Armour Etch Glass Etching Cream - Create Stunning Designs on Glass Surfaces - Etching Cream for Glass by Armour Products - 22 oz Net Weight

I have a vinyl cutter and decided I wanted to try glass etching. This stuff works fabulously!My process was to cut my design in adhesive backed vinyl, weed out the parts of the design I wanted to etch, apply clear transfer tape to the front of the design, peel off the backing paper on the vinyl, apply it to the glass I wanted to etch, carefully peel off the transfer tape, apply a thick coat of the Armour Etch Cream using a foam pouncer, wait at least 5 minutes, wash the cream off with running water and then remove the vinyl.Here are some tips to get the best results:1. Make sure the glass is very clean. I wipe it well with rubbing alcohol to ensure there are no oils that would prevent the etching cream from etching evenly.2. Rub the vinyl hard to make sure every edge is completely adhered to the glass. If it isn't, the cream can bleed under the edges.3. Apply the cream thickly and as evenly as possible. I pounce it on rather than brush it to avoid brush marks in the etch. Make sure it's so thick that you cannot see through it at all.4. The directions say to leave it on for 5 minutes but longer is fine and makes a deeper, more frosted etch.5. Work on a covered surface and wear gloves. If this cream gets on anything else, it will etch it, too. Remember, this is an acid that is strong enough to etch glass! Also, I suggest working in a well ventilated area. I do it on my front porch.You can etch all sorts of things. Some I have etched are glass tumblers, mugs and steins, glass dinner plates and platters, glass bakeware, mirrors, canisters, jars, bottles and window glass. Etching your name onto platters and bakeware ensures it gets returned to you. Etching names and monograms onto simple glass mugs or plates turns them into fabulous gifts.This is a fairly big bottle of etching cream and even applied thickly, it will etch a lot of glass.

It's a little pricey on Amazon, can get it cheaper at local craft stores when they offer coupons. It is a decent product, better than other brand's glass etching creams in the sense you get more for your money and it takes less time to work. Armor Etch is not reusable once it has dried so after the initial thick layer being applied and then wiped off and put back into the bottle it only takes a little bit to achieve the frosted, etched look. It works in just a couple of minutes. One drawback is that the more times it is opened and exposed to air it forms crystals and these crystals will make darker spots on your project so they cannot be left on the glass. It is possible to eliminate the crystals by placing the bottle in warm water before each use and then shaking vigorously for several minutes to mix the broken particles. Because of the shape of the bottle it is almost impossible to stir the cream. The photo is a wine glass that I etched the word Aquarius and dotted. It is difficult to get good photos of etched glass but hopefully you can see the design well enough.

This is an amazing product. Though it can get expensive buying a bunch of stencils, especially those press and stick single use etch stencils with the stick adhesive on them that they show in all the videos. I use two inchmasking tape. I cove my glass in that and i draw my work right onto the tape and then cut out what needs to be cut out with an exacto. it doesnt scratch the glass as a lot of people thing it would, and even if it did..the etch cream will be etching right up to it so you'd never notice anyway. but it doesnt....so it saves me a fortune on stencil material and after i rinse off the cream..the wet tape comes right off. Now about the product.. you do have to put a decent amount on to cover the apllied areas so that you cant see through the cream at the glass underneath. it seems the more cream, the deeper it will etch so if the coverage isnt smooth, the etching will look shotty in the light. I reccommend using a brush to quickly cover the whole area as quick as you can so that all areas will start the etching process at about the same time. then go immediately back and fill in any showing areas with extra product. I also do not recommend this for large projects unless you are doing it in very small sections at a time. I found that by the time i got all the cream on..the one side had been on for almost a minute while the side i finished was just starting the etch process. you have to be careful not to leave the cream on much longer than a minute or two or you risk the cream etching its way under your stencil.

I first purchased this item for a specific project in mind. I was making some glass gifts for a 50th high school reunion as a favor for my mother. The etching cream was BY FAR the easiest step in my project. It literally took less than 3 minutes to provide an outstanding image on my glasswares. The cups were a HUGE hit with all that attended and even netted me another paid project from some of the attendees. Very simple to use as you simply paint over your stencil (if that is the route you are going) and allow to sit for 3 minutes before rinsing with warm water. I also washed after rinsing with a little dish soap to be sure all the cream was off then dried the end product. I suggest not purchasing in bulk but rather only as you intend to use as it does not have a super long shelf time however, if sealed, I have kept some for almost a year without issue.