Signs And Stones

killzoneq2

Has anyone ever blasted signs and stone? A local sign company uses some sort of foam and blasts around letter stenciles to make the letters raised. Just curious at to what kind of stencile they use. They do this on rocks also.

plazaman

check with media man, he had an article on it.

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Westchester Remodeling Contractor
Hartsdale Remodeling Contractor
Ardsley Remodeling Contractor

texblast

new to this site......what is media man??

plazaman

Welcome! Mediaman is a member on this site.

30 years in the business? Wow, could you tell us a bit more about your operation?

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Westchester Remodeling Contractor
Hartsdale Remodeling Contractor
Ardsley Remodeling Contractor

ibsocal

I did it for a few months way back in 19 and 82 in long island.we used a thin rubber sheet glued onto the stones (tomb) we could do some 2d shapes on flowers and leaves along with the basic name carving.blasting etching and carving has come a long way since then.now dayz you can etch any picture or design only limited to your creativity.they use plotters and ink jet printers and computers for design and lay out and cutting the stencils.exposure systems with photo resist film.i am gathering some tools a small system my self to start doing this for fun and profit on the side.

killzoneq2

I sent Mediaman a PM but no reply yet. Where do you get the rubber sheet to glue on? Did you cut out your stencils by hand or what? Anyone got that article Mediaman wrote?

ibsocal

simple stencil trace and hand cut.plotters come with blades so it does the cutting for you,just feed the stencil roll to it and you program it with your computer.rayzist.com is up the street from me in san diego county,odlingsmcr.co.uk is another site with great 411.

MEDIA MAN

Kill,
Sent you an email to the address you listed in the PM. Sorry it took so long I did not see the message until tonight.

MEDIA MAN

Killzone,
Sent you the email awhile ago and a follow up. I haven't heard back, did you ever get it?

killzoneq2

Got it thank you. I have been in South Carolina on an ATV trip.

blastserv

as far as blasting the foam signs...i had a family friend that does this for his occupation bring over one of his current jobs(a raised letter sign)and wanted me to try it out.well lets just say my set up is not made for doing signs.i had a pillow look to the foam and was very uneven and there is definatley teqnique.what i want to know is...

what are the pressures.low or high?
what does the nozzle look like for this type of work?it has to be a flat fan?
what is the charge per square foot/square inch?

dont try it on someones art work that you dont know...they will be mad if you mess it up.my friend wanted even to pay me when i was done.i told him if anyone was paying someone it would have me owing him.

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www.blastserv.com

Sandblastdude

I know there is a green and a tan mastic material used on signs and rocks that allow engravings and artwork to be blasted without chewing up the rest.

According to many, many sign companies, I believe it is the green that is preferred and I am fairly certain that is "Hartco" masking material.

I believe companies usually cut the mastic with a plotter/cutter than spray on this glue-stuff and position it on the rock to be blasted.

Most sign companies will sell this masking material and stock it. You tell them what you want and dimensions & they will cut it for you.

Is it alright to post web sites...???
(I have two sites that would be a great help to you or anybody looking to engrave stones.)

blastserv

yes you are allowed to post links after i think after 15 posts ...

i really think there is a nozzle that is needed.

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www.blastserv.com

ibsocal

What do u mean by foam,any pictures.
the nozzels are the same only smaller from 3/32-1/4" inside diameter and u must adjust air pressure and sand/ grit /size WAY down mostly down or up depending on substrate.there is a teqnique to it but it's different for a lot of people so keep practicing until u find what works for u.me i blast in small tight circles for carving and pull way back for frosting adjusting air and sand as required for this type of job.there are many different types of stencil materials used and depends on the substrate and effect u are trying to acheive.there that price ? again and my answer is what ever works for U.

TRM

Hi Media Man, I would love a link to that article. I just sent you a PM. Thanks!!

ratherberacin

i do monument blasting. my brothers girlfriend owns a monument business. she lays them out and use my set up to blast. the material your looking for its called blast mat. we use garnet for blasting. not all monument material is the same though, some man made and some natural.

TRM

Hi Ratherberacin, I am mainly interested in doing natural stone, for businesses, homes, resorts etc, as well, considering doing wood business signs. I would likely practice on a few and see the time involved before trying to market it. Thanks for the info on "Blast Mat" and the garnet!

mikeswoods

There is a monument blaster in my area that makes nice side money blasting names on river rocks---

He has a booth at the local flee market and sells a lot---I bought two and will be looking for "Tiger' and 'Cody' next time to mark a couple of pet graves.

Just a thought --I enjoy reading the blasting posts----Mike----

detailhawk

I used to do sandblasted wood signs. Cedar and redwood work well because of the high difference between the hard and soft grains... the soft blast away and the hard remain raised. I used simple contact paper you can get abut anywhere for lining drawers. I hand cut my stencils and blasted with silica sand.