How do you do your etching?

[.Maleficus.]

Well, I've been trying various methods of etching lately, and all of them gave less than desirable results. So, what is an easy way to etch, and do pretty intricate work?

BTW, I've been trying out using a Dremel with a very small circular metal head, and just plain old sand-paper.

[Cevinzol]

one way i read about a while back was to cut your design with a sharp knife then use a dremel with a pointed bur. The knife cut helps keep the lines sharper

[.Maleficus.]

Yeah, that's what I read too, but I have some pretty fine details, and the cutting was pretty hard with an exacto knife. I was trying just Dremelling with the picture behind the plexi and Dremelling the black areas (what I want etched) but I didn't know if I would get it weird shaped, like if I looked at it at an angle one way and a different angle the other. But it worked better than cutting out the design...

[Kumo]

I did that:

Once you have decided what you want in the plexy, print it. As you going to etch the draw inside the window, print the draw "mirrored".

Don't remove the protective paper form the plexy and fix your desing with tape to the plexy.

Cut carefuly with a cutter or xacto knive the areas to etch and remove the paper pieces. I protected the others areas with tape.

In the following pics, the first steps of etching. To reach that point, i "painted" carefully the area to etch with the back of the cutter. As it was a marker. First in one direction and the in the other until you get the desired level of opacity.

For the letters i only used the cutter for the details, the main work was did with a dremel bit.

To finish the work, put some lights (in the side of the plexy, for example) to light up your desing.

The sand paper / Frost:

(sorry i don't have pics of this process)

The work is similar. But the desing have to be bigger.

You have to protect the "non-frosteable" areas better and cut the others with a cutter. Then sand with a light sandpaper. Apply several sanding until you get the desired frost level. Don't go for a one-pass sanding.

A rough sandpaper will scratch the plexy, so use a fine grain instead.

I hope it help you a little.

[Omega]

hmm i would also like to know how to etch (and well)

got a dremel, all kinds of sandpaper, sanding disks, bur stuff, etc

i should etch something onto ArgDawn's window.

[DaveW]

Kumo, that's a really great little tutorial. Thanks very much, i'm thinking this should get stickied for a short while, see what the other mods think-it's a common question and your pics are nice. Good work.

-Dave

[Kumo]

For nothing. Thank you for the comments.

I must have a pic of a sanded window anywhere. I'll post if i find it.

[.Maleficus.]

Awesome, thanks for the help! I'll try that pretty soon, as I have to cut a new window, since I messed my other one trying the etch.


Edit: Kumo, what Dremel bit did you use?

[Kumo]

I did it with bits of those kind

The round one is vey useful for characters.

[Kumo]

Some pics of a sanded /etched window i did some time ago:

The rays are made by the sand method and the characters with the dremel.

Sorry, i could post the pics a little bigger, but not better. Only i have these.