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Bob Kline
02-09-2006, 2:52 PM
I haven't even learned to use my new Epilog 25W and I'm already interested in learning about sand blasting. I want to put photos (I use PhotoGrav)on glass and my early efforts have been disappointing. I read somewhere in this forum that masks can be made on the laser and then sand blasted onto glass with better photo results. Is this true. What materials and hardware will I need to be able to do this? Northern Tool has a variety of sandblasters. (See URL below) Will any or all of these work? Finally, is it a time consuming operation to make a mask and then sand blast? This forum has been a Godsend and i thank you in advance for your advice.
Bob Kline


http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CatDsp?storeId=6970&N=109

Bruce Volden
02-09-2006, 5:47 PM
Bob


Your results with engraving on glass were disappointing in what way? I ask this because I've had good results on "some" glass / mirrors. The cheaper the glass the better the results! My photos are converted to greyscale and will usually turn out quite acceptable (medium is the difference~cheap glass). I'm not familiar with sand blasting enough to be certain but I would tend to believe the laser is better suited for "photos" on glass?? Masking and sandblasting seems to me, would attenuate the detail. Now certainly sandblasting will give a more uniform frosted look as well as a deeper etch but then off the top of my head you would be dealing with 1 bit / black and white engraving. Any one else out there that could help us out??


Bruce

Lee DeRaud
02-09-2006, 6:22 PM
Northern Tool has a variety of sandblasters. (See URL below) Will any or all of these work?Most of them look a bit, um, industrial, just the thing for stripping paint from a car chassis.:eek:

The tabletop booth plus the Badger psuedo-airbrush gun looks more like the right scale. Booth + gun + compressor...maybe $300 to get started?

Bob Kline
02-09-2006, 7:08 PM
I mean that they don't look as crisp and clear as the same pic on maple for example. Bear in mind that I'm still learning to use every part of this process and the problem could well be me!!!

Rodne Gold
02-09-2006, 10:48 PM
Using a laser to do pics via a mask is problematic in that you have to use very gross halftone patterns - IE you need a hole big enough in the mask for grit to go thru and you need a web between holes so that one hole doesnt blend into another. You will not get fine detial at all and the pics will only look good if viewed from a distance and are relatively large. the will look like grainy newspaper prints.
A bit of practice on your laser along with some of the glass engraving strategies mentioned here and on other boards and on the laser mnfgrs sites will give good results without the blasting. We do do blasting using lasered masks , but its more for solid type graphics , works very well.
There is another application where masks and a blaster enable you to etch metals , and thats to use a polyester vinyl mask on the metal , laser engrave it and then send it to the blaster which removes all the glue residues and takes the engraved areas down to bare metal , immerse in ferric chloride and the ferric etches into the metal.