wind wings

[Tom Endy]

Is there a supplier in the Model A kingdom that supplies custom etched wind wings for closed cars?

My grandson, who is 15 years old, has a 1930 Tudor that we are in the process of restoring. It came with some very nice etched glass wind wings that have flowers etched into the glass. He doesn't think flowers are cool. We want to replace them with something of his choice. There must be a custom etched glass supplier of Model A wind wings out there somewhere.

Tom Endy

[springerpete]

Get some plane ones and take them to a place that sells grave stones as they do custom etching on the stones all the time. Have your grandson come up with a design he likes. Most grave stone folks are very clever with both design and etching on glass. Bill

[Brian SATX]

Check and find someone that does glass replacement- not a big place but someone lccal. They can probably do it or know someone that can.

[Bob from Northport]

Tom,
If you have a stained glass supplier in your area, or a studio, check with them. I have done stained glass for years, and have seen studios that do glass etching and design. Some really spectacular stuff.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

I do it myself. Several ways to do it. The way I do it is choose the pattern/design I want and lay it out on a graphics program. (-simple is your friend in this) I use heavy shelf vinyl that has the sticky back. I don't care about the pattern that is printed on it but I do like the non-textured type best as it sticks to itself better IMO. This is sold at WalMart.

Apply two layers of the vinyl onto the glass. Print the pattern/design off onto regular white paper and use 3M Super 77 adhesive to affix it onto the vinyl. Use an Exacto Knife and cut on the lines of the design and peel to expose the glass surface. When completed, you should see the facsimile of the design/pattern by holding the glass up to the light. If you see any defects or ragged edges showing thru, now is the time to correct it.

Next, it is time to etch. You/I basically have 3 options depending the texture I am wanting. I save worn-out aluminum oxide from my blasting cabinet, so I put the worn out media back in and lightly blast the glass. This gives the frosted look. I also have an air-powered eraser that came from Harbor Freight. I think these are less that $25. These are very controllable and make a very crisp edge and a smooth texture. Also, I use a glass etching acid that I get from my local arts supply store. I also use this acid to etch the windshields and door glass putting the Triplex logos on. If you want to be creative, you can do three different textures by starting with the acid. Once that area is finished, apply a layer of heavy masking tape over the etched area exposing the unetched areas. Use the air eraser to do the rest, and then tape over the area you want protected. Then use the blasting cabinet media to add the heavy texturing.


Now I may have a 4th way soon as we are building a CNC laser now. I will use mine for logoing Model-A glass, and for cutting fabric and panelboard in my upholstery shop. If you don't want to build one of those, then your local trophy shop likely has a laser they use for trophies and glass objects. The laser will be much more detailed however I doubt it will be able to give the textured look like the different grades of media will.

Good luck and cherish the time with your grandson. Now IF you want to be a 'hit' with your grandson, buy him a 3D Printed CNC and add a 20w laser. The price for building these kits are cheap. The uses you will find for around your Model-A shop will be amazing. All your tools can now have your logo or initials on them. Jigs and fixtures can be etched with the tool name and set-up instructions etched onto the metal. Holiday cards can be custom made on paper, -and making special little gifts etched on wood saves your hide at 11PM the night before your significant other's birthday or anniversary. Think of the money you will save on Christmas gifts by engraving custom knives or utensils for your buddies. The list just keeps going on what these things can do!!

[old31]

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Tom my wife and I did our own and they came out great. At shows we get a lot of positive comments.

She bought some stencils at Hobby Lobby and some glass etching crème on line.

Very carefully cover and mask what you don't want etched. Just touching the creme to the glass will make a mark.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by old31

Tom my wife and I did our own and they came out great. At shows we get a lot of positive comments.

She bought some stencils at Hobby Lobby and some glass etching crème on line.

Very carefully cover and mask what you don't want etched. Just touching the creme to the glass will make a mark.

By chance, did you use the same thing that I have linked above in my post #5, -or did you use something else? If something else, do you remember the name of the product??

[Tom Endy]

Many thanks to those that responded. Some very good suggestions here.

It appears the etched glass wind wings on the market are made by A&L and in only one pattern. Bratton's and Mac's carry them.

What we will probably do is purchase the plain ones and either have them etched or try to do it ourselves. I have a bead blaster and if we can find a suitable pattern it might be a good project for a 15-year old.

Tom Endy

[Tacoma Bob]

Forgive me as I don't have contact info but there was someone in California that did actual glass engraving.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by Tacoma Bob

Forgive me as I don't have contact info but there was someone in California that did actual glass engraving.

