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.