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Hi Joanzag?

I use sandblasting extensively both for carving bisque and for etching glaze. When I decided to pursue this method of working I reasoned that if glass could be sandblasted for different effects why couldn't glaze be treated in the same way. Consequently I based my research on the glass workers/carvers that are online. There are many forums and information sites online all giving detailed info into working methods, equipment etc. An hour of research provided more than enough information to get me started in this direction.

 

Regarding equipment you can spend as little or as much as you like depending on how detailed and committed you want to be or what your needs are. I found that the crux of this technique lay in the the type and quality of resist that was suitable for what I wanted to achieve and this came from experimenting.

 

By the way it would be so much friendlier if people signed there first names so as to facilitate addressing each other instead of this anonymous void that we seem to be slipping into.

 

Regards

Johanna

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Hi Joanzag

 

I would recommend that you get a sandblasting cabinet this will control the dust and reduce the amount of clean up and loss of sand. I use "play sand" I get it at Home depot. The sandblast cabinet is from Harbor Freight. You will also need a good-sized compressor. I use a 3.5 hp 60gal compressor. I had used a 22gal compressor, it worked but I had to stop a lot to let it build pressure. To get started sieve your sand you can use a kitchen screen sieve. Read the instructions for the right pressure setting. Wear a dust mask and eye protection, if you are not using a cabinet you might want hearing protection and thick gloves, the cabinet has gloves built in, then sandblast a lot of stuff you don't care about to get a feel for the tool. For masking off areas you don't want sand blasted you can use heave masking tape, duct tape, shield card board, pin striping tape and anything that will stop the sand from hitting your work. The biggest part is practice practice practice. And then have fun with it

 

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Hi Joan

if you're looking for real fine surface variation...

try jewelers supply.

jewelry folks use glass beads ( smaller than sand) w/ a small airbrush type sprayer/compressor - real neat.

Of course use normal protection protical : sandblasting box ( can be home fabricated) , respirator, good ventalation. Enjoy!

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Hi Joanzag?

I use sandblasting extensively both for carving bisque and for etching glaze. When I decided to pursue this method of working I reasoned that if glass could be sandblasted for different effects why couldn't glaze be treated in the same way. Consequently I based my research on the glass workers/carvers that are online. There are many forums and information sites online all giving detailed info into working methods, equipment etc. An hour of research provided more than enough information to get me started in this direction.

 

Regarding equipment you can spend as little or as much as you like depending on how detailed and committed you want to be or what your needs are. I found that the crux of this technique lay in the the type and quality of resist that was suitable for what I wanted to achieve and this came from experimenting.

 

By the way it would be so much friendlier if people signed there first names so as to facilitate addressing each other instead of this anonymous void that we seem to be slipping into.

 

Regards

Johanna

 

Johanna DeMaine

http://johanna.demaine.org

http://overglaze.info

http://allthatissublime.com

 

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Hi Joanzag

 

I would recommend that you get a sandblasting cabinet this will control the dust and reduce the amount of clean up and loss of sand. I use "play sand" I get it at Home depot. The sandblast cabinet is from Harbor Freight. You will also need a good-sized compressor. I use a 3.5 hp 60gal compressor. I had used a 22gal compressor, it worked but I had to stop a lot to let it build pressure. To get started sieve your sand you can use a kitchen screen sieve. Read the instructions for the right pressure setting. Wear a dust mask and eye protection, if you are not using a cabinet you might want hearing protection and thick gloves, the cabinet has gloves built in, then sandblast a lot of stuff you don't care about to get a feel for the tool. For masking off areas you don't want sand blasted you can use heave masking tape, duct tape, shield card board, pin striping tape and anything that will stop the sand from hitting your work. The biggest part is practice practice practice. And then have fun with it

 

 

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Hi Joan

if you're looking for real fine surface variation...

try jewelers supply.

jewelry folks use glass beads ( smaller than sand) w/ a small airbrush type sprayer/compressor - real neat.

Of course use normal protection protical : sandblasting box ( can be home fabricated) , respirator, good ventalation. Enjoy!

 

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Hi Joan:

 

I work in other media besides clay, primarily metals. I do a lot of sandblasting for both effects and for cleaning prior to using coatings or to remove oxides after casting. I would start with a good sandblasting cabinet large enough to hold the size of work you plan on making and allowing enough room to manipulate the work and the gun inside the cabinet. The cabinet and the gun will give you the basis for selecting the compressor which will need to be able to have adequate CFM to feed the cabinet. Then you will need to decide on the blast media you want to use, there are many. Bead blasting is used for severl processes but not to etch well. Beads are used for shot peening and for removing mill scale from metals that were heated in an oxidizing atmosphere. However there are many types of abrasive girts avaialble. Some grits cut faster than others. The gradation of the grit granules will give you differing textures and so you shoulod probably use graded grit and graded silica sand instead of unknown sand such as playground sand. The pressure at which the gun is operated will also change the texture because of the velocity of impingement of the particles. Re-using blasting grit is tempting and if all you are doing is cleaning you could probably get a cople of re-uses but the grit has sharp edges and each time it is used some of the edges get rounded and the texture changes and the efficiency of the grit is reduced. For some things I use different set-ups. Paasche makes an excellent air brush type gun for grit blasting that is designed for erasing but it makes a very fine etch and I like the treatment for some items: it s great for frosting precious metals. There are also pot blasters that can be used for other types of blasting. You sould make sure that you have good filtration and water removal from your airstream. besides the grit you need to be prepared to have spares for the hoses that carry the abrasive and the ceramic nozzles in the guns, both wear rapidly. Good luck!

 

Best regards,

Charles

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  • 1 month later...

Hi Joanzag

 

For masking off areas you don't want sand blasted you can use heave masking tape, duct tape, shield card board, pin striping tape and anything that will stop the sand from hitting your work.

 

 

 

Hi Joanzag

For masking you might also try trailing glue from a glue gun, and the kind of stickers kids use.

Sylvia

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