Bob, there is ight & day difference between Cut Glass and Etched Glass. Cut glass that I wave watched was done using leather wheels spinning with a paste aggregate where the glass was cut by layers. Glass Etching was done using a media to just frost the glass. Cut glass equals $$!

Originally Posted by Tom Endy

Many thanks to those that responded. Some very good suggestions here.

It appears the etched glass wind wings on the market are made by A&L and in only one pattern. Bratton's and Mac's carry them.

What we will probably do is purchase the plain ones and either have them etched or try to do it ourselves. I have a bead blaster and if we can find a suitable pattern it might be a good project for a 15-year old.

Tom Endy

Tom, in all honestly, your grandson's initials with maybe a little shadowing around the letters likely will be plenty.

[Kurt in NJ]

A place that makes vinyl sign letters can make you a mask, then glass bead or sandblast

[Tacoma Bob]

Originally Posted by BRENT in 10-uh-C

Bob, there is ight & day difference between Cut Glass and Etched Glass. Cut glass that I wave watched was done using leather wheels spinning with a paste aggregate where the glass was cut by layers. Glass Etching was done using a media to just frost the glass. Cut glass equals $$!





Tom, in all honestly, your grandson's initials with maybe a little shadowing around the letters likely will be plenty.

Yup. Totally agree. A true art form. As I recall jewelers had this ability back in the day. I think the person I'm thinking of was a lady somewhere on the California coast.

[PotvinV8]

Tom,

Are these the style wind wings you're looking for?

[McMimmcs]

Originally Posted by Tom Endy

Is there a supplier in the Model A kingdom that supplies custom etched wind wings for closed cars?

My grandson, who is 15 years old, has a 1930 Tudor that we are in the process of restoring. It came with some very nice etched glass wind wings that have flowers etched into the glass. He doesn't think flowers are cool. We want to replace them with something of his choice. There must be a custom etched glass supplier of Model A wind wings out there somewhere.

Tom Endy

Any grandpa that helps his 15 year old grandson restore a Model A is a great person in my opinion. Congratulations

[old31]

Originally Posted by BRENT in 10-uh-C

By chance, did you use the same thing that I have linked above in my post #5, -or did you use something else? If something else, do you remember the name of the product??

Brent, that is exactly the product that we used.

[McMimmcs]

Originally Posted by springerpete

Get some plane ones and take them to a place that sells grave stones as they do custom etching on the stones all the time. Have your grandson come up with a design he likes. Most grave stone folks are very clever with both design and etching on glass. Bill

If you don’t want to do it yourself this is a great idea.

[ronn]

Brent,
really enjoyed your tutorial. thanks for taking the time to explain the process.

[JayJay]

I don't know exactly the product that Brent and old31 are talking about, but most glass etching solutions have some content of hydrofluoric acid because this is about the only chemical that will touch silica (what glass is - fused silica). This is VERY nasty stuff. Not only is it locally corrosive, like any strong acid, but the HF is absorbed across the skin and attacks bone once in the body. Be VERY careful with this stuff. Don't even think about using it without the gloves that should be specified on the label (the videos on Amazon that Brent linked to show the artist using it bare-handed, very very bad idea!). If there isn't safety information on the container (and note, many "art" products don't have the safety information that we're generally used to in commercial products) then look up a Safety Data Sheet for the product or for "hydrofluoric acid" on the web.

And I agree - what a great thing to help your grandson on his project, Tom. That's the stuff that memories are made from. My grandson is only two so I suspect when he gets to that point I may not have the ability to help him like that, but I can hope.

JayJay

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by JayJay

I don't know exactly the product that Brent and old31 are talking about, but most glass etching solutions have some content of hydrofluoric acid because this is about the only chemical that will touch silica (what glass is - fused silica). This is VERY nasty stuff. Not only is it locally corrosive, like any strong acid, but the HF is absorbed across the skin and attacks bone once in the body. Be VERY careful with this stuff. Don't even think about using it without the gloves that should be specified on the label (the videos on Amazon that Brent linked to show the artist using it bare-handed, very very bad idea!). If there isn't safety information on the container (and note, many "art" products don't have the safety information that we're generally used to in commercial products) then look up a Safety Data Sheet for the product or for "hydrofluoric acid" on the web.

I guess this boils down to just like some guys don't need to wash their hands after they pee because they are not messy. Others, well they need protection and ...




Ironically safety information is no longer on product labels. Matter of fact, we are no longer required to have notebooks with MSDS sheets (-now called SDS) as long as the employee has access to the internet either via a computer work station or a smart phone. When they do, the onus is on them to look up the SDS for a product they are using.

As far as the product that we have used, I can tell you it is mild on your skin, -although the use of proper PPE is never a bad thing. As far as the specific SDS on this product, you can see the content HERE.