Yesterday and today was spent trying to sandblast the glass for the upper cabinet doors. This did not occur without the usual drama. First, the HVAC foil tape, that I used to mask the pantry door just proved too frustrating to use. It does work well, but it is a bear to work with. It is very sticky and difficult to remove after cutting the pattern. You have to pick it off, little at a time and it, sometimes, leaves a residue that is hard to remove. So, I thought I'd try self stick shelf paper. No good. It is not thick enough and the sandblaster blows it away. I then tried regular blue painters tape. It worked OK, but, it too, is too thin and will also blow away if you're not very careful. I spoiled one pane of glass and managed to do one that came out nice. Pretty poor success ratio. Duct tape is too gummy and doesn't leave a sharp edge. I also tried Gorilla Tape. A bit better, but still not good enough. I finally went to the local sign shop and got some adhesive backed vinyl sheet. This proved to be the hot setup. It adheres to the glass, but peels right off. It cuts easily, it takes pencil marks well so it's easy to follow the layouts with the hobby knife and it didn't cost an arm and a leg. I did manage to, clumsily, drop one pane and break it after masking and blasting it. Harsh language was heard, emanating from the shop. So far, I've ruined three pieces off glass. I believe I have a system now and should have the rest done by tomorrow. Well, tomorrow is today and all of the doors are installed. It really makes a difference in the looks of the kitchen. It now has one, unified look, rather than seeing all of our Melmac and cheap plastic water tumblers
Yesterday and today was spent trying to sandblast the glass for the upper cabinet doors. This did not occur without the usual drama. First, the HVAC foil tape, that I used to mask the pantry door just proved too frustrating to use. It does work well, but it is a bear to work with. It is very sticky and difficult to remove after cutting the pattern. You have to pick it off, little at a time and it, sometimes, leaves a residue that is hard to remove. So, I thought I'd try self stick shelf paper. No good. It is not thick enough and the sandblaster blows it away. I then tried regular blue painters tape. It worked OK, but, it too, is too thin and will also blow away if you're not very careful. I spoiled one pane of glass and managed to do one that came out nice. Pretty poor success ratio. Duct tape is too gummy and doesn't leave a sharp edge. I also tried Gorilla Tape. A bit better, but still not good enough. I finally went to the local sign shop and got some adhesive backed vinyl sheet. This proved to be the hot setup. It adheres to the glass, but peels right off. It cuts easily, it takes pencil marks well so it's easy to follow the layouts with the hobby knife and it didn't cost an arm and a leg. I did manage to, clumsily, drop one pane and break it after masking and blasting it. Harsh language was heard, emanating from the shop. So far, I've ruined three pieces off glass. I believe I have a system now and should have the rest done by tomorrow. Well, tomorrow is today and all of the doors are installed. It really makes a difference in the looks of the kitchen. It now has one, unified look, rather than seeing all of our Melmac and cheap plastic water tumblers
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