Etched Coaster - Using Armour Etch Cream and Rub N Etch stencil

The Basic Rub 'n' Etch instructions :

Clean the glass or mirror
1. Clean the glass or mirror thoroughly to remove all grease, dust and fingerprints. Avoid cleaner solutions that advertise Finger print resistant, as these cleaners leave a film on the glass that hinders the etching process. Avoid finger prints on the glass where you are going to etch. Dry glass or mirror completely.

Selecting stencil design & applying to glass
2. Choose the design of your choice and carefully cut the stencil sheet and the frosted backing sheet together to avoid touching the back side of the stencil sheet.Measure carefully to determine where you will locate the stencil on the glass or mirror. Separate the blue stencil sheet from the frosted backing sheet. Put aside the frosted backing sheet to be used later. Place stencil sheet on the glass with the blue (tacky) side touching the glass. Secure stencil sheet temporarily to the glass with masking tape.
3. Using the wood stick enclosed, transfer the stencil from the sheet to the glass surface by rubbing firmly over the design with smooth, even strokes. Rub left and right, then up and down. Do not dig into the stencil. You will be able to see the stencil being transferred by the change in color from a dark blue to a lighter blue . Be careful when you rub near the edge of the stencil not to peel it back up by accident.
Remove top carrier sheet
4. When the entire stencil has been adhered, carefully remove some of the masking tape and slowly peel back the clear top sheet. If the stencil has not been totally adhered to the glass, put the top sheet back down and re-rub area until all pieces are adhered.

Preparing the glass for etching
5. Apply a border of masking tape around the entire stencil overlapping the tape on the blue stencil by 1/16" to 1/8", being careful not to overlap the design.This overlap prevents the etching cream from contacting the glass and etching unwanted areas! If a very large area of glass needs to be protected, use strips of adhesive backed shelving vinyl. When all sides of the stencil have been taped, use the white frosted backing sheet to lightly rub over the entire stencil area. Check the stencil for small tears or holes by holding the project up to the light. If any holes appear, cover them with small pieces of tape. Be careful where you put the tape, because the stencil will tear if you try to remove it.

Applying the Armour Etch cream
6. For best etching results we recommend that the room temperature, the etching cream temperature and the object you are etching be around 70 degrees F. Shake the ARMOUR ETCH Cream thoroughly. Work in a well lighted and well ventilated area near a water source. Wear plastic gloves and protective eye-wear. You must apply a thick layer of etching cream in order for the chemical to react properly on the glass or mirror. Thick enough so that you cannot see the design of the stencil through the Armour Etch Cream. Stay within taped area.

Removing etching cream & stencil
7. Allow ARMOUR ETCH Cream to remain on glass for approx one minute only. Immediately wash off all the etching cream under lukewarm water. Some of the stencil will be removed during this rinse, but it is OK. After all traces of the etching cream are washed away, remove all the remaining tape and stencil pieces. Clean the glass using window cleaner and dry completely.

Rub 'n' Etch Lettering Instructions :

1. On a piece of paper, determine the wording you wish to etch and arrange the words in the manner you wish them to appear. Count the number of letters on each line (including spaces between the words) and find the center point of each line. Count capital letters as if they were two or three letters according to their width. (i.e.: W, M, etc). This paper is your reference guide.

2. Clean the glass you wish to etch. Avoid using cleaners that promote "finger print resistant", as these cleaners leave a residue or film on the glass that will hinder the etching process.

3. To set up the guidelines on your glass, measure down from the top of the glass to where you would like the first line to start. Measure and mark in several spots along glass with a fine tip washable marker to create a straight line. Lay a strip of masking tape along the bottom edge of the marks and wipe away marker lines. Determine where the center point of your first line will be on the glass and mark on the tape.

4. Cut the stencil sheet into horizontal strips. This will make it easier to align the letters and rub them down. Using your reference guide from step 1, locate your center letter on a stencil strip and position accordingly at your center mark, lining up the bottom edge with the masking tape. Hold stencil strip in place making sure the letter you are transferring is fl at against the glass and aligned vertically.

5. Transfer the center letter onto the glass by carefully but firmly rubbing the letter down with the craft stick that comes in the stencil package. The stencil will change from dark blue to light blue when it releases from the transfer sheet. If the stencil is a little stubborn, rub a little harder until it releases. 6. Following your reference guide, apply the rest of your letters one by one, first to the left, then to the right, overlapping the blue edges of the stencil slightly so there are no spaces or gaps in between the stencil letters.

6. When you approach a place where a space is needed, cut a piece of masking tape the size of a mid-width letter and tape in place, overlapping the blue stencil edges the same as you did for the letters. Fix any small gaps that may have happened with a sliver of masking tape or some art mask. Repeat the above steps for any additional lines of wording.

