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  • #984026
    Hal
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        The next monthly exchange for the AzSGB is clear. We are only allowed to use clear glass. Sculpting and etching is allowed. I made several prototypes out of boro and tried to etch them last night.

        Two of them were etched for 1 hour (yes, the bottle says 10 minutes). The flower was etched overnight. When I cleaned them up and looked at them this morning, there was nothing changed on the glass. That leads me to today’s question.

        Do I need a different type of etch for boro?
        Is my etch just ‘old / dead’?

        Any thoughts or comments (on this topic anyway) are welcome. Thoughts and comments on other topics are welcome in other threads or by PM. :p

        Hal

        Why do it if it isn't fun?

        Finding the world in the smallness of a grain of sand
        And holding infinities in the palm of your hand
        And Heaven's realms in the seedlings of this tiny flower
        And eternities in the space of a single hour
        Sting (with a nod to William Blake)

        #1026774
        Laura Brito
        Default

            There are only two ways I have figured to etch boro, either with sandpaper (yes I have done it) and sand blasting (not sure it will work). It is such a hard glass that the etching creams WON’T etch it….

            Good luck!

            Laura

            #1026782
            Hal
            Default

                Sandpaper I could do. Sandblasting I could maybe do also, but I am not sure I have all the tools. I have the compressor and the sand. I have to look for the sprayer. . .

                Or I could switch to Moretti for the challenge.

                Thanks for the info!

                Hal

                Why do it if it isn't fun?

                Finding the world in the smallness of a grain of sand
                And holding infinities in the palm of your hand
                And Heaven's realms in the seedlings of this tiny flower
                And eternities in the space of a single hour
                Sting (with a nod to William Blake)

                #1026777
                MaryAnn01
                Default

                    I’ve also tumbled boro for a matte finish. I believe I used 600 grit and tumbled for a few hours. Worked fine.

                    #1026783
                    Hal
                    Default

                        I’ve also tumbled boro for a matte finish. I believe I used 600 grit and tumbled for a few hours. Worked fine.

                        If I tumble them, is there a way to protect part so it doesn’t get the matte finish? I have specific parts that I want to etch. . .

                        Hal

                        Why do it if it isn't fun?

                        Finding the world in the smallness of a grain of sand
                        And holding infinities in the palm of your hand
                        And Heaven's realms in the seedlings of this tiny flower
                        And eternities in the space of a single hour
                        Sting (with a nod to William Blake)

                        #1026779
                        prairieson
                        Default

                            Boro is resistant to most acids you’d care to mess with. If I recall correctly from my college chemistry days, our storage bottles were Pyrex (brand name boro). So I think mechanical (blasting or abrading) would be your best bet if you want to stick with boro.

                            I just did a quick search and the one specific bit of info regarding wet etching of boro involved fluorosilicic (sand) acid. This stuff is really bad juice. When heated, can release hydrofluoric acid fumes, and it has a pH of 1. Yikes! It’s probably typical of compounds that will etch boro.

                            [FONT=Arial]John

                            PrairieSon Lightworks

                            Quomodo cogis comas tuas sic videri?

                            #1026784
                            Hal
                            Default

                                I did a double check on the beads I etched last night. The one I left overnight had a slight haze. I guess if I do repeated applications and leave them on long enough, it might work. I really don’t want to mess around with stronger acids.

                                Of course, they look really nice when left clear. . . :)

                                Thanks for the help!

                                Hal

                                Why do it if it isn't fun?

                                Finding the world in the smallness of a grain of sand
                                And holding infinities in the palm of your hand
                                And Heaven's realms in the seedlings of this tiny flower
                                And eternities in the space of a single hour
                                Sting (with a nod to William Blake)

                                #1026776
                                JHDesigns
                                Default

                                    I have etched boro with etch all with no problems. I forget how long I let it sit, several hours to overnight I think. It works best with unencased boro colors.

                                    Jami

                                    #1026781
                                    Kurthj
                                    Default

                                        All the solids they add to color boro will make it easier to etch. Remember that Pyrex(boro) was designed to withstand lab chemicals and acids in high concentrations and at high temperatures. Any of the chemical that would etch clear boro in a reasonable amount of time you do not want in your home.
                                        Kurt

                                        #1026780
                                        glassmama
                                        Default

                                            Are you friends with your dentist? It has its benefits. Great tools for sculpting glass… oh yes, back to the topic.

                                            Some practices will have a MicroEtch in the office. Its a very small sandblaster that uses aluminum oxide and works quite well on clear boro. I blasted some things for a friend of mine.

                                            If he/she does not have one your dentist could ask the lab they deals with for a favor and get the beads blasted. Or check the yellow pages for a dental lab that is close and see if they will do it.

                                            Hope it works out, Aline

                                            "You use tools? Like a man?" - Antoinette Dolan

                                            #1026778
                                            MaryAnn01
                                            Default

                                                If I tumble them, is there a way to protect part so it doesn’t get the matte finish? I have specific parts that I want to etch. . .

                                                Hal

                                                I really don’t know. Perhaps the same sort of masks that one would use for sandblasting would work.

                                                #1026775
                                                Tink
                                                Default

                                                    Boro is resistant to most acids you’d care to mess with. If I recall correctly from my college chemistry days, our storage bottles were Pyrex (brand name boro). So I think mechanical (blasting or abrading) would be your best bet if you want to stick with boro.

                                                    I just did a quick search and the one specific bit of info regarding wet etching of boro involved fluorosilicic (sand) acid. This stuff is really bad juice. When heated, can release hydrofluoric acid fumes, and it has a pH of 1. Yikes! It’s probably typical of compounds that will etch boro.

                                                    Hi there, sweetie pie!

                                                    Hey you guys, this is the Prairieson that I’m always referring to. Good to see you posting, Cowboy… :D

                                                    [FONT=Trebuchet MS]Tink
                                                    Etsy

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