The Making Money with CorelDRAW Roadshow...Decorative-Sandblasting
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In the general population sandblasting is often thought of as bead-blasting, i.e. parts cleaning, primarily automotive; or paint removal on structures, buildings, bridges, etc.
In the world of “Graphic Products” (where products are produced using some form of graphics as the starting point), sandblasting generally refers to decorating an item using sandblasting as the graphic-application process. Therefore, we use what we think is a less confusing, more appropriate term, “Decorative-Sandblasting”.
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Sand-Carving uses the same equipment and abrasive air stream as decorative-sandblasting. However the artwork and technique are different; therefore it’s a different process.
So…What is Decorative-Sandblasting?
Decorative-Sandblasting can be defined as the controlled disruption of a material’s surface which results in a visible pattern. Control is accomplished through artistic techniques using a stream of pressurized abrasive media along with resist materials in the form of masks or stencils. In this article, sandblasting refers to decoration where the image is formed by the presence and absence of disruption / frost / etch. In essence, images that are formed by silhouette artwork, i.e. black and white artwork.
What materials can be used in the Decorative-Sandblasting process?
Although, most often, glass and crystal are thought of first as materials appropriate for sandblasting, in reality almost any hard material is suitable. Materials that can be sandblasted include brick, crystal, ceramic, glass, marble, metals, rock, stone, and wood.
What products can you produce with sandblasting?
The products you can produce with sandblasting are as varied as the materials you can use. Over the years some of the sandblasted products we have produced were for…
- Special Occasion Gifts – this category has probably been the most active for us. To name just a few; we’ve produced gifts in glass and crystal including; wedding and anniversary flutes, wine bottles, oil lamps, glass picture frames for all occasions. Glass clock holders for anniversaries. Gifts in rock and stone from small to large, including a small bolder as a wedding gift with the couples name sandblasted into it for placement by the front door of their new home. We’ve sandblasted stainless steel flasks for groomsmen gifts, Christmas gifts, and other special occasions. We’ve also sandblasted ceramic mugs as birthday gifts for teachers—given by the school district they worked for.
- Thank-you Gifts—including specially decorated wine bottles, for a construction project that the owners thought was especially well done.
- Awards – this category is also very popular. Here we’ve used crystal and marble items for high end awards; glass picture frames and beverage mugs for coach’s gifts; and glass construction blocks as awards for the building industry.
- Advertising Specialties – in this category we’ve sandblasted crystal Movado clocks; glass and ceramic coffee mugs; beer mugs for micro-breweries; wine glasses and bottles for wineries and golf courses; and for many years we produced beer mugs and wine glasses for a local chamber of commerce to give away at their annual Christmas party.
- Architectural Elements—in this category we’ve sandblasted a number of rocks and boulders that were used in various building projects, as cornerstones etc.
- Fund Raisers – we’ve produced bricks the city sold to raise funds for street lighting. Various souvenir items for another chamber to use for fund raising. Crystal Christmas ornaments that were sold to raise funds for families of children afflicted with cancer.
- Signs – we’ve produced edge-lit signs in glass; signs in wood and composition materials; cornerstones for buildings; and a granite wall plaque commemorating graduating honor students for a local high school.
- Souvenirs – Sisters Oregon is a resort community. When we had our store there, we produced glass and ceramic souvenir products that were popular with visitors.
As you can see...Decorative-Sandblasting is a creative tool that we used which allowed us to produce a wide variety of products to meet our customer’s needs.
Conclusion
Sandblasted products have a high-perceived value. In fact, it’s been our experience that the perceived value of a sandblasted item is higher than the same or similar item produced using other decoration methods.
Pictured Below are Some Products Produced via Decorative-Sandblasting...
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Pictured below are some choices for the equipment required to get started in Decorative-Sandblasting...
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In addition to the equipment shown above...
You will also need a source of Compressed Air.
For a comprehensive discussion of air compressors, please see the complete report in...
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