stage blasting of a kudu glass table top

[Pat Welter]

This is a 2 ft x 4 ft x 3/8 inch thick glass table top. Stage blasted in eleven stages to give it the detail. The initial blast was done with aluminum oxide at 40 lbs pressure with a 3/32 inch nozzle hole. The surface blast of the logo was done at 5 pounds pressure and a 3/8 inch nozzle hole.

kudu3.jpg (48.14 KiB) Viewed 6531 times

Pump head that drives the rotors( that bring the oil to the surface) that look much like a kudu horns

kudu4.jpg (40.16 KiB) Viewed 6525 times

Lighting the 3/8 inch glass from the edge really pops the dimension

kudu6.jpg (27.54 KiB) Viewed 6525 times

The company logo is lightly blasted on the face side to make it appear as though it is floating over the background

[Pat Welter]

Here are a couple more. We used anchor rubber for the stage blasting and we used hartco glass masking for the fron blast. This is my first stage blast. We drew it all out and numbered the stages and then transfered those numbers to the rubber mask. Blasting the glass took approx. 7 hours.

kudu7.jpg (23.07 KiB) Viewed 6527 times

This is what the entire glass looks like. It has a 3 inch wide blasted border to help hide the table legs.

kudu.jpg (28.14 KiB) Viewed 6527 times

This is the kudu without any edge lighting.

[Danny Baronian]

Hi Pat, nice work.

What did the client say when you delivered it?

Danny

[Mike Jackson]

Kudos to Pat!

[Pat Welter]

Hi Danny, Hope all's well and your keep'n busy...The client was extremely happy...I estimated my time in a bit low, but not having done a stage blast like this before it was a bit of a guessing game. Will know better for the next one... Thanks Guys.

PS: Say hi to Kathy for us.

[DAVE SMITH]

Lots of work Pat ,nice job..
Dave

[Kelly Thorson]

It turned out pretty darn good for the first sand carving job. You'd be wicked with the right equipment, having used silicon carbide and experiencing the "flashlight effect" which shows you exactly where you are blasting, as well as the enhanced speed of cutting, I'm thinking it would have cut your hours to considerably less than half!
Get yourself down here one of these days and we'll play chipping, mirroring and angel gilding and all those glassy eyed things. I could use a good case of Welters for a weekend.

[Doug Bernhardt]

Hi Pat,
Although I know little of multi-stage sandblasting I do have an understanding of what it takes to do it well. I'd say this fits in that category! I do recall seeing photos or some Rawson and Evans work that included portraits in the blast. Gosh........ that must have taken some working out.

[Pat Welter]

Funny Mike, thanks all. Doug you are right about the having to work it out, nice to see it come together as in your minds eye...IF you have those pics from Rawson and Evans, and can post, it'd be cool to see. Thanks, Pat

[Doug Bernhardt]

Pat....that photo is in their catalogue and there are quite a few photocopies (like mine) of it about. Mine is at the shop where of course there is no technology. If someone else can't find it closer to a 'pooter I'll work something out.