How to Sign Glass Art Pieces

Years ago, as my craftsmanship developed, I wanted a way to sign my stained glass pieces and now my fused glass pieces. I take pride in the quality of my work. If I am not willing to put my mark on it, than it is not worthy of selling. I wanted it to be a permanent mark yet not so visible as to distract from the work. For a while, I used a Dremel Rotary tool with a diamond bit. It worked okay but was inconvenient and cumbersome to use. Then one year while at the Glass Craft and Bead Expo I found a titanium marking pen. It worked great albeit the mark is very light. You almost have to know where to look for it.

While strolling through Home Depot one day, (yes, I actually enjoy strolling around Home Depot) I saw the Dremel Engraver. I decided this might be a convenient way to sign my work. A dropped a hint to my husband who bought it for me for Christmas. Sad but true… most women want jewelry … I want tools! It took me another 6 months to get around to ordering the diamond engraving tip that is optional. Unfortunately, it did not do what I wanted at all. Unlike the Dremel Rotary tool which rotates the bit, the engraver seems to work by moving the bit rapidly up and down like a jack hammer. The result is a very rough looking mark on the glass.

So I am back to using my titanium marking pen. Today I ordered a new titanium pen from Playing with Fire. It is supposed to be a much improved pen. Their website says:

“… it’s able to lay down a smoother, and much more visible line – with a fraction of the effort needed with others pens .”

I hope it does! I’ll let you know how it goes.

7 thoughts on “How to Sign Glass Art Pieces

  1. Kim says:

    Hi Margot,
    This pen is really interesting! Does it work only on top of glass or can you mark the back side that the glass is laying on as well? I’m asking because some of the traditional glass paints I experimented with do not like the kiln paper that I fire on.
    I gave up trying to mark my pieces since I do a lot of small ones and it takes so much time to sign all of them. But this pen might make it convenient enough.
    Thank you for sharing this idea!

    P.S. You are not the only one that opts for tools instead of bling for christmas and birthdays, lol. =)
    Kim

    • Margot says:

      This pen is used after you fire. I mark all of my fused glass pieces on the back. The mark is made by leaving titanium on the glass.When I get the new pen I’ll try to take some pictures to show what it looks like.

  2. Linda Buck says:

    I have been searching for a way to sign and or date my fused jewelry. I tried almost every product I could think of and called many glass stores for advice. I think I may give this item a try. Do you have to press hard? I also ask for new tools for my workshop. Thi year I got a saw to cut the came. I love it!

    • Margot says:

      Linda – You don’t have to press too hard, but it does take a while to get the feel of it. I wet the glass and the tip of the “pen” when I use it to help it slide. It is a subtle mark. I think it would be hard to sign a whole name with it. I just use my initials and a year. I recently bought a diamond scribe, but I don’t like it as much as the titanium pen. I should really do a b log post with pictures on this. I’ll bet a came saw is a nice tool to have. I don’t use enough zinc to justify the expense. 🙁

Leave a Reply to Mark Urban Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *