So I’m working on a lamp project and it uses clear acrylic. In my excitement to get the project done I glued the acrylic pieces together only to find out that when lit up it doesn’t disperse the light like I’d thought. I found out that if you frost the acrylic it disperses the light better but the lamp is already assembled and I can n longer put it in the glowforge to etch a frost layer to the lamp.
Is there any product I could get from a local hardware store (Home Depot / Lowes) or craft store (Micheal’s / Hobby Lobby) that I could use to etch or frost the acrylic?
It would have to be something I could brush on rather than a spray bc I have some parts that are black and cannot be painted.
Any help is much appreciated!
You could tape what you don’t was/t frosted and use a frosted clear spray, Or make it again with frosted acrylic, as many of us have trial pieces that did not work out the first time 
they even have it in stock!
6 Likes
I don’t have enough acrylic to do it again 
I was hoping that there was a known product that I could paint on it then wipe off and it be frosted.
Then the spray would work but be about the same price as the acrylic.
Might try the spray, just gotta be careful and try to make it even.
I was hoping to be able to see it lit today (I’m very impatient).
Not a good thing in almost any craft. Be sure you try it out on some scrap first to see if you get what you want.
Oh yea for sure! Defiantly always test it on scrap.
Some people have had luck with sanding to get a frosty appearance, but I’ve never tried it.
2 Likes
$4 at Home Depot.
3 Likes
I’ve used just a light overspray of white spray paint (Shoji lantern overload). I’ve also used a piece of translucent vellum on the inside (Crane Lantern - #26 by geek2nurse), and in the one below, I just left the masking on the inside for a muted glow. 
8 Likes
I realized that someone else’s problem might be your solution 
2 Likes
Cut a frosted vinyl to the right shapes and apply? (DO NOT do this on your GF, danger danger danger!)
2 Likes
I asked a makerspace once how they glued their frosted acrylic pieces. They told me they don’t have frosted acrylic, they have clear acrylic that they sandblasted. I don’t know much about sprays, but if you have access to a sandblaster, that’ll work.
4 Likes
I have used microfine sanding paper to frost acrylic and then used a glass stove top polish to buff it.
5 Likes
A bit if sandpaper and rubbing alcohol? Or naphtha?
2 Likes
This topic was automatically closed 32 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.