Etching How-To

It's really not that difficult. All it takes is a steady hand and the ability to trace. You don't have to be artistic, though it does help sometimes.
Here's the last etching I did:
SCC_PhaseII%20001s.jpg

SCC_PhaseII%20002s.jpg


Here's a quick walkthrough:

1. I found a nice, high-resolution picture on the net. I printed it out on regular paper.
2. I decided what part of the picture I wanted to use as the etch, then I started tracing over it with a super-fine Sharpie. You can get as crazy as you want with this step. I went the simple route and turned it into a line drawing.
3. Next, I turned the drawing over to check if the Sharpie bled through. On the places it didn't, I re-traced. This is important because I use the "bled through side" for etching.
4. Almost to the etching part now. I taped the line drawing down to a table, then taped the plexi down on top of it.
5. Using an engraving bit (~1/32" in size) and a dremel on the LOWEST speed possible, I began tracing the drawing. About 45 minutes later I was done.
6. I mounted the window with the etched-side to the inside. This looks better and makes cleaning easier. Also, I end up with non-reversed etching since I flipped the original picture.

Hopefully that can get some of you started.
 
Excellent work on that window. A few questions, though. How deep did you go? How difficult was it to keep the depth of the etch consistant? Does that even matter? Thankies. :)
 
Thanks for the compliments everyone.

1. The etch isn't very deep at all - only about 1/32" to 1/16". The goal is to make it as shallow as possible. If you make it too deep, that area of the etch will catch all of the light and won't pass any of the it to the rest of the design.

2. It's not that difficult to control, but you will want to move the Dremel against the cut (right to left, if I'm not mistaken). If you don't, the bit will skip and drift around.

3. When lighting the etch, you may want to tape aluminum foil (or some other shiney material) to the edges of the plexi. It will reflect the light back into the etch instead of allowing it to escape the edges of the plexi. After I did this, my etching was about 10% brighter, so I recommend giving it a try.
 
I've been playing with etching a bit lately, and it's really not that hard, but I can't figure out how to tackle larger shaded areas. Filling them in just doesn't look really good. Anyone have any ideas on how to make a smoother fill area?
 
well, i saw this on another etching guide...the way to fill in larger areas is to use a type of steel wire brush attachment for the dremmel and lightly pass it over the site...i havent tried it mind you, but in theory it should work fine. at least the pictures looked alright...
 
This is what i did for my etch.

First I found a picture and edited it in Fireworks all i did was reverce it.
then i printed it out and taped it on the back of the plexi

trimpaper.jpg



tapedon.jpg


then i used mt dremel and some safty glasses and my stedy hand

saftieglasses.jpg


then i did the etch. all in all it took me about 2 hours to etch this one.


finalproduct.jpg


and this is the pic from online
Logos.jpg


thanks
 
Very cool. could we see the Sublime,All you need etch with some lights?

As for shading larger areas i have tried the dremel wire wheels and found the stainless steel wheel to give a more agressive finish were the brass wheel gave a softer finish but took more time.
 
WillowHawk said:
well, i saw this on another etching guide...the way to fill in larger areas is to use a type of steel wire brush attachment for the dremmel and lightly pass it over the site...i havent tried it mind you, but in theory it should work fine. at least the pictures looked alright...
Click to expand...

I'll give it a shot I have a bunch of plexi lying around for practice/tryout purposes. I have a few ideas of things to try..
 
sorry bout no lights lol the plexi is 1/8 in thick. and doesnt really work for that. plus i dont have any small lights to hook up. i need to cut open one of my cathodes and foil tape it to it and do the foil tape on the outside. ill get pics soon. but i have to dig a hole for my community all the street lights went out and my digging will get to the wire problem! it has to be 4X4X5 lol sucks.
 
how do you take the pics with the lights off with out it being blurry? with out the flash are a little to blured to post.
 
G.I. Jesus said:
but i have to dig a hole for my community all the street lights went out and my digging will get to the wire problem! it has to be 4X4X5 lol sucks.
Click to expand...

sounds like "Holes" :p :D

sweet looking etches people...i need to pick me up a dremel and some plexi and see what i can come up with...the window on my Chenming is itching to be etched...:p
 
netcoord said:
how do you take the pics with the lights off with out it being blurry? with out the flash are a little to blured to post.
Click to expand...
If you can adjust the shutter speed on your camera, you may want to increase it. It sounds like you're getting an overexposed picture. I had to fool around with my digital cam for a while before I got a decent pic.
 
