Doctor's Ford
Senior Member
My August 33 production Tudor is slowly coming back to life. I have finished adding a correct Ford Script to my new glass and this is a short account of the process I followed. About a year ago I purchased the do-it-yourself kit from Roy Nacewicz. I am very pleased with the kit, has all materials and good instructions and the script design I believe is the correct one, in my case with the correct month and year of production. I decided to post my work in case it can help anyone who is considering doing it. Surprisingly easy if you follow the well written instructions. Of couse, you got to do it right the first time because once the glass has been etched it can not be undone or corrected. I practiced twice on a broken glass and quickly became very comfortable with the process. There are 6 stencils on the kit and each one is good for ever if well cared for.
Glass Etching 1 - Cleaning
I chose the front lower corner of the rear window glass to place the Ford script. First I cleaned the area with regular Glass cleaner
Glass Etching 2 - Masking Stencil
The stencil is positioned as shown and held in place by masking tape making sure it is aligned with glass edges and at same height in all glass pieces. Stencil is flat and on glass without any air bubbles underneath to ensure good etching. The distance is measured from edge of glass to the beginning of the design and same distance was used on all 4 windows.
Glass Etching 3 - Activator
Place a few drops of the Activator on the Stencil and spread it out gently in circular motion with finger tip. Activator is a clear liquid that penetrates through the Script design into glass in preparation for applying the Etching cream. Design details just don't show well on this photo but they were all visible.
Glass Etching 4 - Press on
Using a paper towel put steady pressure all over the Stencil with finger tip to make sure Activator is embedded in stencil
Glass Etching 5 - Blow dry
Wife provided her hair dryer. I applied hot air for about 4 minutes until Stencil completely dry. This step provides a strong bond between the Stencil and the glass and will facilitate the work of the Etching cream in next step.
Glass Etching 6 - Apply Etching cream
Etching cream is applied with a Q-tip. Cream must be spread out while applying pressure on the Stencil in order to penetrate through the design. I applied a second round on areas that on my initial test seemed not to take the Etching easily, especially the "8", "33"" and the letter "F"
Glass Etching 7 - Blot excess cream
Using a wet paper towel I removed excess Etching cream. The Etching process is almost done
Glass Etching 8 - Remove masking tape
Carefully remove all masking tape while holding the Stencil in place and then pull the Stencil itself from a corner.
Glass Etching 9 - Remove Stencil
The design was transferred nicely to the glass. The whitish color is due to the excess cream, which is expected. Almost done, just need to rinse this cream off
Glass Etching 10 - Finished product
I rinsed the glass with water and gently scrubbed it to remove all excess and loose remaining particles of the Etching cream. Design is quite legible and complete and is more visible at certain angles as expected.
Glass Etching 1 - Cleaning
I chose the front lower corner of the rear window glass to place the Ford script. First I cleaned the area with regular Glass cleaner
Glass Etching 2 - Masking Stencil
The stencil is positioned as shown and held in place by masking tape making sure it is aligned with glass edges and at same height in all glass pieces. Stencil is flat and on glass without any air bubbles underneath to ensure good etching. The distance is measured from edge of glass to the beginning of the design and same distance was used on all 4 windows.
Glass Etching 3 - Activator
Place a few drops of the Activator on the Stencil and spread it out gently in circular motion with finger tip. Activator is a clear liquid that penetrates through the Script design into glass in preparation for applying the Etching cream. Design details just don't show well on this photo but they were all visible.
Glass Etching 4 - Press on
Using a paper towel put steady pressure all over the Stencil with finger tip to make sure Activator is embedded in stencil
Glass Etching 5 - Blow dry
Wife provided her hair dryer. I applied hot air for about 4 minutes until Stencil completely dry. This step provides a strong bond between the Stencil and the glass and will facilitate the work of the Etching cream in next step.
Glass Etching 6 - Apply Etching cream
Etching cream is applied with a Q-tip. Cream must be spread out while applying pressure on the Stencil in order to penetrate through the design. I applied a second round on areas that on my initial test seemed not to take the Etching easily, especially the "8", "33"" and the letter "F"
Glass Etching 7 - Blot excess cream
Using a wet paper towel I removed excess Etching cream. The Etching process is almost done
Glass Etching 8 - Remove masking tape
Carefully remove all masking tape while holding the Stencil in place and then pull the Stencil itself from a corner.
Glass Etching 9 - Remove Stencil
The design was transferred nicely to the glass. The whitish color is due to the excess cream, which is expected. Almost done, just need to rinse this cream off
Glass Etching 10 - Finished product
I rinsed the glass with water and gently scrubbed it to remove all excess and loose remaining particles of the Etching cream. Design is quite legible and complete and is more visible at certain angles as expected.
