Sandblasting Information Needed

I have recently purchased a small table sandblaster and was wondering if you could help me?
Could tell me the best settings to use when sandblasting glass (wine, pint etc.) and small mirrors and also what is the best grit to use.
I just wanted to say....This is one of, if not the best glass advice site I have came across, thank you.

Milly's reply: What lovely comments, thanks! Congratulations on getting a sandblaster - you're going to have such fun...
Silicon carbide is the best grit to use - but as always with things glassy, it's dangerous, so use a decent mask. The finer the grit, the smoother the etching - so that's an aesthetic decision for you to make. If you're doing delicate designs, go for finer grit.
It's quite difficult to give specific advice on settings without knowing about the equipment you have and the results you require. I found a fantastic sandblasting resource on the web from a guy who is an obvious expert - Norm Dobbins. Have a look at that to get a really good overview of the basic, and not so basic. He sells books too, and might be able to answer your specific queries.
I'd also ask the people you purchased the sandblaster from for specific help.
Let me know how you get on.

To find out more about how to make stained glass, click here and return to the Everything Stained Glass home page.

Comments for
Sandblasting Information Needed

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sandblasting
by: tumbleweed Engraving

Best to have your settings at 30 pounds of pressure. I use between 30 - 50. I also use Alum. Oxide as my media. 220 grit, fast cutting. Always use a mask and cover as much as possible. eye wear is a must. Check out my sites at; www.tumbleweedcustomglassengraving.com or www.tumbleweedglassworks.com

Lew

Blasting Wine Glasses
by: BOZ Stained Glass

The first thing to answer (safety and vision) is how are you going to remove the DUST from the cabinet? Start with 125 grit for a start, twenty pounds pressure, four inches from glass. Silica carbide is the most expensive, but can be recyled many times and stays sharp. I have not used aluminum oxide. Sand is cheapest, but is really not re-usable. On mirror it will take longer to remove the silver coating from the back- so heavier resist or coarser grit is needed. Test a piece on the front to see what happens. If you are doing wine glasses or any small curved object, consider the "LETRALITE SETUP WITH BLANKET,BULB AND WASHOUT NOZZEL."-look on the internet. I really great process for fine detail (less than 1/8 wide). Sure hope this helps. I took multiple classes from Ruth and Norm.

Glass Sandblasting
by: Eric Robert

Milly's right. The finer the grit, the finer a the etching will be on the glass. Some people will actually use a fine grit for one area and a course grit for the other. This helps give it two different textures for contrast of etches.

Also, the pressure setting depends on what your trying to achieve. A pressure pot will allow you to sandcarve glass and would be set at about 60 -90 psi usually. Otherwise a setting of around 30 for surface etching. I wrote some tutorials on my blog for sandcarving here: http://www.glassetchingsecrets.com/blog/70/steps-for-sandcarving-glass/

And sandblast etching information here: http://www.glassetchingsecrets.com/blog/107/cincinnati-reds-etched-beer-mug/

testing testing
by: ozzie - bozstained glass

cut a piece of window glass 2" wide and shorter than your cabinet width. mask off all but one inch on one end. set presure to 10 lbs. hold nozzel 4 inches from work. etch top to bottom and count (like 1 to 5 seconds). Remove the next one inch of masking, and re-set pressure to 20 lbs., then etch again. Repeat these steps across the test piece. mark each section with the # of seconds it took you to go from top to bottom. Feel the edges between each test area and note the depth of your etch. This can be your base data. From here you vary and keep notes.
Before you start the real work, always use a test piece of the same glass to preview your resuslts.
Ozzie Berke, BOZ, Half Moon Bay, CA

Thanks Ozzie, that's really helpful and it's great that you've taken the time to share your knowledge. Cheers, Milly

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