*
I want to frost the lites on a pocket door that sections off a toilet area. I want to see light but not the person using the john. Any ideas? I found a spray on glass frosting that actually looks great but you can scrape it off which I’m not keen on. Does anyone know of any chemical etchers? I realize grit blasting is an option but I’d rather do it at home and not take the door somewhere. Thanks in advance.
Charlie
Smart construction decisions and material choices can significantly improve occupant safety and survival in the event of a fire in the home.
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Dig into cutting-edge approaches and decades of proven solutions with total access to our experts and tradespeople.
Start Free Trial NowGet instant access to the latest developments in green building, research, and reports from the field.
Start Free Trial Now
Replies
*
A stained glass supplier will likely have a product called "Armour Etch" which is a gel solution of HF. It leaves a finer frost than sand blasting.
*The following might give you ideas:http://www.diynet.com/DIY/article/0,2058,1513,FF.htmlhttp://familycrafts.about.com/cs/glassetching/
*Chaz,I've used the HF paste many times, but in small areas and fine details. For big frost sections, I blast...Comes out nice and even.
*We just use a piece of wet or dry sandpaper.
*If you use any HF, read and follow ALL safety instructions. It is really nasty stuff. Although the paste for etching glass at home is pretty low concentration, it is still HF which can penetrate your tissue and react with your bones. After a major exposure, you end up with a boneless (and very dead) victim.Had a coworker who sandblasted to etch glass for a while. Made multiple templates of rubber mat to protect the areas not being blasted. Kind of like a hikers topo map, the areas to be the deepest where exposed in all templates. The shallowest areas in just the last few. Apparently naked women were the hardest to do because the nipples on the breasts projected so far into the glass that he would sometimes cut through to the other side and have start all over again.
*Don't Laugh, A mixture of beer and epsom salts works very well. Let the beer dry and the salts chrystalize. Once the salts are set preserve with a clear coat.
*I never laugh when a beer goes unconsumed...
*Chaz, you could also look into glue-chipping, which is a pretty simple process of pouring hot hide glue on the glass (make a tape dam around the edges) and letting it dry and cool. The glue both adheres to the glass and shrinks, giving you a frosted pattern as well, but more like ice crystals.
*I've been partial to the texture of glue chip glass. That's the technique used a century ago on saloon windows and barber shop doors. There's good info on http://www.kerseyglass.com
*Often designs or letters are "etched" in glass with vinyl stick on letters. The clear frosted vinyl applied to glass really looks like the real thing. Any sign shop should have it.
*
I want to frost the lites on a pocket door that sections off a toilet area. I want to see light but not the person using the john. Any ideas? I found a spray on glass frosting that actually looks great but you can scrape it off which I'm not keen on. Does anyone know of any chemical etchers? I realize grit blasting is an option but I'd rather do it at home and not take the door somewhere. Thanks in advance.
Charlie