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Bob Crimmins
01-15-2015, 12:37 PM
I'm beginning to etch some stone/tile/glass for architectural purposes (e.g., signage, display, small murals). Is there an accepted best practice for how to prep and coloring the etch with paint for long lasting results?

As always, thanks!

Bob

Gary Hair
01-15-2015, 2:05 PM
Bob,
I have used Lithichrome and Rustoleum. Lithichrome is fairly expensive at about $40 a quart, but it is made specifically for monuments, tombstones, rocks, etc., and will last almost forever. Rustoleum is pretty cheap at about $6 for a spray can and I have rocks I blasted and painted 8 years ago that still look virtually the same today. With Lithichrome you also need their solvent and either an airbrush or a touch-up paint gun. For me, Rustoleum has worked out fine and I'll likely not go back to Lithichrome. As for prep - I blast and then blow out the area to paint and then paint, nothing special. You could use primer but I don't really see a need for it unless you were using light colors and didn't want to use too many coats to get good coverage. As with any paint, many light coats are better than fewer heavy coats - heavy coats tend to wick under the stencil.

Bob Crimmins
01-16-2015, 2:55 AM
Thanks, Gary. Rustoleum sounds like a good option. That said, I'm curious about how Lithichrome differentiates from other acrylics... I'll do some research.

Do you have a preferred masking material?

Braden Todd
01-16-2015, 8:55 AM
If you want it to last without worrying about it use Lithichrome. I am not one to like airbrushing or mixing paint so I buy their rattle cans which run about $13 each. I know in the end it is more costly than mixing the paint myself but I'm guaranteed a correct mix and have zero prep and clean up time.

Why it makes it different is that it's not like other paint that lays over a surface, it acts more like a stain on the stone. The only issues I've heard from use were from signage that had a lot of exposure to diesel fumes, I guess the fumes faded some colors after long term exposure.

Good luck!

Gary Hair
01-16-2015, 10:48 AM
Thanks, Gary. Rustoleum sounds like a good option. That said, I'm curious about how Lithichrome differentiates from other acrylics... I'll do some research.

Do you have a preferred masking material?

I use Anchor 116 stencil - it's thick enough for fairly deep blasting yet thin enough for lighter blasting. Braden answered about the difference, it actually seeps into and attaches to the rock instead of just covering the surface. I've never tried the rattle cans of Lithichrome because of the price but it sure would be a much easier prep/cleanup!

Bob Crimmins
01-16-2015, 2:25 PM
Wow... that Anchor stencil is pretty pricey. Looks like it's designed for sand blasting, which I assume means it's engineered to resist being blasted off. Since I'm only lasering, is there a bargain option that doesn't need to be engineered to such a high standard?

Gary Hair
01-16-2015, 3:03 PM
Wow... that Anchor stencil is pretty pricey. Looks like it's designed for sand blasting, which I assume means it's engineered to resist being blasted off. Since I'm only lasering, is there a bargain option that doesn't need to be engineered to such a high standard?

When you said you were etching stone/tile/glass, I assumed you meant sandblasting... For lasering you can use a lot of different materials, but for the most reliable results I recommend Ikonics laser tape. It's not cheap, but much less than sandblast stencil. FYI - you won't get any appreciable depth on any of those three substrates with a laser, you'll be lucky to get a very light surface etch on stone and tile and a little more than that on glass.

Bob Crimmins
01-16-2015, 3:29 PM
Yeah, I'm not filling very much... just enough to get a fingernail on it. My goal is more about adding color/contrast than really "filling", per se.

Braden Todd
01-16-2015, 3:33 PM
If you're just lasering the stone you may have some bleeding issues using Lithichrome. Would be good to test before running a job. I had some river stones that didn't blast deep enough and the edges of my letters bled.

Good luck!

Bob Crimmins
01-17-2015, 4:41 AM
Thanks, Braden! I'll be in test mode for a while....