Thursday, May 1, 2008
Bead Blasting
Bead Blasting is a process by which abrasive grits are blasted on to the surface of a material using compressed air. The effect is to gouge away the surface where it is exposed. Stencils can be cut from self-adhesive vinyl to control where the grit will abrade the surface. Different types of grit can produce effects on different materials.
Stencils can be accurately produced using a CNC vinyl cutter and a 100mm mirror tile provides a suitable surface to receive an embossed design. The embossed tile can be used as a feature of several projects including: clocks, box lids and make-up mirrors.
Bead Blasting is a process by which abrasive grits are blasted on to the surface of a material using compressed air. The effect is to gouge away the surface where it is exposed. Stencils can be cut from self-adhesive vinyl to control where the grit will abrade the surface. Different types of grit can produce effects on different materials.
Stencils can be accurately produced using a CNC vinyl cutter and a 100mm mirror tile provides a suitable surface to receive an embossed design. The embossed tile can be used as a feature of several projects including: clocks, box lids and make-up mirrors.
The vinyl stencil is stuck on to the surface of the mirror and abrasive grit is air blasted on to it. Designs which are cut into the stencil are transferred in to the surface of the mirror. Good detail can be achieved but very complicated stencils are difficult to handle quickly.
