how did you do that?!

i keep getting asked...how did you do that? in regards to my last post, so here it is.

to make these images, you need a special (expensive) kit called the Rayzist kit. it is a light exposure unit, that uses a special material that when exposed to UV light hardens to create a sandblasting stencil. similar to the silk screen process. this kit if often used in the engraving and trophy industry.



i got it about 2months ago and since then i have been ironing out how to make it work well for me. i have had to buy a new printer to go with this as well, and that is currently on order, so i am not in full production mode yet. and i am getting close to working out all the kinks.



this special blue plasticky paper is the key, when exposed to UV light it hardens, and then when you wash it out with a pressure hose the unexposed areas wash away leaving you with your image. this means that i can only make my stencils after the sun has set, so i will have a few late nights ahead of me in summer.

this blue stencil needs to dry for 24 hours before you apply it to the glass. it has special self adhesive properties so it wants to stick to the glass. it is similar to putting on a large sticker, you need to be careful not to trap bubbles, and get it on straight.

then you use your trusty sandblaster (the blue pony studio i am in has one) to blast the stencil. the areas that are dark blue will remain shiny and the areas that are lighter will be etched with the sand.

the glass tiles i have made have a top layer of green and behind this is a layer of white glass. i am etching through the green layer in some areas revealing the white glass, creating my high contrast image. all that is left if to wash off the blue resist, and you get the finished product.

these two tiles are just tests, to see if the image is right. i have made a few adjustments and will do another test this weekend, and then hopefully i can start just making stencils and then sandblasting all 36 tiles that will make up this final piece.