Re: Milling Glass

kleinbauer@...
Subject: Re: Milling Glass

Hi Jeff,
I was looking to texture the glass and put peoples
pictures on the glass. I see people are doing this with
rock and glass using diamond bits. I found this to be too
slow and costly.
I pictured a booth where the glass sits. The spray gun
is moved by X Y units outside the booth just like a
sandblaster. Have you ever seen a sand blaster? You stay
outside while you hands go inside VIA rubber gloves. Just
like a dot matrix printer the gun goes back and forth.


John

[There are people who sell micro-sandblasters; jewelers use them and you
can find some in the larger jeweler's supply catalogues, like
<www.riogrande.com>. But unless you're working on a pretty large scale, I
think the "dot size" will be too big even so. Another problem is the
abrasive grit all over your machine. A photo-based system would be easier,
cheaper, and would get photographic-type details better too. Check out
<www.photobrasive.com> for equipment and supplies. Their system produces a
sticky stencil on a peel-away backing that you apply to your glass, which
will resist the abrasive (usually silicon carbide grit, not glass beads.)

As for hydroflouric acid, people experienced in handling hazardous
chemicals tend to turn white, make the sign of the cross, and start slowly
backing away when this stuff is mentioned. Lots of chemicals eat your skin,
but HF just snacks on it while going for your bones, which are what it
really likes...]



Andrew Werby - United Artworks
Sculpture, Jewelry, and Other Art Stuff
http://unitedartworks.com