and painting glass.
I'm making a stained glass window that needed some painting done on some of the pieces. But I don't know how to paint with vitreous kiln-fired paints and I don't own a kiln. Ordinary paint enamels don't stick well to glass, but I had read somewhere that if you etch the glass first, ordinary un-fired paint will adhere quite well. It's true!
Instead of etching with dangerous acids or sandblasting, I simply used the same little diamond burrs that I use to engrave stone. These are like the burrs that dentists use on your teeth and will work in a Dremmel-type hand-held motortool. They etch glass like butter!
First I marked the design to be etched on a piece of paper and I glued it to the glass with water soluble glue (Elmers). Then I sealed the paper with polyurethane to waterproof it. (You could also draw the design on the glass with a Sharpee pen). Then I set the piece of glass in a shallow dish with just a little water in it to lubricate the diamond burr.
After engraving the glass, I remove all the paper, clean the glass and let it dry. Then I paint it. What's really neat is that the paint lies naturally in the lower engraved parts. You can be real sloppy painting, because when you are through, you can remove any unwanted paint on the unengraved surfaces by wiping it off while it's still wet with a sanding block that's wrapped in a paper towel that's been moistened with paint thinner.
I'm real curious. Does any body else use this technique? It seems to work great.
John L. Carmichael Sundial Sculptures 925 E. Foothills Dr. Tucson AZ 85718-4716 USA Tel: 520-6961709 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Websites: Sundial Sculptures: http://www.sundialsculptures.com Stained Glass Sundials: http://stainedglasssundials.com -
