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No, we usually sandblast them on the silvered side.
-------------------- Jane Diaz Diaz Sign Art 628 W. Lincoln Ave. Pontiac, Il. 61764 815-844-7024 www.diazsignart.com Posts: 4102 | From: Pontiac, IL USA | Registered: Feb 1999
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Try it on a scrap and check out the effects. The thickness of the glass in front of the mirroring causes a shadow or offset effect which if worked with can be very cool. You could test the effect by using a wax crayon or grease pencil on the front of the mirror or placing a glass etched image in front to get an idea of what to expect. The effect of the reflected image will increase the amount of shading. Sounds like you are having fun. I buy mirrors when I find them on sale. Often they have beveled glass in them and have ornate frames. It's also fun to sandblast out areas on the back and paint them. It makes a quick and easy project.
-------------------- “Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?” -Winnie the Pooh & A.A. Milne
Kelly Thorson Kel-T-Grafix 801 Main St. Holdfast, SK S0G 2H0 ktg@sasktel.net Posts: 5496 | From: Penzance, Saskatchewan | Registered: May 2002
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If you mean one of those little "air erasers", I've found them to be pretty wimpy. I've used aluminum oxide in mine but it takes forever to see anything removed. Would be great to use on airbrushing illustration board though!
-------------------- Ricky Jackson Signs Now 614 Russell Parkway Warner Robins, GA (478) 923-7722 signpimp50@hotmail.com
"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." Sir Issac Newton Posts: 3528 | From: Warner Robins, GA | Registered: Oct 2004
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No, but I might want one of them; the price is certainly right! Especially after seeing your buck, I want one. Mainly, I do glass with vinyl because it's so fast and mess-free. But I also use my Dremel tool and it's just like drawing it's so easy and FAST! You'll have to be confident of your moves because how could you erase anything? Also, I've seen where people have used little carbide tipped engravers on auto glass and it looked good; I have one of those and will soon be practicing up some samples, maybe even my own van windows, but it's like tattoos, no going back.
I Dremel-etched a nature scene last summer on a mirror. The double-image can be very interesting, especially grass and reeds, clouds and water...they each have their own considerations. I even used sandpaper to "soften" the look of the clouds and water. Lettering legibility has to be thought through carefully and seems to be the least forgiving aspect, at least to me.
-------------------- Frank Smith Frank Smith Signs Albany, NY www.franksmithsigns.com Posts: 807 | From: Albany, NY USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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Wow, you have ALL been very helpful! I will have to try this out. You are right, kelly, I run into mirrors at yard sales & stuff.
Ricky, the more you unscrew the top of the air eraser, the more alum. oxide flows out, & it will blast good. I haven't tried the pumus I bought extra for it.
Frank, it was so easy to do! I used vinyl mask to do it, & when it got clogged, I tapped it & even took the tip apart, but it worked good after that. I would like to see pics of your dremel carving, I have one too, but don't use it much.
We have a sandblaster we use too, Jane, but my husband runs that "monster"! This one I feel much more comfortable with.
Kelly, how do you paint the backs of the mirrors?
-------------------- The Word in Signs Bobbie Rochow Jamestown, PA 16134
724-927-6471
thewordinsigns@alltel.net Posts: 3485 | From: Jamestown, PA 16134 | Registered: Oct 2002
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I'm not sure what you are asking Bobbie. You paint them the same as you would reverse glass work. Mask off the back of the mirror using your design and weed out the areas you want to have painted (everything else will remain silver). Blast just enough to remove all the silver and backup from the mirror and paint the areas with 1-shot (or whatever paint you prefer). The paint will eliminate the blasted look from the glass, it just looks like regular glass.
-------------------- “Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?” -Winnie the Pooh & A.A. Milne
Kelly Thorson Kel-T-Grafix 801 Main St. Holdfast, SK S0G 2H0 ktg@sasktel.net Posts: 5496 | From: Penzance, Saskatchewan | Registered: May 2002
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YES! I have done his with great results on the mirrored side. it does leave a double image but not too bad. the paasche worked great. i cut some vinyl masking and blasted it
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Kelly, that sounds really interesting. I have never seen a picture of a mirror reverse painted, that I can think of. Do you have a picture you can post? I would love to see it.
Thank you Bruce for the encouragement. I have to try this!
-------------------- The Word in Signs Bobbie Rochow Jamestown, PA 16134
724-927-6471
thewordinsigns@alltel.net Posts: 3485 | From: Jamestown, PA 16134 | Registered: Oct 2002
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This was a purchased mirror that I sandblased areas off. In this particular one I left the sandblasted area just frosted and mounted it with a light grey backing, but I could have painted it if I had wanted more contrast or colour. The copper area was glue chipped and painted. Normally if you painted the glue chip it would mostly obscure it so I sized it and flash gilded mica powders on the chipping before painting. That mica powder plays off the light so the chipping shows up. It is no different than painting blasted glass - that is what it is once you blast the mirroring off. Blast a piece of glass and then paint over the blasting and you will see how the paint covers up the blasting.
