How to Etch Easter Eggs: A Ukrainian Tradition

By Amber Seber

Most people have seen the lovely Ukrainian and Russian Easter eggs that can be found for sale during the Easter holidays, but only slightly lesser-known form of egg decoration is etching. Etching is a beautiful and non-toxic way to decorate eggs for Easter or for gifts at any time of the year.

You do need a few inexpensive tools for etching your eggs. You will need at least one kistka - a wax tool for egg decorating. Kistky (plural for kistka) are inexpensive and easy to find online at Ukrainian egg-decorating shops. I like to have three kistky: small, medium, and large. If you do not want to purchase a kistka, you can also use crayons. You will also need a small block of beeswax if you use kistka (most any candle wax will do) and one candle. Taper candles work best.

Etching is non-toxic, so you can decorate eggs that are intended for eating such as boiled eggs, or you can etch eggs that have been hollowed out. If you would like your etching to be in a different color, use brown eggs or dye your egg before etching. You must make sure to seal any holes in your blown eggs before using the dye or etching your eggs.

Before decorating your eggs, make sure that your hands are clean and washed well. Oil on your hands from your skin will cause unwanted marks on your finished eggs. Also be sure that your area is covered with newspaper so that you do not drip melted wax or egg dye on your work surface.

After you get good at etching your eggs, you will not need to draw a design on your egg first. For now, you may want to try drawing your design before etching. Use a pencil to draw on the designs and work absolutely as lightly as possible as the pencil marks will stay on the egg after it is etched. Never use an eraser if you make a mistake. If you must correct it, use a tiny bit of vinegar on a corner of a rag to rub it out. Do not rub too much. If your egg is colored, the vinegar will remove the coloring.

Hold your kistka over a candle flame so that the metal cup gets hot. Dip the metal cup into your lump of beeswax and scoop up a tiny bit. Heat the cup again for a few seconds to ensure that the wax inside the cup has melted. Use the kistka to draw a design on your egg. The wax-covered areas will be where the colored raised design will remain on your egg. Try not to make a mistake. The wax cannot be removed once it has touched the egg.

You can make a primitive form of etched eggs with crayons if you do not want to buy a kistka. You will not be able to make fine lines with a crayon, but you will be able to make some simple designs. Simply hold the tip of a wax crayon near enough to your candle flame for the wax to become soft and melted. Do not hold the crayon directly in the flame of the candle. Use the partially melted crayon to draw designs on your egg.

Once you are finished decorating your egg, you are ready to begin the etching process. Gently submerge your egg into a bath of pure white vinegar. The egg must be completely submerged. If your egg is hollow, place a jar or glass on top of it to hold it down in the bottom of the vinegar bath. Let the egg sit for a few minutes, then stir the vinegar to loosen the bubbles on the egg. The vinegar is acidic and will slowly eat away at the eggshell everywhere but where you placed the wax. This will leave a raised design on your egg that will be colored if you used dye or brown eggs.

Watch your egg and leave it in the vinegar bath until the egg is white in the vinegar etched areas, then remove your egg, rinse it well, and dry it thoroughly. Let the egg sit for several minutes so that it can air dry a little more. Your etched egg will be more delicate now because parts of the shell have become very thin. Be sure to be extra careful with your etched egg.

To remove the wax, you will need a candle and some paper towels. First, it is absolutely important that you remove the wax from at least one of the holes in your egg if you have blown it hollow. If you do not do this, the air inside of your egg will expand and your eggshell will burst. Always be sure that you uncover the egg's holes first.

Hold your egg near the candle flame, but not in the actual flame itself and not over the top of the flame. This will create black sooty marks on your egg. Hold it to the side of the flame. When the wax on the egg begins to melt, remove it from the flame and wipe the hot wax away with a paper towel. Work your way around the egg and gently melt and wipe off all of the wax.

Once the wax is gone, your etched egg is finished. These eggs make wonderful gifts at Easter and Christmas time. You can glue ribbons and string to the top of the eggs for hanging on a Christmas tree or Easter tree or you can keep them in a bowl or egg cup inside of a glass cabinet to enjoy year-round.

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