There are two ways to etch glass and these are (i) with a sand blast and (2) with acid.

The Sand Blast Process

The process which follows is a simplified form of the regular sand-blast way of doing it, and with it you can easily make a ground glass surface or etch a stencilled name or a design on a sheet of glass.

All you need is (1) a box with a tight fitting lid 5 inches wide, 5 inches high and 10 inches long as shown at A in Fig. 94. Cut a hole in one end, say

4 1/2 x 4 1/2 inches, thus leaving a margin of wood 1/2 an inch wide all around; (2) a pound of rather coarse emery, and (3) a pound of shot.

Fig. 94A. Parts Of The Apparatus For Sand Blast Etching

Clean the surface of the glass you are going to etch with warm water with a little soda in it, wash it off and rub it dry. Next cut a stencil with your name on it or you can make a geometrical design by folding a sheet of paper and cutting it out with a pair of shears. Coat the glass with a thin layer of mucilage, lay the stencil on it and rub it down flat. Rub the mucilage off clean in the cut out parts with a slightly moist sponge and be sure to get it all off too. Now cut out a piece of cloth the size of the end of the box and cut a hole in it the exact size of the hole in the box. Lay this on the end of the box with the hole in it, lay the glass over it and fix them all together tight with rubber bands as shown at B in Fig. 94, or tie it up with string. The cloth cut-out between the box and glass will prevent the emery from sifting through.

Fig. 94B. Sand Blast Apparatus Put Together Ready For Etching

Put the shot and emery in the box, fasten the lid on tight and then shake it hard up and down so that the emery and shot will strike the surface of the glass with as much force as possible. Keep this up for 15 minutes or half an hour when the glass will be etched deep enough.

When you open the box you will find that the particles of emery have been embedded in the lead shot and each of the latter has become a cutting tool. This process of etching can be used for metals as well as for glass.