from the squeegee.

4. Run the screen under cold water, washing away the drawing fluid so the parts of your design you wish to transfer become transparent and the parts you do not wish to transfer stay covered with screen filler. Let the screen dry completely. In the meantime, clean your glass surface with a grease-removing cleaner.

5. Lay the screen face-up on the glass surface and clamp the screen in place. If there are gaps in the screen-filler coverage, such as at the edges of the screen, cover them with masking tape so there is no leakage.

6. Pour your paint into one end of the screen, such as you did with the screen filler in Step 3, and sweep it across the screen with the squeegee. Make a second pass with the squeegee to stamp the design onto the glass, then quickly unclamp the screen and lift it away from the glass. Let the glass dry completely.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are doing more than one color, you will have to work with more than one screen and screen print each color separately, allowing the previous color to dry in between printings. If you wish to silk screen onto a rounded glass object, you will need to use a screen that has loose tension and be extremely careful about securing the screen while you work.

Resources

• Silk Screen on a Glass Tabletop
• Silk Screening Tutorial
• How to Succeed at Silk Screening