Sandblasted Engraving Techniques

Professional engravers can engrave wood or glass by sandblasting it with a special tool – and a special technique that involves creating a stencil and using said stencil to protect the surface of the material you’re planning to use. The sand will eat away the wood not covered by the stencil. This makes the protected parts of the wood appear to be raised. Sandblast engraving creates a soft and natural look. Sandblasted engravings can be quite nice. Follow these tips to create your own sandblasting engraving project. If you’re interested in learning about the way some engravers perform their craft, read on for more information.

First you must select the professional engraver who will help you customize the design you want to engrave on your wood piece, glass ornament, mirror, etc.  You can find a professional easily by searching the internet. The process is then as follows:  the design is copied onto a clean sheet of paper. Then proceed to peel the backing off a sheet of shelving paper and press the sticky side onto the face of your surface. The engraver will start at one edge of the vinyl and work down your surface so there are almost no bubbles on the vinyl. An X-acto knife is used to pop any bubbles left on the surface.

Next, your engraver will lay a piece of carbon paper on top of the vinyl; making sure the carbon side is face down. Then the engraver lays your design on top of the carbon paper and begin to trace the design with a ball point pen to transfer the design with the carbon paper onto the vinyl on your chosen surface.

Once the design is traced, it will be clearly visible on the vinyl. The engraver can use an X-acto to cut away any pieces of the design that you want to be cut into the wood when sandblasting. Use the X-acto to lift the corners of the vinyl  to remove and peel those pieces away. This will create a stencil on the surface.

Now your craftsman is ready to sandblast the wooden stencil, making sure to concentrate on the exposed parts of the surface while constantly keeping the tip of the sandblaster moving, so that you do not start to eat away the vinyl stencil.

Sandblased Artistry

A beautiful art form to create one of a kind work that will be enjoyed for years to come is sandblast engraving.  Using high pressure sand blaster concentrated through small tools, this type of engraving can be intricate and graceful.  One of the nice things about sandblast engraving is the varied number of surfaces upon which the design can be carved. 

      On glass, the effect is a beautiful and elegant etched look with a soft, almost frosted creation. This is perfect for engraving designs onto glass vases, named and dates on wedding champagne glasses, or etching designs onto decorative glass windows, doors and mirrors.  On marble, a classy and professional look is produced, creating an official look for company logos and seals, name blocks and other modern looking items. For a rustic look, sandblast engraving can be applied to wood items to make fun signs and plaques.  Beautiful beveled work can be created on stone for paperweights, address markers and more. Sandblast engraving can be performed on ceramic to create custom formal or fun designs on mugs and other items.  The engraving can even be done on decorative ceramic eggs to create intricate and lacelike designs that are sure to draw attention to any room.

      For the truly creative craftsman, sandblast engraving can be performed freeform, using a system that looks very much like a pencil.  If the engraver is concerned about creating a good design, then there are many, varied sandblasting stencils to help create a smooth and professional finish. Either way, an engraver is sure to find the engraving tools and surfaces to design the perfect items, and they will enjoy the artistic work on the engrossing hobby.

      There are many different styles and brands of sandblast engraving tools out there, so depending on how much work one wants to put into the trade, they can choose a simple and small system or a large, high priced and high quality tool.

      For those looking to purchase sandblast engraved items, plenty of stores offer pre engraved items for purchase, and many offer custom engraving.  Work can be done to include custom lettering, logos, designs and even photographs translated to a sandblasted engraving. There is no limit to the beautiful designs and styles of items available sandblast engraved.  If one can think of something they would like, they will have no problem either finding it or having it created.