How to Sandblast Tempered Glass

Use a craft knife to cut the stencil/resist to sandblast on tempered glass

Sandblast tempered glass using a stencil made from sticky back stencil sheets to make simple to very intricate designs. The stencil acts as a resist or cover for the glass. The resist prevents the sand from penetrating into the glass. Sand penetration is what creates the design on the glass surface. It is important to cover the entire surface of the glass with a resist to prevent marks from over-spray. Contact paper is an alternative to sticky back stencil sheets but is not as easy to work with.

Things You'll Need

• Tempered Glass
• Butcher paper
• Pencil
• Craft knife
• Quilter's cutting mat
• Ultra-fine marker
• Sticky-back stencil sheets
• Sand blaster
• Compressor
• Dust mask
• Safety glasses
• Water
• Soap
• Container
• Cloth

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Instructions

Stencil/Resist

1. Draw a design on a piece of butcher paper. Connect all intricate areas with small bars to the outside edge so the design will show. Small bars are not necessary but easier to work with. A good example of how a bar works is to look at letter stencils of a capital A, O, P, Q and small a, e, p and q.

2. Lay the butcher paper on the quilter's cutting mat. Use a craft knife and cut out the design area. Make sure not to cut off any bars. Watch for design sections that come off the main design when cutting such as the eyes. Tape the paper section back to the main design and re-cut with a bar.

3. Place the cut out paper design on the shiny surface of the sticky-back stencil sheet. Trace around the cut out area with an ultra-fine marker. Let the marker dry.

4. Place the sticky-back stencil sheet on the quilter's cutting mat. Use a craft knife and cut out the design.

5. Lay the sticky-back stencil on the surface of the glass in the desired location. Separate one corner of the paper on the back of the stencil. Pull the corner back one inch. Press the sticky-back stencil into place. Slowly pull the remainder of the paper off the back of the stencil. Press firmly on the stencil and stick it to the glass making sure to smooth out any wrinkles.

6. Cover the remainder of the glass with solid sheets of sticky-back stencil. Make sure there are no gaps between the seams.

Sandblasting

1. Lay the tempered glass on a solid flat surface with the cut stencil facing up. Put on a dust mask. Turn on the sandblaster.

2. Position the sandblaster nozzle perpendicular to the glass to prevent the sticky-back stencil from pealing off the glass. Start sandblasting.

3. Continue sandblasting until the desired etch has been achieved. This will depend on the size of the design and the depth of etching desired.

4. Turn off the sandblaster. Remove the etched glass from the sandblasting area.

5. Peal the sticky-back stencil from the glass surface. Wash the surface of the glass with hot soapy water to remove any left-over adhesive.

Tips & Warnings

• Always wear eye protection and a dust mask when sandblasting.

References

• Smartflix: Sandblast Glass Etching
• Glass Etching Secrets: Glass Etching - Your Guide to creating Art Glass
• Free Stencil Patterns: Cut a Stencil