How to Fix Glass Etching Mistakes

Etched glass

Etching engraved lines and frosted textures on glass is a great way to turn an every day piece of houseware into something beautiful and precious. As with any art process, however, it's common to make the odd mistake while etching in glass. A mistake in glass etching can mar what was otherwise a successful creation, so it's important for any glass artist to have methods for dealing with etching mistakes, so as to render them invisible, refill the engraved area or change the design to account for the glitch.

Things You'll Need

• Soap and water
• Clear enamel
• Casting resin

Instructions

1. Wash the mistake area. With very small etching mistakes, you may find that the error is only visible right after it's made due to the visible deposit of opaque glass powder left over from the cut. Wipe the area with a moist cloth and then a dry one, and see if the mistake can still be seen once the powder is gone.

2. Put a coat of clear enamel over the mistake. If the mistake remains opaque and visible after being washed and dried, apply a clear enamel coat to that spot to make it transparent again. With many mistakes, this will render the lines invisible unless you're looking for the problem and viewing the glass at just the right angle of light.

3. Try to incorporate the mistake into your design. Look at your etching, and see if you can re-imagine the design in such a way as to incorporate the lines you didn't mean to make. Some good ways to do this might include things like making a pattern of small lines or a white, etched area around the outside of your design, if you accidentally etched outside where you meant to, or adding extra parts to an image according to what the mistaken lines suggest.

4. Fill the mistake area with casting resin. If the mistake is too deep to obscure in any other way, mix up a little two-part casting resin and pour it into the etched grooves. Position the glass on its side, so the liquid resin won't drip out of the groove while it cures.

References

• "Easy Glass Etching;" Marlis Cornett; 2006