7. Once all your lettering is in place, carefully apply masking tape all around the outer edges of your completed words or phrases, overlapping the blue edges of the stencil. Take care not to cover any part of the open areas of the actual letters with tape. Continue applying masking tape or contact vinyl to all surrounding areas of glass. If you do not protect the surrounding glass, the etch cream can haze or fog unprotected areas of glass during the rinsing process. Once completed, take the frosted backing sheet from stencil package and carefully rub over all stencil letters and tape to make sure they are secured to the glass.

8. Working quickly and safely, apply a thick layer of etch cream to entire stencil phrase with a craft brush, staying within the taped area. You should not be able to see stencil design through the cream. Leave etch cream on stencil approx ONE MINUTE. After one minute wash off all traces of etch cream under lukewarm, running water. Remove stencil and tape. Clean with glass cleaner and dry completely.

Glass Etching With Over N Over Stencils

English
Preparation:
1. Clean glass and dry thoroughly.
2. Peel stencil from carrier sheet and position over glass. (If stencil does not lift easily from carrier sheet, place stencil under warm running tap water. Dry thoroughly, then continue)
3. Press stencil down and smooth firmly to the glass.
4. Cover the entire area around the stencil with wide masking tape, overlapping the edges of the stencil so there are no spaces or gaps. All remaining exposed glass should be covered and protected.

Armour Etch Application: 
1. Follow safety and usage instructions on the bottle of Armour Etch® Cream
2. With a soft bristle brush, apply a thick layer of Armour Etch over entire stencil design so you cannot see your design through the etch cream.
3. Leave Armour Etch® on stencil for 1 minute, then wash off under running water until all visible signs of the etch cream are gone. 4. Remove all of the masking tape from the glass and then remove stencil . Rinse glass under running water to remove any remaining residue. Clean with glass cleaner. The etched image will appear when glass is dry thoroughly.

Sand Etch Application: 
1. Follow Safety instructions and usage instructions that came with your Sand Etch® blaster.
2. You will need a confined space to work like a corrugated box or Inflate ‘A’ Booth®.
3. Hold both Sand Etch blasting unit and glass object in an UPRIGHT position, perpendicular to each other with nozzle 1/2” to 1” from surface of the stencil. 4. Blast using small circular or back and forth sweeping motion over the stencil making sure the entire design is etched evenly.
5. Lightly dust off excess grit with a soft bristle brush. and wash off remaining grit residue from glass under running water. Do not wipe grit from glass with sponge or towel as this could scratch the glass.
6. Remove stencil.
7. Clean with glass cleaner.

---

Español
Preparación:
1. Limpie y seque por completo el vidrio.
2. Despegue la plantilla de la hoja en la que viene y colóquela sobre el vidrio. (Si la plantilla no se despega fácilmente de la hoja en la que viene, póngala bajo un chorro de agua tibia. Seque por completo y luego prosiga)
3. Presione la plantilla con suavidad y firmeza sobre el vidrio.
4. Cubra toda el área alrededor de la plantilla con cinta adhesiva masking (tirro), traslapando los bordes de la plantilla para que no queden espacios ni huecos. Todo el vidrio expuesto restante deberá cubrirse y protegerse.

Aplicación de Armour Etch: 
1. Siga las instrucciones de uso y seguridad que aparecen en la botella de crema Armour Etch®
2. Con una brocha de cerdas suaves aplique una capa espesa de Armour Etch sobre la totalidad del diseño de la plantilla, de modo que no pueda ver el diseño a través de la crema para grabar.
3. Deje la crema Armour Etch® sobre la plantilla durante un minuto; luego lávela en agua corriente hasta que la crema de grabar desaparezca por completo.
4. Despegue la cinta adhesiva del vidrio y retire la plantilla. Enjuague el vidrio en agua corriente para eliminar cualquier residuo que pudiera haber quedado. Aplique un limpiador para vidrio. La imagen grabada aparecerá cuando el vidrio se seque por completo.

Aplicación de Sand Etch: 
1. Siga las instrucciones de uso y seguridad que vienen con su pulidor Sand Etch®.
2. Necesitará un espacio confinado para trabajar, como una caja de cartón corrugado o un área de trabajo Inflate ‘A’ Booth®.
3. Mantenga la unidad de pulido Sand Etch y el objeto de vidrio en posición vertical, perpendicular en relación de una y otro, con la boquilla a entre 1,25 y 2,5 cm (1/2” a 1”) de la superficie de la plantilla.
4. Pula con movimientos circulares pequeños, o barriendo hacia adelante y atrás sobre la plantilla, asegurándose de que la totalidad del diseño se grabe de un modo parejo.
5. Retire con cuidado el exceso de polvo con una brocha de cerdas suaves y retire los residuos del cristal lavándolos con agua corriente. No limpie la arena del vidrio con una esponja ni con una toalla, ya que podría rayarlo.
6. Quite la plantilla.
7. Aplique un limpiador para vidrio.