Gold-Washed Etched Glass Votive Candle Holders

Gold-Washed Etched Glass Votive Candle Holders
By: Eileen Bergen
The Artful Crafter
http://www.theartfulcrafter.com

Supplies

Clear Glass Container(s) (I used votive candle holders, but
any size or type of clear glass container can be used in this
project.)
Delta Air-Dry PermEnamel Surface Conditioner
Delta Air-Dry PermEnamel White Frost Glass Etching Paint
Delta Air-Dry PermEnamel Clear Gloss Glaze
Delta Air-Dry PermEnamel Diluent
Delta Air-Dry PermEnamel Satin Finish 14K Gold Paint for Tile,
Glass & Ceramic
Newspaper
Paint brush
Small make-up type sponge
Cup or film canister for paint mixing
Bottom half of empty egg carton.

I decided to finish off my project by heat embossing some stars
around the rim of the candle holders. This step and the following
supplies are optional.

Detail Gold Embossing Powder
InkADinkADo Celestial Rubber Stamp Collection

Embossing Heat Tool
Clean sheet of paper to retrieve unused embossing powder.

Directions

1.Wash candle holder(s) in hot soapy water. Drip dry.

2.Place candle holder(s) upside down on newspaper. Brush
exterior with surface conditioner and let air dry. Once
conditioned, do not touch the surface to be etched.
The oils from your fingers will prevent the etching cream from
working.


3.Using a clean (make-up type) sponge, wipe etching cream
over the surface of the glass. Smooth carefully to be sure there
are no bumps. Let dry. I used three coats to get the level of etched
look I wanted.

4.In a small paper or plastic cup or film canister, mix equal
parts of 14K Gold Paint with Clear Gloss Glaze. Dilute this mix with
diluent (1 part paint to 3 parts diluent) to obtain a free-flowing
paint for the wash.

5.Turn the candle holder(s) upright. Pour the wash in and
carefully rotate the container to cover the interior with the gold
paint. When you are satisfied with the depth and evenness of coverage,
pour any excess paint into the next glass container to be painted or
into the film canister if there is enough to save. Invert the glass
candle holder(s) and gently set on the inverted egg carton bottom.
After a few minutes, tilt to a different angle so that the paint drains
without leaving drip marks.

If you decide to add embossing, proceed with the following steps.

1.Choose your stamp and press firmly into the clear ink pad
included in the Celestial stamp kit.

2.Carefully position the stamp above the glass. Since I embossed
the upper rim. I used my little finger to help position the stampings
equidistant from the top edge. Because you’re stamping on a curved
surface, you need to stamp with a slight rolling movement, taking care
not to smudge the design. If you make a mistake, simply wipe the area
with surface conditioner. Move to another area to work while the
boo-boo dries.

3.With the clean paper underneath, tap a small amount of embossing
powder onto the stamped area. Tap off excess powder. If the design is
satisfactory, move the glass away from the paper so you don’t blow powder
you are trying to save all over the place. I used detail powder because my
stamp has very small details which wouldn’t be clear with regular embossing
powder.

4.Hold the embossing heat gun about 3 inches above the glass, turn it
on and move it over the embossed area until the embossing beads gleam. This
means they have melted and fused together and onto your glass. If you are
doing multiple stampings, the glass will build up significant heat. If it
gets “too hot to handle”, set it down for a few minutes.

Whether you are making these gold-washed etched votive candle holders
for gifts or to sell, include a candle with each one. It doesn’t cost you
much, but nicely completes your work.

To see a picture of the completed project, please visit
http://www.theartfulcrafter.com/candle_holders.html.

By: Eileen Bergen
The Artful Crafter
http://www.theartfulcrafter.com

About the Author

MS Bergen has had a varied career, first as a special education teacher and the, after getting an MBA degree, as a vice president for a major insurance company. For the past eight years, she has been making and selling her crafts.