What I've Learned Wednesday: Working with Etching Cream

I've had a pretty good amount of experience with etching cream - and I've got to tell you the key factors I've found that really make all the difference.

1. Firmly press the edges of the resist you are using.
   While contact paper is a lot cheaper than vinyl, it does not hold as well and when just a bit of that etching cream gets under the contact paper it creates a messy edge.
2. Liberally - and I mean liberally - apply the etching cream. It can have a tendency to go on thin. But you've REALLY got to get a ton of the etching cream on the glass. 
3. Leave it on - FOREVER.
   This last time, I was going to leave it on for about an hour. Then I forgot about it and it was on for about 4. And I finally got the results that I wanted. So from now on, I'll leave it on overnight if I have to. 
4. Go for a smaller etched area.
   Trying to "go big" with your etching area, really opens you up for error. Go for a smaller, more subtle effect and you'll actually multiply that impact with a crisp, clean finish. 
5. Buy it with a coupon. 
   Etching cream is really pricy. But if you've got a list of pricy supplies you know you'll use, visit AC Moore, Michaels or Hobby Lobby* with their weekly coupons to stock up and never pay full price. Etching cream has become one of the supplies I don't want to be without. 

It is these factors that have gotten me from a miserable failed piece like this:

To exactly what I hoped for: