How to Etch Glass

Welcome to this week’s Handmade Christmas tutorial. Time is flying by and today I want to show you really quick and versatile gift…etched glass.

I’ve always loved etched glass and when I suggested to Carl that we should do some on jars for some of our staples like sugar and popcorn he decided to use a dremmel instead of etching cream. To my surprise it works really well.

Here’s some items we’ve done over the years….

Here’s how you make these…

~ Decide on a design. You should be able to find some on the internet or draw one out if you’re gifted like that.

~ You need at diamond bit for your dremmel.

~ You need a jar. You can use a store bought jar or a repurposed jar. I personally like large pickle jars. Wine bottles are also fun for bubble bath or other liquid soap – you can put a dispenser on top so only a little comes out at a time.

~ Cut the extra paper off from around your design leaving some margin.

~ Tape the design to the jar/bottle. If the mouth of the jar/bottle is large enough you can tape the design inside. If not just tape it on the outside and you’ll go through the paper.

~ Using your diamond bit, start going over the design with the dremmel. The glass should start coming off and will leave a milky looking spot.

~ When you’ve completed the design, take the paper off (or what’s left of it off). Now, go back and see if you need to clean any of it up or if you missed any spots.

~ Fill your jar with goodies and wrap it up.

Thanks for sharing with your friends!