Sandcarved Signs

Sandblast signs are usually made out of wood, either redwood or cedar; they can be made of stone, glass, foam plastic, or virtually any substance.

Right: This image was cut into plate glass, in some places quite deeply, with an ordinary sandblaster.

The image is cut into a thick, soft self-adhesive rubber sheet, usually with the same sort of plotter used to cut vinyl. In most cases, the image area is weeded out, and the surrounding areas left covered. It is possible, however, to remove the surrounding mask and have the image area left in partial relief.

When the sandblaster—basically an airgun spraying sand—is aimed at the substrate, material is removed from the image area (or from the non-image area, if relief is the desired result). The mask absorbs the force of the sand and keeps it from removing any material. Depending on the material used, the shape and depth of any grain showing after the sand-blaster is finished can vary from smooth and shallow (as with glass) to deep and very prominent (as with redwood).

When the desired depth is reached, the mask is removed and different areas may be painted for effect. For some special effects, such as fountain coloring of letters, the mask may be left on while the image is spray-painted or airbrushed.