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How To Sign Your Work

• Felt Tip Marker: This will write on the glass; choose a thin one. However, it will probably wear off over time. Also, there's a high chance of it washing off with a glass cleaner or solvent.
• Paint Marker: This works pretty well; choose a thin one. It looks nice on the project, but it only looks good in large letters. If you make it with small humble letters it will disappear into a paint smudge. I've seen people sign their name on the front of the work. Though the signature looked nice, it made the suncatchers look really tacky. Plus over time it can be removed by cleaning or polishing.
• Carbide Scribe: This can be found in any hardware store. It's used primarily to mark valuables and the scribe costs around $2-3. Basically it looks like a very sharp pencil. It scratches glass; this was my first glass-signing tool. However, it doesn't leave a very strong mark and it can be difficult to control but it's the only real scribe here that can follow a ruler or a French curve. It tends to slide a bit if you're not careful.
• Diamond Scriber: This is usually found in a stained glass store. It sells for between $10 to $20. It's the "older brother" of the carbide scribe. It slides more gracefully across the glassy surface. It creates a clearer mark than the carbide scribe does. It's almost as good as an electric scriber (and generally cheaper). It has one huge fault though: if you drop it on the floor, the diamond may crack or shatter, making it almost useless (like a diamond cutter). If you were to drop the carbide scribe on the floor, it would probably stick.
• Electric Engraver (vibrating kind): Currently this is the one I use. Mine has a cord, but they also have cordless models as well. I got mine at a garage sale for 25 cents so I really don't know the real retail price. I think it's around $15 to $25. Anyway this type of engraver consists of a pointy carbide tip and a collar above that which adjusts how much the pointy part vibrates. Once you get the hang of it, it works really well. It creates a fairly crisp whitish line though it is a little chipped looking. However, you would have to look up close to see that. The only part that you'll have to get used to is adjusting the collar. The collar turns in both directions. Turn it one way and it's good for just hard glass like white; if that setting was used on black glass, it may chip it too much. Turn it the other way and it will do softer glass like black, but if that setting was used on white, it wouldn't vibrate enough. You would have to turn the knob to fix that. The only other thing you would need to get used to is the annoying buzzing sound it makes (sounds kind of like an electric football game).
• Dremel: This only works if #1 you own a Dremel and #2 you have small diamond bits. You can get the diamond bits either at a jewelry supply catalog or possibly your dentist can give you some worn ones (my father gave me mine). It may actually be better to use the worn ones, because you may accidentally drill through the glass with a new one. There will be some dust, so you should make sure to wear a dust mask. Water shouldn't be necessary because the bit shouldn't get hot enough to do harm. Also, if you use water, you won't be able to see what you're doing. It may be hard to control the depth using this method; mainly you just want to scratch the surface of the glass. If you go too deep the glass may crack there in the future. You should be able to get free flowing characters using this tool. If you don't have a Dremel, you can use a pneumatic tool (like a dental drill). Also I think Inland's version of the electric engraver is the type that spins (though I can't be sure about that, unless they send me one...)
• Etching with a Rubber Stamp: I never been successful with this method myself, though I have tried it. Basically, you need etching cream and a rubber stamp. The stamp I used had too much detail and I wasn't sure what the best way was to apply the etching cream. You may be able to figure out something on your own using this idea. Just be sure to wear your rubber gloves rated for acid; the etching cream has some nasty acid in it.
• Using a sandblaster: Also unconfirmed (mainly because I don't have a sandblaster). As far as I know, you need resist and a sandblaster. My guess is you would need photo resist to get the best detail for a name. Also, it would probably be best to sign it before it goes together (making sure your foil won't overlap it). If it was done after the project was soldered, it may get marred.
• Using a Copper Plate: Tiffany used these, I believe. You can get little copper or metal plates at an engraving shop though a little pricey. Mainly they engrave your name on the front. Then you need to either solder it to the front of the work or you can stick it on with double stick tape. The plate makes a panel look very professional and if it were ever repaired, it would be the most likely to survive then the other choices. You see, when you engrave a piece of glass, it's on that one piece, the owner may not even know it's there. If that piece were to be replaced, your name would be gone along with your fame. At some point I'll treat myself to these plates.

OTHER SIGNING TIPS:

• If you need to scribe on a white piece of glass, the markings will not be very apparent. I use a black felt tip marker and go over the engraved lines as if I were crossing the words out. Then, using a little bit of denatured alcohol, a drop or two on a paper towel, carefully wipe off the excess marker. Try to go in one direction only or you may remove too much of the marker; you want to remove the marker that's on the surface but not what is in the grooves.
• You should always sign your work. People should know who made what they have. In the future you could always see if that's one of your original designs or a copy.
• Make sure to leave yourself enough room when you sign. If you're signing near a seam, be sure there's enough clearance. Otherwise your name will look squished.
• I like signing my name in full either spelling it Mike Savad or Michael Savad. This way everyone will know it's mine, and not some other M. Savad. Usually the date follows either in the month/year format such as 3/98 or the month/day/year format, such as 3/2/98. This way everyone will know the exact date when the item was made. Besides being a convenience, it's also nice to have it because historians will know when it was made. So when you're long dead, people should hopefully know it's the real thing...

WHERE TO SIGN YOUR WORK:

There's no set rule on where to sign your work. This is a basic guide of what I do and why I do it:

• Suncatchers: I like to sign them on the back. Preferably I like to sign on a color that won't make my name show through in the light because it will look like it's scratched or cracked. Usually it's along the bottom edge. Sometimes it's in the middle (if there's a black section). I never sign it on the front because people see the front. Signing it on the front means that you have some inferiority complex. People can easily flip the work over to see who made it. Plus being on the front means those little scratches will show up in reflected light (like scratches on your windshield).
• Panels and Windows: I sign panels in the front, however. I treat it like an artist treats a painting. Usually it's signed in the lower right hand corner making sure that my frame isn't blocking my name. Unlike a suncatchers, a panel is large enough to "hide" the marking. Mainly the panel is much larger then the signature. This works well for windows with corners; round windows may be harder to sign on the front (gracefully).
• Boxes: I sign mine on the back,usually towards the bottom, on the left-hand side. I could choose the right, but I may run into the solder line. I don't sign it on the front, because that would look ugly. And I don't sign it on the bottom, because the bottom could be covered in felt or the like (hiding your name forever).
• Lamps: I haven't figure out the best place yet for this since in all my experience I've only built 3 lamps. I've been signing them on the bottom of the cap, but that's hard to do and doesn't show up as well. I think the best place would be the inside of the skirt (or where the skirt would be). So you don't detract from it's beauty, the best place is a non-obvious place.
• Mosaics: I don't make them, so I wouldn't know. I would imagine the best place would be the front. If you laid your mosaic on a sheet of clear glass, then you can sign that.
• Stepping Stones: I don't make these either. The tool that I'd use would probably be a pointy stick. I'd sign it like a sidewalk, but on the back. You could scratch anything you wanted in the back, even your hand print as long as the cement is still wet. I suppose you could even leave a niche for a key, as an extra feature (providing they don't mind the icky bugs underneath). Make sure that the bottom is level when you're done signing it, or it will rock when it dries.
• Objects like Beads and Marbles: You tell me. There awfully small, microfiche could probably work. Though I don't know of any other way to sign them. You might be able to put in a small trademark symbol that you could make up.
• Fused Glass: Don't do it myself; the back could be signed. Or maybe a creative symbol could be used on the front or back of the piece made of stringers (as above).

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Started on 9-22-98