Deep Sandblast Glass & Stone Carving Prepress Guide

1. The Multi-Stage Peel Stencil Method

In 3D carved glass, depth is created by blasting deeper into certain regions while shielding others. A single plotted resist stencil is applied to the glass, and segments are sequentially peeled away during blasting:

• Stage 1 (Deepest Background / Negative Space): Peeled first. Blasted at 60 PSI with 100-mesh aluminum oxide until the full design depth (3–6 mm) is achieved.
• Stage 2 (Middle Anatomy & Bevels): Peeled second. The blast gun is held at a 45° angle to carve smooth spherical transitions down into the Stage 1 floor.
• Stage 3 (Highlights & Delicate Surface Shading): Peeled last. Given a fast, low-pressure dusting (25 PSI) for luminous optical refraction.

2. Minimum Island Bridge Width (Wmin)

Because high-velocity abrasive particles strike with high kinetic energy, the blast jet rebounds upward and erodes the adhesive underside of narrow stencil lines. To prevent catastrophic mask delamination:

3. Mask Thickness vs. Carving Depth

• 6 mil Vinyl: Shallow surface frosting and lettering (< 1.0 mm depth).
• 15 mil PVC: Medium relief and glass border etching (1.0–2.5 mm depth).
• 25–45 mil Sandblast Rubber: Deep 3D glass carving, monument V-sunk lettering, and granite rock-pitch borders (3.0–15.0 mm depth).