Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Project: Etched Bottles


It's always smart to buy kitchen supplies or ingredients like olive oil in bulk, but the giant jugs are a little unruly to pour and a little unsightly to keep on the counter.  This project is a cheap, easy, eco- and budget-friendly way to solve all those problems.  The bottles can also be used to store dish-detergent, vinegar, beverages, and other condiments. You can etch anything on them, words like I did, or pictures to match your decor, it's all up to you.



Supplies:
  • Clean, empty wine bottles with the labels removed
  • Contact Paper
  • Xacto Knife
  • Glass Etching Paste (most arts/crafts and hobby shops carry this)
  • Cheap, plastic paintbrushes like the kind little kids would use
  • Pouring tops (you can get these cheaply at a kitchen supply store) OR corks

Directions:
  1. Trace or draw your image on the contact paper.
  2. Peel off backing and stick on bottle where you want it to be positioned
  3. Cut out the letters using the blade, being careful not to cut yourself.
  4. Remove the unwanted pieces.
  5. Apply etching paste according to directions (Hint: to achieve even, opaque etching I had to reapply the paste on mine every 5 minutes and leave it on for 20 minutes, which is much longer than recommended on the package.  You may have to experiment on some junk glass first to get the correct timing.)
  6. Clean off glass according to etching paste instructions.
  7. Peel off contact paper and wash and dry thoroughly.
  8. Fill with liquid and put on pouring top.
vinegar, olio, and l'acqua
ALSO: Check out my friend Sarah's blog at Simply Step Back to see her glass etching project!

    3 comments:

    1. Those turned out beautiful. I got some etching cream for Christmas and have been twiddling my thumbs trying to figure out what to etch for much too long...this looks like fun :)

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    2. I have to ask. Do you have a stainless steel sink?

      I have a porcelain sink and think this might be a no-go for me. Unless I used plastic tubs or something....

      Do tell though, I've always wondered why I'm the only one with a porcelain sink. :)

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    3. I do have a steel sink in the kitchen (which is where I did this project). The etching cream doesn't come into contact with the sink very long though, the paste is applied to the glass and sticks there pretty well. We set ours on an old towel to keep them horizontal rather than vertical, just in case it drips. The only time the etching cream would be in the sink would be when rinsing the brush or the bottle. I'm guessing that you could throw away the cheap brush, or rinse it in a cup, and wipe off most of the cream before putting the bottle in the sink. That way the etching cream would be VERY diluted by the time it came in contact with the sink!

      Hope that helps! This is a fun project, and especially fulfilling because of the instant satisfaction of it all.

      Happy Crafting!

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