Etching Enamels

[AvenueBeads]

I made a bead with a small amount of enamel on the surface and I cant get it to etch in some of the areas. It just stays shiney while the rest of the bead is matte. I tried to etch it again for another 5 minutes but I didn't notice any difference.

Confused.....

~Joe~

[Kalera]

Some glass just doesn't respond well to etching solution. Bullseye, many of the COE 96 glass, and some enamels are like that... you may have to tumble it with grit in a rock tumbler (very inexpensive at Harbor Freight) or sandblast it to get it evenly matte.

[AvenueBeads]

Thanks for the info Kalera

~Joe~

[Holly]

I've had some success with 1200 grit wet/dry carborundum paper from the hardware store. Not good for beads with a lot of nooks and crannies, but for small simple beads it works OK. I sand under a stream of water at the sink to avoid grinding the glass particles back into the bead.