Matching this sample

[DAVE SMITH]

I have a sample to make for a glass company in Singapore. What are your thoughts here on how they made the scratches?
It looks random scratch lines. I was thinking of making a cut out diamond shape like you see in the pic and then attaching something that would swivel simalar to the tool used for cutting out circles in glass.Position this at the point of the centre then make individual scratch lines. something like that..........

Looking for sime suggestions please guy's.....
Dave

[Danny Baronian]

Just a wild thought Dave,

is it possible this was done using a low powered water jet? The lines aren't just scratched in from what I see, but deep lines, OR slumped glass pressed with a die.

I can't imagine a machine being able to produce that pattern with such well delineated lines. Do any of the sections contain a repeating pattern, and how deep are the lines?

If your trying to duplicate this, it's cheaper to have in done in China!

[Roderick Treece]

Dave,
Are the scratches in front of what looks like silver leaf?Could the lines be acid etched first?

Roderick

[DAVE SMITH]

I don't think they are slumped in anyway Danny,I would imagine this panel was made in China .I have worked for this company before and they just want me to make a sample copy.
There does not appear to be any repitition with the design on each panel. There is no acid etching Rod I think the lines are just scratched I just need to work out some way of copying them.
Thanks for the input guys.
Dave

[Patrick Mackle]

I'm seeing a "fan" pattern of lines, but I can't detect their depth or quality in the photos.
Also there appears a "flagstone" type pattern that seems to have a leafed or mother of pearl quality.
It would surely be easier to reverse engineer from an actual sample. What is the size of the sample in the photos?

Just from looking at the photos and from what I know about glass and production economics I would guess as follows.
The design was imparted during production with decorative rollers.
The design was lasered in. But this would be time consuming. Possibly lasered in and then acid rotted to open up and polish out the laser fractures. Even more time consuming!
The design may have been imparted into standard clear plate glass by a glass decorating firm using a kiln and some widely practiced refractory board techniques, or possibly we are looking at someone's latest technique using a chemically etched or laser textured high temperature kiln substrate.
Most likely it is something very basic and economical but I find it hard to tell from those small byte photos.
I always find it very curious when somebody contacts me with an actual physical sample and wants me to duplicate it. Why wouldn't they just buy whats already being made?
Pat

[DAVE SMITH]

Pat.
Thanks for the imput here. I spoke with the lady at the factory in Singapore and she seems to think its just scratches, there is no acid work involved.
I will make a sample and send it over to them.
Thanks mate
Dave

[Patrick Mackle]

Dave,
In that case, I would make a simple glass frame out of 1/8" X 2" window glass strips, butt glued together with UV glue. The strips would be glued together with an opening the same size as the area to be scratched on the sample. Then I would attach another strip of glass at one corner of the glass at the point where the scratches all radiate from. This strip of glass would be mounted so that it would swing with one guiding edge matching the lines to be scratched. ie: one end would pivot, the other end would be positioned and held momentarily while that line is scratched. Add some rubber padding under the glass frame so that it won't slip around. Then I would go online and buy a diamond pointed pen tool or "phono-point" diamond. The diamond pointed pen looks like a regular ink pen, but has a diamond point instead.
Here I make various sized frames made of glass in my shop to be used as masking fixtures when doing production sand etching. Really cuts down on wasted masking tape, not to mention the time to put it on and take it off.
The glass is cheap and best of all transparent, so as in your job, you can easily match up the squares that you are going to scratch. You could also add incremental marks on the frame to rapidly guide you in positioning the scratches.
Pat