First post guys,so go easy on me. Been lurking on here for years and
am a good friend of dantilla. I'm a glass artist who has been doing this
type of work professionally for the past 40 years. The glass etching
creams etc. are worthless for this application.You would end up with a
mess. They might work for a small item like a coffee cup but that's about
it. To do it correctly the glass needs to be sandblasted with a 100 grit
abrasive or finer by someone who does this professionally. A stained glass/
sandblasting studio not someone who blasts boat trailers. It takes someone
with experience to get a very even surface blast that is not spotty. I do it all
the time. The glass then needs to be hosed down with soap and water to
remove micro abrasive dust to avoid scratching.It will have a porous surface
so can fingerprint easy.Handle with clean hands. Do not ever get silicone or
any other types of caulk on the blasted surface. The commercial equivalent
of sandblasting is called etch matte. It is a chemically etched process done
by a commercial factory.It is a lighter look than blasting and tends to mar
easily. I'm not a big fan of it. I prefer to do some design work on the glass
a geometric grid,border or full blown artwork. It breaks up the field and looks
better. Nobody who does this professionally would use an acid ,grinder etc.
To see great examples of my sandblasted,carved and other architectural
artglass go to one of my 2 websites.Its the real deal ! I am featured on the
site Houzz
Design Tech Artglass - Gig Harbor, WA, US 98335-5999 that site also links to my other
website
Design Tech Artglass - Gig Harbor, WA - Artists & Artisans.
Up here to do a surface blast,no artwork you would be looking at around
$100 to 120.00 per panel. After all the enjoyment and advice I've gotton off
of this forum ,glad to be able to finally contribute .