Please inform me the chemical contents of glass etching cream. Can I make the stuff at home?
Buy the cream and follow the directions: it’s the only safe way to do etching. Hydroflouric acid: Hydrogen gas and flourine gas dissolved in water. You can’t buy it without special permits, and it can dissolve its way out of almost any container. It can also eat your bones! This is the nastiest chemical I have ever had to work with – and that was in a lab with every safety device needed. Hydrofluoric acid is corrosive and a contact poison. Symptoms of exposure to hydrofluoric acid may not be immediately evident. HF interferes with nerve function and burns may not initially be painful. Accidental exposures can go unnoticed, delaying treatment and increasing the extent and seriousness of the injury. HF is known to etch bone, and since it penetrates the skin it essentially breaks the person’s bones without destroying the skin.
