Chandeliers and lamps made of sanded or frosted glass

Published: Jan 8, 2018

The process of sandblasting and glass milling

Sandblasting is a relatively popular refinement technique for working on glass surfaces.
This mechanical process is carried out by means of a pneumatic device, whereby the main components are: a sand blasting tank (sand or corundum of a certain particle size), compressed air supply and nozzle gun. The whole process takes place in the vacuum chamber to prevent leakage of fine particles from sandblasting to protect the operator from lung damage. The sandblasted glass surface is coarse and frosted, so hydrofluoric acid (HF), as the only one that can etch the glass, is used to increase the gloss and remove the deepening.

The roughness of a sandblasted surface is significantly higher compared to etching.
The sandblasted surface isn’t glossy, but it shines beautifully with light.
Glass splatter can be supported by diamond grinding.

Etched glass is the result of a chemical process called etching with the above-mentioned hydrofluoric acid. This technique of applying a slurry of hydrofluoric acid salts can produce a variety of markings or decorations on the glass surface. By gradually covering the surfaces and repeated etching, different etch strengths are achievable or some etched surfaces can be polished with a polishing disc or acid and therefore gain interesting transitions from clear to frosted glass.
PHOTOS 1 - Samples of sandblasted glass and metal combination: