About Glass Carving

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By Civita Dyer
eHow Contributing Writer

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Glass carving is an art form that has been around for many years. It is unclear who invented glass carving, but some of the earliest pieces of carved glass have been dated to the 1500s and 1600s. Glass carving uses the technique of blasting sand or other abrasive materials against a glassy surface to produce an image. There are several kinds of glass carving: surface etching, glass carving and glass shading. These different looks of glass are all made in the same way, and are all considered a form of glass carving.

History

While glass carving can be dated as far back as possibly the 1500s, it is unclear whether this is indeed when the craft originated. The first glass carvings were made by blasting sand at a finished piece of glass through a high-pressured blowing machine. Modern glass carving is usually not done with sand, but rather with other abrasive materials such as carbide shot through a blaster attached to an air compressor. Glass carving takes special skills, and is greatly admired by many people.

Function

The idea behind glass carving is to be able to create a three-dimensional image, right on a glass surface, using only the same piece of glass. This is done through the blasting of abrasive materials onto the glass surface in a pattern. The abrasive materials cause the glass to get tiny nicks in the surface, which causes the surface to look white. Blasting and etching on different levels creates the 3-D look of glass carving.

Effects

There are three main types of glass carving. Surface etching is a form of glass stenciling. The abrasive materials are blasted onto the glass at the same level, causing a white image to appear. Glass cutting is where the abrasive material is applied on different levels of the glass, causing a 3-D look. Glass shading is a mixture between the first two types of glass carving, and uses a technique that allows the glass to appear gray rather than white all the time. This causes a shaded appearance that is visually appealing.

Considerations

Someone interested in taking up glass carving as a hobby should be aware of the equipment necessary to begin. It is generally necessary to have at least one air compressor and a blaster. Usually these items are somewhat on the expensive side. It is also necessary to have a blasting cabinet, to keep the blasted materials contained. Some people even have whole blasting rooms. It is also necessary to keep glass on hand, as well as carbide, the best abrasive material to use for glass carving.

Benefits

Almost everyone can appreciate the beauty of carved glass. The most common places to see carved glass are in gift shops, fancy windows and on glasses and glass dishes. Because few people are involved with glass carving, it could easily be turned into a profitable business. It is also enjoyable to see a beautiful piece of art carved onto an otherwise ordinary piece of glass.