DIY Ground Glass: Is Etching an option?

[Drew Bedo]

Several threads have delt with grinding a ground glass scree. It got me thinking and wondering about etching the frosted surface. Looking on YouTube there are several products for etching decorative patterns onto glsss objects as a craft project. It looks to me as if these products could be used to etch a frosted surface into a sheet of plain glass to create a ground glass screen.

Any thoughts on this?

[Peter De Smidt]

I tried a number of years ago, and I had real difficulties getting an even result. I prefer grinding. It doesn't take that long to do.

[Drew Bedo]

Were the Satin Snow focus screens etched?

[IanG]

Were the Satin Snow focus screens etched?

No.

[Tin Can]

I tried a number of years ago, and I had real difficulties getting an even result. I prefer grinding. It doesn't take that long to do.

I just saw an 8x10 GG hand ground by Peter. Best I have seen. He said 30 minutes!

Sorry Peter, now the questions will follow...

[mdarnton]

I know that in some places (I came from a small town, and probably that's the type of place where you could do this) you can take stuff to the local gravestone maker and he'll do a stencil on your glass for your office door, or whatever, since they do lettering on granite by sandblasting. It seems like this would be one possible way to get a ground glass done?

[vinny]

I've seen some window films that would work well too. Just never got ahold of them to try it.

[Tim Meisburger]

I have to say, I have tried several different methods for this, and in the end the easiest and best is to buy some grit (available online) and do it the traditional way. There is a reason people have made ground glasses the same way for 150 years, and its not because it is the difficult way.

Go to a glass shop and buy some single strength window glass (the cheapest). If you doubt your ability to cut glass have them cut it to size for you (including cut corners). Also pick up a small square of thick glass (2"x2" works for me) for a grinding tool (this could be free as it will be a tiny valueless scrap). Grinding a 4x5 screen (I use a courser followed by finer grit) takes about ten minutes; 8x10 half an hour to an hour. I have sat in my workshop with a TV show on the computer mindlessly grinding, and it is not too onerous.

[N Dhananjay]

I tried with one of those etching kits and could not get an even result. I think the original way was to expose the glass sheet to hydrofluoric acid fumes, which is one of those 'do not try at home' kinds of things. Cheers, DJ

[Jim Noel]

I have to say, I have tried several different methods for this, and in the end the easiest and best is to buy some grit (available online) and do it the traditional way. There is a reason people have made ground glasses the same way for 150 years, and its not because it is the difficult way.

Go to a glass shop and buy some single strength window glass (the cheapest). If you doubt your ability to cut glass have them cut it to size for you (including cut corners). Also pick up a small square of thick glass (2"x2" works for me) for a grinding tool (this could be free as it will be a tiny valueless scrap). Grinding a 4x5 screen (I use a courser followed by finer grit) takes about ten minutes; 8x10 half an hour to an hour. I have sat in my workshop with a TV show on the computer mindlessly grinding, and it is not too onerous.

God answer, but I use two pieces of glass the same size. That way I grid two at a time.