Another subscriber sent me over a slightly different LED etching. Ron was happy to share his NASCAR etching with Jimmie Johnson’s logo here on the blog. I thought it would be good to share this with everyone else also because it is slightly different than the other two previous posts: Framed LED etching here and the framed mirror etching here.
As you can see, Ron’s etching is simply a single wood base. All you have to do is use a router to make a groove just large enough for the glass to slip into the wood. Then place the led strip at the bottom of the groove.
You can drill a hole from the side of the wood into the groove to place your electrical wires through. Then just make the wood look nice by using a wood stain and possibly coat it with polyurethane.
Ron told me that the glass he used is tempered and the LED strip comes with a remote so you can change colors , strobe, etc. I actually bought a fairly inexpensive long strip that does the same from amazon here. Its really cool!
After my last LED etching post, Ernie Robinson shared a interesting etching that he lit up with the use of these light emitting diodes. I asked him if he would be interested in sharing it with others on the blog, which he agreed.
But as you can see, this LED glass was etched on a mirror. He said this is a 1/4″ mirror and was etched from the backside where the silver plated side is. Of course you would need to use a sandblaster to do this. I did make a post awhile ago about removing silver backing without a sandblaster, which you might want to check out if you don’t have a sandblaster.
I really like the cool blue LED with a view of ocean life. It looks like you are looking inside a saltwater fish tank with the frame. I’ve etched simple mirrors in the past, but never added LED’s the the backside. Very cool!
I hope you enjoyed this idea and it would be great to thank Ernie for sharing in the comment below. Thanks for sharing Ernie!
I wanted to share another idea to enhance your etched glass. A few people are familiar with this but some aren’t so I figured I would share the idea of using LED lights to help light up the etching.
Currently I am working on putting together a tutorial in my members only area showing people how to make inexpensive LED lights and use them to light up the etching. Maybe I will post it here to, if it seems like people are interested.
Using LED lights can really make your etched glass pop out! This can be used for cream etching or sandcarving. It looks the coolest when lighting up multi-stage sandcarvings though because the light exposes all the layers better.
You can see one of my examples above with a LED lighting for a multi-stage sandcarving, but there are many problems with this as you can see.
So here are some of the problems and how you can fix this:
- First problem is the LED doesn’t light up the whole etching very evenly. The reason is because I used it on a large etching and the glass has a green tint to it when looking at it from the side. There are clearer forms of glass such as acrylic and crystal glass available but they are expensive. I could also place a LED strip at the top.
- The light is noticeably at the bottom and doesn’t look uniform. You can place led strips all around the edges so there is a orange glow outline.
- The sandcarving is not as noticeable as it should be. The reason for this is because I didn’t include a background on the glass. Since I have light colored walls, it would be a good idea to add a dark background such as gray, black, or a darker shade of any color. I will eventually do this.
- Dang! There are 2 LED’s that aren’t working as you can see. More fixing that I have to do.
I hope you enjoyed my updates and the idea of using LED lights, along with the tips for larger pieces of glass.
Please leave any comments below. Soon I will be allowing people to create their own blog on here and share pictures of their own projects. Anyone interested?
Question about picking the right vinyl cutter or plotter for sandcarving glass.
Steve asks: Hi, I have sandblasted glass before but only 1 dimensional.I would love to sand carve 3d glass and maybe carve stone. First problem…Can not draw to save my soul. Than i found out about vinyl cutter/plotter,but know NOTHING about them.the last thing I want to do is buy the wrong one. or buy one and need other accessories that I could have asked for.I have a sandblaster as well as a micro sandblaster. Lots of engraving tools (dremal)I guess what I’m asking is what is the best vinyl cutter plotter i could get with out spending a fortune on one that was way over what i needed or way under….What are the features that are a must to have…Could I run a half pattern through a 24 inch cutter instead of buying a 48 inch one. Sure could use your half…Steve
My Response: Hi Steve,
For the price, I really like the PCUT models. That’s the one I have and the one I talk about in the book.
If you are sandcarving with thick sandmasks, then you would need to check the manufacturers limitations.
You could cut half the pattern on one run and the other half on another run. In fact I would probably prefer doing this once you start getting into stencils larger than 24 inches. Or at least when you are trying to place the stencil by yourself.
You just have to make sure to align it up accurately which can be hard.
There are other inexpensive ones such as the Seiki vinyl cutter, but I have heard more complaints from these than the PCUT.
I wanted to share with everyone some ways to find cheap or possibly free glass to help save you money when etching. One way is to ask local glass manufacturers, window installers or even other glass artists for their scraps. This is what I did this weekend and they didn’t mind giving me a bunch of free glass. I asked them for scraps or even the old glass that they remove from buildings when replacing, but they actually gave me quality glass. As shown in the photo, they gave me 6 circular and 2 square glass pieces which are 1/4 of an inch thick. In addition to that, they gave me a 3X4 foot glass panel.
Sometimes they have left overs from jobs and will never use it again. So the glass is worthless to them.
Tips to Build A Relationship
I think its best to try and build a relationship with the glass company. Offer them some type of exchange such as a etched glass or an extra hand removing old glass. Most of them will appreciate the offer, but reject the service. This will show that you are courtesy and is a good way to build a relationship.
Searching Glass Shops
This might help you quickly find the glass shops. You could use the Yellow Pages to find local glass shops and call. But I like to email them first and do a follow up call. So I searched in google for keywords like “glass shop”, “window installers”, or “glass manufacturers”. Then type your local city or town name in front of them for nearby locations. Open each one of those websites up in new tabs and quickly go through to email them. You can email about a dozen of them in a half hour. I copy and pasted the email so it went quicker.
Email Message Example
This is the email message that I sent which can give you an example.
Hi David, I was wondering if you guys would be willing to sell or give away any old glass that you might throw in the trash.
I etch glass as a hobby. Would this be possible? If you need any help removing the glass, I would be happy to help. I use to work in the construction field.
Thanks
-Eric
http://www.glassetchingsecrets.com
http://www.glassetchingsecrets.com/blog
I hope this helps give you some ideas for getting cheap glass and saves you money. If you are sand carving, make sure you ask for glass that is not tempered. All the glass I got in the picture is tempered which was a bummer. Feel free to read about if tempered glass can be etched or carved.
Please leave me a comment if this was helpful or if you have additional ideas to get free or cheap glass.
