Sandblasting Pattern into Glass

[Carroll Courtney]

Guys, I'm building a shadow box for a jersey that is 40x27 for a friend's son who has played for the Jacksonville Jaguars on the practice squad for a couple of yrs.I would like to sandblast the Jaguars head onto the glass.But I don't know if the details will work out .See the jaguar's head at Jaguar.com I'm concern about the spots.I will be making the templet out of 1/8 plywood and using double stick tape or spray adhesive on the glass to stick the pattern to.I have done flowers (large) before and come out nice,I just don't know about the fine details.The glass was 30.00,so I don't want to waste it.Any advise or ideals or what technique would you do? Thanks guys Carroll Courtney

[Jon Shively]

I had a student do a lot of sandblasting of intricate pictures on small objects, ie: glasses, mugs, side windows, etc.. Would be afraid of "bleeding" of the sand/edges using plywood. What he used in my shop with my gravity blaster on 90 psi was plain old masking tape. Then using an exact-o-knife, cut the picture after drawing it on the tape. Really a neat technique and affect. Be glad to hear how it turns out.

[Andy Haney]

I did something similar for my Dad's flag case. Consider this as a possibility, but it may not apply. I "reversed" the image and had it laser engraved on the back side (inside the case). The "surface" is smooth and easy to wipe clean.

Andy

[Denise Ohio]

I have a pal who does this for a living. She sends images to a plotter that has a razor that cuts a vinyl adhesive resist that's in a big roll. The resist is stuck to the glass and she peels off the bits to be sandblasted. Sometimes she does this in layers, so bits are peeled off, then put back on, to get the effects she wants. I've seen very intricate, very detailed carvings come out of her shop. http://www.thejoyofglass.com/

You could always email Joy and ask how she does it. She's a good gal and knows what she's doing.

I have another glass artist pal who will print onto similar material, then cut the pattern out with a razor knife, so you must be able to get the resist, perhaps online? I doubt anything like label stock would stand up to the beating sandblasting would give it.

Hope this helps.

[Reg Mitchell]

Go to a kitched cab. place and get that white vinal shelving paper that you peal the back off of and put that on the glass. draw out whatever you want on the "Resist". Than take a exacto knife and cut the pattern.DON'T PULL IT OFF YET. cut until you are finished. Now to make it have a 3-D effect pull the points that you want the deepest. Sandblast. Use silicasand 220 grit@ around 12-15psi. it takes a littl loonger but you won't blow through the resist. If it starts getting dark around where you are blasting move along keep the nozzle moveing ofer the plastic so it doesn't blow through.
Next Pull the next deepest point to blast and repeat above but this time hit the first section to .
I have done hundreds of mirrows on Yatcht of Barbara Mandrel, Evil Conevile, that euglases guy, Rothchilds Yatch , Fram Oil Almost all of the yatchs that Broward Marine built for many years

[Tim Kennedy-NH]

During high school, I worked in a glass blower's work/retail shop doing sandblasting of vases and bowls for the frosted glass look. The parts to remain un-blasted were masked off with 3M black electrical tape. It worked quite well, and would preserve some pretty fine detail, even through the abuse of learning the technique (sand blasting makes glass go away fast!). I don't know what the grit or psi used was.

The patterns were applied with cut pieces of tape and and an exacto knife.

Tim.

[thomas prevost]

Craft stores such as AC Moore and Micheals sell kits and parts for crafters that want to sand etch wine glasses and the like. They have a special adhesive plastic that you cut with a knife and adhere to the glass for sand blasting. I think the material by itself is only about $5-6. I have used the whole kits to etch glass for grandfather clocks. They work great and the price is right.

[peter slamp]

I use sandblasted glass on some projects I do. It's pretty expensive to have done to tabletop size pieces glass. What kind of power tools do I need to do this at home? I assume it's not just a normal air compressor. Thanks!

[terry hansen]

Having done this as a hobby, several suggestions come to mind. Remember you usually are working in reverse - or the side you see is smooth and the pattern is etched into the "back", so plan your blast order accordingly. Inhalation of silicon dust is a serious problem and best avoided so wear a respirator and gloves and long sleeves to avoid getting sand all over you. A lot of folks use a blast cabinet for small objects to eliminate the need for this and to be able to easily collect the sand for reuse. Fine sand - like that used in ashtrays is really good as size is uniform. Moisture is a big problem so a moisture trap is essential. If you use a gravity feed unit you'll need more consistent air pressure (read ability to deliver approx 60 to 90 psi consistently or whatever your unit requires), if you really get into it and buy a pressure pot the pressure is easier to maintain.
Cover both sides of glass with resist (I use clear contact paper unless I'm doing really deep "carving") and as mentioned transfer pattern (i used carbon paper and then a sharpie), a sharp knife is essential, if doing multiple blasts for depth effect remove those that will appear closest to viewer first as they will continue to be blasted and usually the edges will "soften" due to this. Continue removing layers.
Chipping and stray blasts marks are a typical problem for beginners. Practice, practice, practice and you'll learn how your system works. It's a lot of fun and produces some really great results. A lot of places that give stained class classes also offer blasting and it's a good way to learn and use somebody elses equipment before taking the plunge.

[Denise Ohio]

Jurgen Industries makes a glass frosting paint (as well as other neat stuff). http://www.jurgenindustries.com/frostedglasstexture.htm

I've never used it, though I've heard good things about their other products.

[peter slamp]

Wow! That's really cool. I might have to try that on my next project.

[Carroll Courtney]

Thanks to all who responded to my questions.Several good ideals that I will be putting to use.I spent most of the day (Sunday) cutting out my patterns of the letters and then several parts of the head out of 1/8 plywood.Then I just spent about 1/2 hr this afternoon doing it again on contact paper.I never thought of this method.This is what makes this forum so great,where ideals are shared. Ya'll just save me alot of frustration Thanks Creekers

[Jon Shively]

I really like the idea of doing it on the underside of the glass or inside of the glass. Didn't think of that as my student either was etching glasses (drinking kind) or side glass or rear glass on a pickup. Most are tinted now from the factory to the point you have to etch from the outside to see the effect. But, in the future when making a keepsake box, will keep that in mind as it will add another notch of craftsmanship to the project. Thanks all.

To whoever asked, a cheap HF sandblasting unit on any air compressor will do a good job for a hobbyist. It is quite the hobby for those that prefer immediate gratification. You can see it happen when drawing/cutting/blasting, but nothing compares to pulling the tape and seeing it for real. (and realizing that you forgot one important item, but that is for another thread!)