Question: Glass engraving question

[maallyn]

Is it appropriate to post a rather lengthy question on glass engraving with a lathe here?

 

[SamW]

I see nothing wrong with that...it would certainly be a first...it is a subject I am not at all familiar with but wonder how one does that with a lathe.

 

[Mike Fennell]

I have a brother who is a glassblower who has also been known to engrave goblets and bevel glass for stained glass windows, in addition to making unusual glass that changes color as light is applied. I don't believe he has used a lathe on glass, but he has one and makes all his own tools and furnaces.

If he can't answer your questions, he probably knows someone who can. His website is http://hotshopsartcenter.com/crystal/.

 

[DakotaDocMartin]

I see nothing wrong with that...it would certainly be a first...it is a subject I am not at all familiar with but wonder how one does that with a lathe.

Not a metal or wood lathe but a type of lathe similar to a polishing lathe:

 

[dlilazteca]

indeed very interesting, but I would be wearing some protective equipment don't want glass in my lungs

Saludos,

Carlos

 

[Beathard]

That's how it's done at Waterford.

 

[Marrinan]

All I know is they use copper cutting wheels imbedded with cutting and poling compounds for the art. It simply amazes me how the artist create the patterns, Most of the air driven hand tools that many of us use nowadays are capable of chip carving glass. I can think of no one who uses a polishing lathe to cut and polish fine art glass. Welcome to the form, I hope some of use may be of some assistance in some small way. Welcome to the best engraving site on the net, Fred

 

[monk]

yes, you can ask away. probably not many of us have done this, though. i have done a very limited amount of "copper wheel on glass with a lathe. did much more glass with rotary diamond and sandblasting. my laser will do glass, but the results are quite a disappointment. my default tool of choice for this work would be sandblasting.
somebody mentioned breathing the dust; the copper wheel technique is done wet ( or at least that's how i did it), eliminating the hazard to yer lungs. i'm blessed with a wood lathe that has variable speed electronics on board allowing the use of tooling at such low speeds. it's fun, but i seldom fool with the technique anymore. i always wondered if the results justified the mess afterwards.
those of you that have a laser, DO NOT DO LEAD CRYSTAL WITH A LASER !! THE METAL ABSORBS HEAT FASTER THAN THE GLASS COMPONENT. the result is an uneven fracturing, even splintering, of the surface. a reall mess.

 

[Ron Spokovich]

Monk is correct, with the eye & lung protection. Heat should be with a drip application, as you run a risk of shattering your work just as well in sandblast application as with wheel cutting. I saw a guy, set up at a mall, do his excellent work with the lathe/wheel technique, doing flowers, stems, letters, and a whole lot more. Every line, done perfectly and met spot-on. The work was done slowly. He did limited coverage, obviously to get work done to sell. The women might be into the art, as they have, generally, more dexterity than does a man. Consequently, mostly women are employed in the Swiss watch industry as inspectors. Must be nerve wracking, as one slip ends the project. Seems beyond me to embark on this endeavor.

 

[Jan Hendrik]

I have to mention that the technique displayed in the above photos is called carving. More specifically gem carving techniques employed mostly by gem carvers in Idar Oberstein in Germany where the work is held by both hands. The tools used is just a spinning arbor with a chuck that can hold various shaped purposely made rotary bits made from copper, wood, leather and felt. In the first picture you can see the natural veils running through the quartz vase that the skilled artisan is carving. Definitely not glass. I must add here that Quatz is much harder than glass and that the use of this equipment on glass will let the glass grind away like butter! In the copper rotary bits diamond powder is impregnated in the surface and this is what does the grinding of the stone or glass carving. Water is used as a coolant and also to prevent clogging of the diamond particles by the stone or glass dust and has the added advantage of binding the dust that then mostly falls down into the collection tray at the bottom. Inhaling too much of the silica dust can lead to a very painful disease called silicosis which can prove to be fatal. This is why working wet is paramount to your health!

 

[Jan Hendrik]

Here are two examples of fantasy castle internal carvings I did in Quartz crystals.

 

[Gemsetterchris]

This is turning out to be an interesting topic

 

[Chujybear]

See guys in the sw carving ling like this. Bringing the object to the tool.
So what is the question?

 

[DakotaDocMartin]

In the first picture you can see the natural veils running through the quartz vase that the skilled artisan is carving. Definitely not glass.

I'd say it's glass if the website this comes from says it's glass: http://www.engravers-glass.com/Copperwheel.html

 

[Jan Hendrik]

I'd say it's glass if the website this comes from says it's glass: http://www.engravers-glass.com/Copperwheel.html

That may be true. My eyes may have deceived me as there are many reflections picked up by transparent objects. However the same tools are used on both glass and gemstone to achieve the results shown in the pictures. For more prime examples by world renowned gemstone carvers go to the following links:
http://www.dyber.net/home.htm
http://www.thomasrmcpheesculptor.net/Thomas_R._McPhee_Sculptor/Gemstone_Carving.html
http://www.americanmastersofstone.com/Biographies/Michael Christie & Susan Allen.htm
http://www.northamericangemcarvers.com/nagc/pages/SA_gal1.php
http://www.northamericangemcarvers.com/nagc/pages/MC_gal2.php
http://www.northamerihttp://www.northamericangemcarvers.com/nagc/pages/GR_gal2.php
http://www.northamericangemcarvers.com/nagc/pages/GR_gal2.php
http://www.northamericangemcarvers.com/nagc/pages/GR_gal3.php
If these links don't blow your mind, I don't know what will!

 

[monk]

some who do copper wheel work will do a pencil drawing and glue or adhere the drawing on the inside of the glass object. this simply serves as a "guide" to the person doing the work. i think there are suppliers who sell the needed goodies to do this work. when i did this, i simply made my own wheels out of different thicknesses of copper. i didn't use diamond powder, i used powdered silicon carbide. cant recall the grit size. doing this work,requires a relative low speed. the speed, if too fast, will start flinging the coolant/grit mix all over the place. you want a speed somewhat slower than that. excellent practice can be done on common pickle jars. one need not go to the poorhouse just getting in the practice.