How to Frog Tape and Etch a Round Mirror

Have you ever had a great project in mind, but it just didn't turn out to be as easy as you thought it would be? My easy mirror-to-chalkboard project took a turn for the worse when I found out the mirror was glued to the frame. I needed a new idea. If I couldn't get the mirror out what was I supposed to do? 

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Enter etching cream and a stencil. You're supposed to pounce it on like paint with a stencil brush, but I found that a regular old watercolor paintbrush from my kids' painting stash worked better for me. The etching creme is more liquid than creme, so I found that the little brush smoothed it out a bit better than a pouncer.  

TIP:  The beauty of stenciling onto glass is that if you accidentally spread the etching cream underneath the stencil and it bleeds over the lines, you can always carefully scrape the excess dried cream off later with a carpenter's knife. Just be careful not to scratch the glass in the process.

After stenciling I still had to paint the frame, which requires taping off the mirror so as not to accidentally get paint on it.  But it was round!  Taping off a mirror inside a square or even rectangular frame is relatively easy.  But when it's round you can't expect to be able to tape it the same way.

Enter frog tape. I call it frog tape but I guess it's technically what they call painter's tape.  It's a blue tape you can find at any hardware store, or even the Dollar Store or Dollar General.  (Frog Tape, which is green, is a registered trademark or something so ssshhhh, I didn't even say those words, now did I?)

Due to the arc of the frame, you'll need to rip many small pieces of tape over and over and keep applying them to the mirror right inside the frame, all the way around.

After stenciling I still had to paint the frame, which requires taping off the mirror so as not to accidentally get paint on it. But it was round!  Taping off a mirror inside a square or even rectangular frame is relatively easy. But when it's round you can't expect to be able to tape it the same way.

Enter frog tape. I call it frog tape but I guess it's technically what they call painter's tape. It's a blue tape you can find at any hardware store, or even the Dollar Store or Dollar General.  (Frog Tape, which is green, is a registered trademark or something so ssshhhh, I didn't even say those words, now did I?)

Due to the arc of the frame, you'll need to rip many small pieces of tape over and over and keep applying them to the mirror right inside the frame, all the way around.

It's a bit tedious at first, but once you get going it can go pretty fast until you end up with this.

Just keep layering until the whole mirror is taped.

And there you go. She's all ready for painting. And here's the finished work.

Not bad for a Plan B, huh?

Well, that's it until next time, friends! 

I hope you enjoyed reading about 

How To Frog Tape and Etch a Round Mirror

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