DIY Glass-Etched Button Dish

Glass etching is really in right now. Crafters everywhere are putting on their rubber gloves and protective eyewear and getting after it. I tend to jump on the craft fad train every time, mostly because I want to see what’s so cool about the current “in” project.

If you have ever even glanced at a computer screen with Pinterest, you have no doubt seen a glass etching pin or two. Most of what I have seen has been on glasses or jars, and that’s all well and good, but I had a definite need that needed to be filled. Since that need was made of glass, it was a case of two birds meeting one stone.

You may have guessed from the image above that I needed a butter dish. Never in my life had I seen one in use. At some point since my last visit, my parents have acquired one, filled it with butter, and set it on the counter. I am convinced they did this to make me jealous. Our butter is better than your butter. I mean, it was always perfectly room temperature and so easy to slather onto bread. That’s a fantastic thing.

So, do you want to etch text onto a butter dish or other item made of glass? Guess what… It’s crazy easy.

How to Make a Glass-Etched Button Dish

Supplies needed:

• Glass Item of Choice(s)
  • Butter Dish 
  • Jars
  • Drinking Glass
• Contact Paper (pattern or not doesn’t matter) OR Self-Laminating Sheets
• X-Acto Knife
• Cutting Mat
• Printed Text or Graphic (printed on regular printer paper)
• Spray Adhesive
• Glass Etch (I used Armour Etch sold at hobby stores near mosaics and stained glass)
• Protective Gloves
• Protective Eyewear
• Junk Bristled Paint Brush
• Hot Running Water

Instructions:

Step 1: Print your word(s) or graphic on regular printer paper.

💡 Do you need help with the computer side of preparing your text? If you’re using Microsoft Word or Google Drive, follow the steps below:

❶ Start Microsoft Word/Google Drive and create a new document. Type in the words you want to appear. If you are purposefully misspelling your word (as in buttah instead of butter), feel free to ignore the red squiggly misspelling line underneath.

❷ Go through your font options until you find one you’re happy with, keeping in mind how easy or difficult it will be to cut out with an X-acto knife. Ornate fonts, while visually appealing, will be a challenge to cut out neatly. I chose a beat by Kai – an awesome and free font for personal use.

❸ Using the font size option, enlarge until adequate. I measured my butter dish and found that 4.25 inches would be the ideal length. I used the ruler included in Microsoft Word to measure that length.

❹ Save your document if you plan to reuse this stencil. Print the document for immediate use.

Step 2: Take your printed words and place them on your glass item. You want to ensure that you are satisfied with the size of the text in relation to the item.

Step 3: Cut out a piece of your contact paper or laminating sheet slightly larger than your text. Attach your word using spray adhesive. Allow a moment or two to dry.

Step 4: Use your X-acto knife to carefully cut your letters out. Be sure to save the inner parts of your letters. For example, I kept the circles inside of the “b” and “a” in buttah.

Step 5: Apply your contact paper directly onto the glass. If you’re working with contact paper, you can pick it up and move it around a couple of times until you are happy with the placement. If you are using laminating sheets, do your best to get the placement right the first time. More than likely, it will tear if you try to move, and you’ll need to start again. I recommend using contact paper instead!

Step 6: Put on your protective gear (seriously, this stuff is acid, and it lists death as a possibility from accidental contact) and take out a brush that has seen better days. Go ahead and reposition your stencil again to ensure that there are no air bubbles or any gaps for the acid to penetrate and ruin your clean lines.

Step 7: Stir up your glass etch and slather it on each letter. Take care to clean off any that may land on other areas of your class, or they will also etch.

Step 8: Allow to sit up to 30 minutes away from kids and pets. Place it in your sink with hot water flowing and allow the water to wash away the acid. Use your paintbrush if necessary to help remove. When you are satisfied that the acid is gone, carefully remove the contact paper. Wash your item and it’s ready to use!