How to Mass Sandblast 50 Glass Vases?

hoknok · Post by **hoknok** » Fri Mar 12, 2004 10:42 pm

I have a job that started with the client wanting 4 logo's etched into the side of wine bottles using sandblasting methods. It grew to six later on that day. The next day it grew to 38 bottles and now it has stopped at 50 bottles.

Well, I am glad for the job but wanted some advice on doing so many. I have already got the masks cut out from a sign shop but was wondering how to do more than one at a time.

Here is my thoughts, tell me if its flawed. I plan to bracket about 5 bottles at a time between two by fours evenly spaced about 6 inches apart. I will clamp down on the boards to hold the bottles in place and then proceed to sandblast all the sides.

Has anyone had to do something like this before? Any advice would help.

Thanks!

Mike Hawkins
HokNok

Nickie Jordan · Post by **Nickie Jordan** » Sat Mar 13, 2004 2:29 am

Mike -
I would mask them all off, then just blast them one at a time. Don't spend too much time figuring out ways to secure too many at a time (I'm assuming you're using a cabinet ?), breakage might be a problem. The masking takes the most time and effort anyway, don't you think ? Blasting is fast, and then you can check each one as it is done.
Better to be safe than sorry !
- Nickie

rosanna gusler · Post by **rosanna gusler** » Sat Mar 13, 2004 7:41 am

is the logo part going to be shiny or blasted? rosanna

hoknok · Post by **hoknok** » Sat Mar 13, 2004 1:32 pm

the logo part is going to be shiney. The bottles are huge. I did a test run and it took about 15 minutes to do one. I know I can get it done in under 10 minutes once I set up the system. The masking is easy since I just apply the vinyl logo directly on the glass and rub. The vinyl holds good for the type of blasting I am doing. My cabinet is homemade and rather large but I feel taking them outside against my wall with sides and top boards arround would allow me to do more at once and the freedom to move about quicker. I am using Aluminum Oxide to blast with at 70 gritt. I purchased 100lbs for the job and will loose half of it I assume if I go at it outdoors when the job is finished.

This is my first sandblasting job and the job invoice will cover my equipment purchased so I am glad for it! Afterwards, I have four signs to do as well. In the past, I would use acid etching cream but I like the blasting much better.

I now have this urge to blast everything!!!!

Bert Weiss · Post by **Bert Weiss** » Sat Mar 13, 2004 1:52 pm

I hate to suggest this considering your new interest in blasting, but I would look in to a product called Lerite. It is an acid dip. You put the resist on, and dip them in to a 5 gallon bucket. Lerite comes as a powder and you mix it with muriatic acid. The bath is reusable and replenishable. The material is often used in industry to frost bottles. It would take a few moments to do a bottle. 10 - 15 minutes of any process is probably way to lengthly to make money with.

I have the contact info at home, where I am not. The company is callled Seppic they are somewhere in NJ. Jim McKay is the contact person. This company was mentioned in a thread in the last couple of weeks for a product called velvet etch as I recall.

Nickie Jordan · Post by **Nickie Jordan** » Sat Mar 13, 2004 2:03 pm

Congrats on your first blasting job !
I would still do one bottle at a time, to 'check ' my work. By experience, a 'hurried' job results in poor product.
If the bottles are huge, you'll need to take care to have an even blast on all the surface to be frosted (no shiny spots where you don't want them). With the dust and lighting conditions it'll be hard to see all of that.
It makes more sense with experience.
Be sure to wear a proper respirator , especially if you'll be opening the cabinet door frequently.
Sand blasting is much, much better than etching cream in my opinion. It makes for a much whiter white, as opposed to the 'gray' of the cream.

I had to laugh at you wanting to now blast 'everything' ! I started my 'decorative glass' business 11 years ago - listed that way in the yellow pages - and I still get people wanting me to blast 'everything'. I'm not a commercial blasting operation, never intended to be anything but a private art studio, so why would people think I'd love to sandblast their car wheels for them ?? If you want, I could send them your way.... -N

hoknok · Post by **hoknok** » Sat Mar 13, 2004 8:09 pm

Well Nickie, you can keep those hub cap jobs.

Your advice is solid and I will do one at a time. I would like to learn more about the techniques, any good books?

PS. I love your samples on your site.

Mike

Lynn g · Post by **Lynn g** » Sat Mar 13, 2004 8:52 pm

Mike, Norm Dobbins has some good books, one on surface etching and one on depth-carving techniques, and includes equipment information. He also has a hard-cover book "Etched Glass Techniques and Designs", which reprises the technique and is full of some of the most beautiful sandblasted work...worth the extra $ just for these photos! You should be able to get these through a stained glass supplier or at http://www.etchmaster.com. He also has videos offering the same information, although after a while, you might want to fast-forward through the parts where you're just watching someone sandblast; that part all gets to look pretty much the same. Better to be doing it yourself!

Check around locally for someone who does sandblasting whose work you like, and see if you can take a class. It can really speed up your learning curve (unless you're like one of my former students, who insisted he couldn't learn anything without first screwing it up! I couldn't convince him he could skip the screw-up step if only he'd listen to what I was trying to tell him!)

Nickie Jordan · Post by **Nickie Jordan** » Sat Mar 13, 2004 10:09 pm

Don't forget about http://www.sandcarver.com for help too.
I was self taught, it takes lots of glass...

Ron Bell · Post by **Ron Bell** » Sun Mar 14, 2004 1:23 am

Bert - I looked into LERITE for a similar project I had and was scared off by the environmental problems. The site belo has some info...

http://www.great-lakes.net/lists/p2tech ... 00038.html

I finally just blasted away....

If you have other sources of info, I sure would appreciate them. Thanks!

Bert Weiss · Post by **Bert Weiss** » Sun Mar 14, 2004 1:12 pm

Ron Bell wrote:Bert - I looked into LERITE for a similar project I had and was scared off by the environmental problems. The site belo has some info...

http://www.great-lakes.net/lists/p2tech ... 00038.html

I finally just blasted away....

If you have other sources of info, I sure would appreciate them. Thanks!

Ron

I set up a 5 gallon Lerite bath in the basement of my last house. I had no problems. I kept the lid on when not in use. I have done Hydrofluoric acid etching and this stuff is very mild compared to HF. Rubber gloves were the only safety aid I needed to work with it. The fumes were minimal and did not bother me or my house.

I wanted to frost lighting glass made with float. It did not work for this as the tin side messed up and did not frost evenly. The product is made for the perfume bottle industry. You can easily set up a dip and a rinse in a couple of buckets. It yields a fine toothed frost which is very nice, and I think, classier looking then a blast.

I would like to try the new frosting compound being sold by HIS glassworks. I'm told it does a better job on float glass.