Just remember to stabilize it when you take the shot with a slower shutter speed, place a pile of books or something if you can to support the camera, holding it in the air will add to the blurriness even if you got an ice cold pulse.
 
heres my take...the demon head: if you run your fingers over it you can barely feel it, and for the most part you can't see any start and stop marks (as i call them); about the same consistency as an applique. the girl: the cuts are deeper. you can see (and feel) lots of start and stop marks. sorry abouot the size; it is need for detail purposes.
DSCF0012.JPG
 
when doing the demon head i use the slowest setting that i could on my dremil w/ a 106 bit. i found to get smooth texture i wanted; that i had to use a newer dit, an extremely light touch, and about a 45% angle. i also found it helpful to not move the work around and to close one eye.

i think we are all doing great works and if we relay what our experinces are; we well defiantly have one kick ass guide.
 
Wow, this thing has laid dormant for far too long. Where has the remarkable lady with the incredible talent gone to? Will no one carry on her tale? What about the guide? Inquiring minds must know! ;)

I humbly bow down to your etching skills, High Priestess of the mod Jessica.
 
Seriously? Can someone link me? I'd love to get to read that. It's nice to see a really talented person get recognized, especially a female modder. Let's the world know they truly exist :)
 
could anyone tell me . (who has had previous experience with etching).. is it better to invert a pic when it would come time to actually etch the pic onto some plastic.. i say plastic because i like the lexan.. not a fan of plexiglass.. it breaks easier.. anyways.. yeah inverting colors for etching .. anyone done it before.???
 
ok guys since no one would answer i became a little impatient.. and i started doing something on my own..

took the Halo theme.. cover ..
halo2_oxm_800.jpg

Cleaned up the drawing just a little bit (used the inverse)and reversed the pic
thought that maybe the inverse might make the shading part easier...
halo 2 3.5in.jpg

PICT0024.jpg

PICT0023.jpg

please dont ask about the smiley face tape.. its all i have.. honestly..
and i used double sided tape.. i will tape this side .. showing thru in order to etch on the viewing side.. will get started tommorrow.. wish me luck..
 
Gen.Viper said:
Wow, this thing has laid dormant for far too long. Where has the remarkable lady with the incredible talent gone to? Will no one carry on her tale? What about the guide? Inquiring minds must know! ;)

I humbly bow down to your etching skills, High Priestess of the mod Jessica.
Click to expand...
I believe it was explaned to me something along the lines that she was getting married and moving into a new house or something. I'm going off of memory so I may be slightly askew.
 
This is my first attempt at etching a case window. This is just the standard window my lanboy came with. I have some other plans when I have money to get a thicker sheet of material. I just used a dremel with an engraving bit (the little round ball like one). Looks real nice from afar, but close up you can see each stroke of the bit. How do I fix this, and make it all smooth looking? :confused:
nyss2-800.jpg


http://studiofluffy.org:8080/pics/WC/nyss2.jpg same pic as above, only way to large. (for anyone who wants to take a closer look)
 
Hmm....it's that logo from Ghost in the Shell. To make it smoother you can always sand it carefully with a sanding pen found at Walmart. Should be in the automotive section. :)
 
A sanding pen is going to be like $5 or so. Or you could use sand paper for $3. Not sure how well a dremel would do with a sanding bit.
 
JessAlba452 said:
A sanding pen is going to be like $5 or so. Or you could use sand paper for $3. Not sure how well a dremel would do with a sanding bit.
Click to expand...

Hehe, my workplace etching setup is about $20,000 worth :) it works pretty well

actual%20side.JPG


actual%20side%202.JPG


btw: this is obviously not what it's normally used for

Glen
 
JessAlba452 said:
A sanding pen is going to be like $5 or so. Or you could use sand paper for $3. Not sure how well a dremel would do with a sanding bit.
Click to expand...

For some reason I figured a sanding pen would be motorized. :confused: Perhaps it's because I did the first half with a dremel.
 
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