Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Tumble Etching Beads

My Mr. is home for some R&R, so this will be a quick post :)
My first try w/ tumble etching was a big FAIL- never use the Harbor Freight grit sampler to etch beads. I ruined a whole bunch of hollow focals, maybe they can be saved when I get my sandblasting set-up ready to use. The two beads below are a few that etched well in around 8-10 hrs. The hollow fumed focals still have very tiny shiny spots from the crackling of fuming, I assume. The ribbed beads didn't tumble etch well since the valleys stayed shiny while the ribs etched well. They are on deck for sandblasting. I'll try and get some pics up for the visual peeps among us.

5 comments:

Anna said...

These beads do look beautiful. I hope you can save the other ones. I guess that is the downside of experimentation - sometimes it goes wrong! But the ones pictured show that it's been worth it, they really are stunning. Thanks for sharing

KristiBowmanDesign said...

That top one is incredible!!! Have some nice R&R!

Aja Vaz said...

Thanks, ladies! :)

Jenni said...

Love them all, they look great even if you say not etched enough!

Aja Vaz said...

Thanks, Jenni. Guess it's all in the eyes of the beholder :)