Introduction: Glass Etching School Logos

This project is great for college students or parents with school spirit! Logos or letters can be used for any school. All that is needed is basic knife safety knowledge, steady hands and an understanding of basic computer and printing skills.

  • You will need (in order of use):

1. Your choice of glassware

  • Ensure that it has a smooth surface Wide glasses are easier to work with.

2. Your school letters printed out on computer paper

  • You can either find an image online or open a Word Document and type the letters yourself.
  • Try your best to scale your image to the glass that you have selected. If you are typing the letters yourself, choose a thick font and bold the text.

3. Scissors

4. Masking tape

  • Depending on the size of your image, you might want to buy a greater width. We used a 2 inch roll.

5 . Exactoknife

  • These can be found at any local craft store.
  • We recommend using a #1 exactoknife to aid in precision.

6. A small paintbrush

  • It’s easier to use a larger brush, which can be found in the craft aisle at most stores.

7. Rubber gloves

8. Etching cream

  • This can be tricky to find. We bought ours from Hobby Lobby.

WARNING! Exacto knife is very sharp and should be handled with care. The etching cream should also be handled with care - it is a potentially dangerous substance. ALWAYS wear gloves when handling. DO NOT inhale. Read the bottle for user guidelines and more information.

*Access to a sink is required

**Using a lighted table is optional

***It is highly recommended you practice with the Exactoknife so you can get a feel for how hard you have to press to get a clean cut

Step 1: Obtaining the Materials

  1. Clean and dry your glass(es) before use, ensuring that there are no fingerprints on your glass.
  2. Print out your choice of letters.
    • Your school abbreviation or motto is perfect.
    • You can find an image online to use or you can type it in a Word Document
    • If typing it yourself, use a thick, simple font, bold letters and dark colors.
    • Try your best to scale your image according to the glass that you have selected

Step 2: Preparing the Materials

    1. Draw a rectangle around your design.

    2. Cut out that rectangle.

    3. Tape the edges of the rectangle to a piece of paper. See FIRST picture.

    4. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fully cover your design. See SECOND picture.

    5. Cut a piece of masking tape that is about a 1/2 inch longer than your design and then center it so that the ends of the tape will secure the parchment paper over the design. See THIRD picture.

    6. Use the exacto knife to trace the lines of your design. Apply enough force to cut through the tape but not enough to cut through the paper. See FOURTH picture.

    7. Cut a second piece of tape a little longer than the first one and stick it to your pants a few times so it is not as sticky.

    8. Layer on the less-sticky piece of tape right onto the tape you just cut with the exacto knife. See FIFTH picture.

    9. Peel the two pieces of tape off together - leaving the design and parchment paper behind - and align them on your glass in the position you desire. See SIXTH picture

    10. Very slowly, peel back the top layer of masking tape, leaving the one that is cut on the glass with no pieces missing. See SEVENTH picture.

    11. Use the exacto knife to peel away the inside letters and shapes of what you cut out, leaving your design visible as clear spaces.

    Step 3: Applying the Etching Cream

    1. Put on rubber gloves.

    2. Open your bottle of etching cream and use your paintbrush to apply a thick layer over the tape and your design.

    • It doesn’t matter how you stroke the brush, just ensure that the etching cream is applied evenly throughout the design.
    • You should apply generously, so that you can’t see your design through the cream
    • The picture below shows how much we applied, but it was too thin! You should add more than we did!

    3. Leave on for 5 minutes.

    Step 4: Finishing Product

    1. After 5 minutes, wash etching cream off thoroughly with water. Wash from top of product down.

    • Do NOT angle the stream of water so that it hits one side of the design more than the other.
    • Just like with applying the cream, try to keep the water flowing evenly along the whole design.

    2. You’re finished! Wrap as a gift or use for yourself!

    • This product is dishwasher safe!