Spent the morning cooking up some acid. Not the fun and frightening Owsley Bear kind you might have found on Shakedown Street in the parking lot of a Dead show. This is not Orange Sunshine. This is the glass etching kind.

Bucket of crystals before mixing with boiling water

Today’s project was mixing a fresh batch of Vari-Etch for the home studio. Vari-Etch arrives as a crystalline powder that is dissolved into a weak fluoridic acid solution using boiling water. The crystals come in containers that are only partially filled; you add enough boiling water to bring the liquid level close to the top of the container and then stir or shake until everything dissolves. The result is a reusable acid bath capable of producing a smooth, frosted surface on most art glass in just a few minutes of immersion. (hisglassworks.com⁠)

There is something oddly satisfying about the process. A bucket of boiling water, a cloud of steam, crystals disappearing into solution, and suddenly an ordinary plastic tub becomes a vessel of controlled chemical transformation. The liquid itself looks fairly unremarkable; a brownish amber bath that, over time, darkens as it dissolves microscopic layers of glass. Yet within a few minutes it can turn a glossy transparent surface into a soft, velvety field that catches light in an entirely different way.

Of course, this is the sort of acid that demands respect rather than recreational enthusiasm. Nitrile gloves, eye protection, ventilation, and a bucket of baking soda solution for neutralization are all part of the ritual. The chemistry may be relatively mild compared to industrial hydrofluoric acid, but it is still serious business. The magic is in the surface of the glass, not in the experience of handling the chemicals.

For glass artists, however, few things are more rewarding than pulling a piece from the bath, rinsing it clean, and watching a new skin emerge from the surface. The transformation feels almost alchemical; not Orange Sunshine, perhaps, but a different kind of trip entirely.

Breaking BAciD "Say my Name"

©JEREMY SCIDMORE 2018