[ August 13, 2008, 01:12 PM: Message edited by: Kelly Thorson ]
-------------------- “Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?” -Winnie the Pooh & A.A. Milne
Kelly Thorson Kel-T-Grafix 801 Main St. Holdfast, SK S0G 2H0 ktg@sasktel.net Posts: 5496 | From: Penzance, Saskatchewan | Registered: May 2002
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Beautiful, Kelly! We USUALLY blast from the back so you don't get the reflective double image. But sometimes that can be a design element and it makes for some interesting depth in your design. Sometimes it make it hard to read if it is lettering though.
Here's an idea. One of our friends owns a glass company. He has scrap glass and mirror all the time. Just like us, he has to buy large pieces and cut them up to fit his needs. Ask you local glass guy if he has any scrap he would sell you to use as samples. If you do, ask him to finish the edges though, so they aren't sharp and cut your hands. It doesn't really matter what size or shape thy are if you are just making presents or samples. OR better yet, work out a deal to do a glass or mirror sign for HIS showroom in return for some glass. He get's a nice piece, you get free glass and ALSO a panel in his business that he can point to and say "Yes, I have a friend that can do one like that for you." It has worked for us!!
-------------------- Jane Diaz Diaz Sign Art 628 W. Lincoln Ave. Pontiac, Il. 61764 815-844-7024 www.diazsignart.com Posts: 4102 | From: Pontiac, IL USA | Registered: Feb 1999
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Wow, that's really beautiful work... Once again I'm inspired - but totally lost. How does one start doing this??? Are there any books out there? Looks like fun
-------------------- Karen Stanley Signs & Wonders Amherst, VA Posts: 136 | From: Amherst, VA | Registered: Jan 2007
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Your local discount stores also have inexpensive mirrors you can buy for practice. I bought a 4ft long door mirror for somewhere in the $5-$10 range for experimenting.
-------------------- "If I share all my wisdom I won't have any left for myself."
Mike Pipes stickerpimp.com Lake Havasu, AZ mike@stickerpimp.com Posts: 8746 | From: Lake Havasu, AZ USA | Registered: Jun 2000
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Thank you Kelly for posting that! How beautiful!!!! I have never painted blasted glass before. Kelly, are you using a glass etcher or a sandblaster?
Karen, I bought a glass etcher from Paasche, a kit for around $80-100. I hook it up to my small compressor to run it.
All you have to do it measure your glass, create a design, cut it out of paint mask (I use Avery vinyl paint mask) in revers, stick it on the glass, then ecth it, or even sandblast it.
I think you would want to sandblast it with something finer than sand, right? We sandblast the glass for chipping.
Jane, that is an AWESOME idea! Wish I could dump everything I do to just stripe & do glass work more.
Anyone else have pics to post?
-------------------- The Word in Signs Bobbie Rochow Jamestown, PA 16134
724-927-6471
thewordinsigns@alltel.net Posts: 3485 | From: Jamestown, PA 16134 | Registered: Oct 2002
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Thanks. Aaron I usually just use any intermediate vinyl. The paint mask does remove easier, but I have lost fine details when the mask blew off. For deeper etching I use sandblast mask. I can't say I really have a favourite. I'm excited about the possibilities of photo resist. Not so much for half tone photos and such, but as a means to blast fine details into glass. I also want to do some experimenting with using glues, gums and paints as resist.
You have to use a sandblaster to remove the mirroring Bobbie, an etcher wouldn't be abrasive enough. You can buy a small gravity feed one for next to nothing that works OK on glass. Some of them include the reservoir for the sand and some of them just have a hose you bury in a bucket of sand. For just removing the backing on mirrors or prepping for chipping they work just fine.
-------------------- “Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?” -Winnie the Pooh & A.A. Milne
Kelly Thorson Kel-T-Grafix 801 Main St. Holdfast, SK S0G 2H0 ktg@sasktel.net Posts: 5496 | From: Penzance, Saskatchewan | Registered: May 2002
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Using an air eraser or using a sandblaster? I think it all depends on how big of work you'd want to do and also what kind of work. The air eraser is great for vehicle glass, that is if you have vehicle work and small pieces like glasses and mirrors where blends are needed.
The sandblaster is great for big pieces such as homes, yachts and all around sign pieces as well as glass carvings.
It all depends on where you want to go in life
-------------------- HotLines Joey Madden - pinstriping since 1952 'Perfection, its what I look for and what I live for'
quote:Originally posted by Kelly Thorson: You have to use a sandblaster to remove the mirroring Bobbie, an etcher wouldn't be abrasive enough.
The air eraser works great for removing the silvering.
Like Joey mentioned, it depends how large of an area you wanted to do. A finely detailed design, the eraser works great but if you have a larger expanse to blast, a larger sandblaster certainly would cut your time down.
-------------------- "If I share all my wisdom I won't have any left for myself."
Mike Pipes stickerpimp.com Lake Havasu, AZ mike@stickerpimp.com Posts: 8746 | From: Lake Havasu, AZ USA | Registered: Jun 2000
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Thnaks Mike, Bobbie I stand corrected. I have a cheapo Princess Auto etcher here that doesn't seem to have much oomph, it might do the job but it would take forever. I recently bought a paasche, but I've been too busy and it hasn't made it out of the box yet. I'm betting that it might today.
-------------------- “Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?” -Winnie the Pooh & A.A. Milne
Kelly Thorson Kel-T-Grafix 801 Main St. Holdfast, SK S0G 2H0 ktg@sasktel.net Posts: 5496 | From: Penzance, Saskatchewan | Registered: May 2002
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