Etching Beer Glasses

Etching is one of those things that seems really difficult ... when actually, it's really easy. Know how I do my glass etching? Stickers + glass etching cream. Really. The glass etching cream is this crazy chemical that turns glass from "clear and glossy" to "translucent and matte." It's pretty cool, and I've used it twice in the last three months.

ETCHING NUMBER ONE: Groomsmen gifts.

Mike loves beer. It's just that simple. So when he was thinking about gift ideas for his army of groomsmen, he naturally thought of gifts that HE would like. And guess what he likes? Beer glasses. Super-special-fancy ones that have a bulge on the side. Like this one.

"Imperial Pint Glass"

Mike also wanted each glass to be personalized, so I got a bunch of letter stickers and tacked those bad boys right on the side of the glass. Then, I painted the etching cream over it, let it sit for 20 minutes, and when I washed off the cream, voila. Personalized beer glasses. So easy.

ETCHING NUMBER TWO: Beer Trophy.

You know how they say, "if you're good at something, never do it for free?" I think I should take this to heart and start charging for my etchery services.

So, I was at work, talking to the guys, and - well, let me back up.

There is a beer brewing club at work. Yeah, true story. These guys love beer, they love brewing beer, and they also love competition. I mean, honestly, what's not to love there? This beer club meets once every season, and they all brew & bring a type of beer. (You know, an Ale, IPA, stout, whatever- the theme is chosen ahead of time and they all have to follow it.) At these club meetings, it's a big party and there is judging. As a former judge, let me tell you, being a beer judge is a pretty sweet gig. The beer judges rank the beers, and the highest ranked one is declared Winner and gets to pick the beer theme for next competition.

However... they decided there wasn't enough competition in this model. I mean, the judges are all laymen! They don't REALLY know beer! And often, they're drunk at the time of judging! So they decided a second trophy was needed. If the first trophy could be called the People's Choice Award, then they needed a Brewer's Choice Award, too. You know, so the real beer snobs could have a say in things.

OK, back to the beginning. I'm at work, talking to a few of these guys, and one of them mentions that they have a large glass mug from college that would be a great trophy. I suggest they etch it- they love it. One problem. Nobody knows how to etch. Perhaps I could etch it? I say, sure, why not. They tell me what they want it to say and I lug this giant stein home and begin etching.

My supplies: ArmorEtch etching cream

Thin masking tape

Stickers

Comically oversized beer stein

Not pictured: brush.

These are the same tools I used for the first time around, so it was pretty easy to make this trophy for the beer guys.

I applied the stickers to the clean glass.

Fancy lettering is not girly when it references beer, I guess.

The next step was to apply the cream to the glass and let sit for 30 minutes. I actually let it sit for an hour- my bad- but the stein was fine. If anything, the etching was improved by this wait.

The cream is applied very thickly over the letters.

I used the masking tape to create boundaries for the etching.

At this point, I'm going to have to say, take my word for it- this glass was awesome. You'll have to take my word for it because I forgot to photograph the final product. I don't even have it anymore- I took it to work and they LOVED it. They actually reserved a conference room for the "unveiling ceremony." It was a pretty fun project, and so ridiculously easy to do- I totally recommend it as a great way to personalize glassware.