How to Make Personalized Engraved Glass

With a handheld glass engraver, you can make any glass items unique and personalized.

Glass engraving is a hobby that enables you to add personalized touches to any glass piece, making it truly unique. And even though it requires concentration, patience and practice, engraving glass is not especially difficult to do. Because of the amazing quality of available glass-engraving tools, you can make personalized engraved glass right at home without the use of heavy equipment.

Things You'll Need

• Wax pencil
• Glass piece
• Stencils (optional)
• Rubber shelf liner
• Safety glasses
• Dust mask
• Handheld electric engraver with diamond tips
• Black felt
• Soft cloth

Instructions

1. Use a wax pencil to create a word or design on the piece of glass you wish to personalize. Take a step back to make sure the word or design is level and that it is the size that you want. If you don't want to freehand the design, stencils are available at craft stores and can be incredibly helpful if you want to engrave multiple pieces with the same design.

2. Lay out a piece of rubber shelf liner underneath the glass piece. While you engrave, you can now hold the glass piece at any angle without worrying about it slipping or breaking.

3. Put on a pair of safety glasses and a dust mask that covers your mouth and nose.

4. Turn on a handheld glass engraver, available at craft stores and online. Hold the glass piece with your free hand while you lightly guide the diamond tip to draw over the general outline of your personalized design. Any shading can be accomplished by crosshatching your lines over one another.

5. Check your work periodically by turning the glass engraver off and sliding a piece of black felt behind the area you are working on. The felt will help you to see every line you have scratched or engraved on the piece.

6. Finish engraving the personalized design on the glass piece and wipe away all excess grains or dust that remain with a soft cloth.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't push the tip of the engraver down too hard; use light, fluid motions instead.

References

• HomeEnvy: Do-it-yourself Engraving
• Inland: Engraving with the EasyMark Electric Engraver

Resources

• Lesley Pyke: Glass Engraving - The Drill Technique