New to the game. Need advice on how to cut glass, make percs, slits etc. Best method?

[nodice]

....I am surrounded by half ass glassblowers and tons of bullshitters...

Felt compelled to quote this again. It's my favorite.

[dnug42]

half ass glassshitter and bullblowers

[LarryC]

Paul Stankard's designs are made with a particle accelerator, stump sucker, and a coloring book. That is how he gets such detail into his lucite encasements.

I knew that stuff in those weights was real! Always wondered how it got in there but I assumed it was done the same as the live jellyfish in those chinese weights.

[Bluemoon24]

pm funksizzle for more info.

Hahaha threds like these start up almost once a month on the melting pot........

[byron3]

http://www.engraversjournal.com/arti...503/index.html

Love these threads!!

[byron3]

Sub-surface laser engraving (SSLE)

Sub-surface laser engraving is the process of engraving an image in a transparent solid material by focusing a laser below the surface to create small fractures. Such engraved materials are of high-grade optical quality (suitable for lenses, with low dispersion) to minimize distortion of the beam. BK7 glass is a common material for this application. Plastics are also used.

Since its inception in the late 1990s, SSLE has become more cost effective with a number of different sized machines ranging from small (~US$35,000–60,000) to large production sized tables (>US$250,000). Although these machines are becoming more available, it is estimated that only a few hundred are in operation worldwide.[5] Many machines require very expensive cooling, maintenance and calibration for proper use. The more popular SSLE engraving machines use the Diode Pumped Solid State or DPSS laser process.[6] The laser diode, the primary component which excites a pulsed solid state laser, can easily cost one third of the machine itself and functions for a limited number of hours,[5] although a good quality diode can last thousands of hours.[6]

In the past five years, use of SSLE has become more cost effective to produce 3D images in souvenir 'crystal' or promotional items with only a few designers concentrating on designs incorporating large or monolithic sized crystal. A number of companies offer custom made souvenirs by taking 3D pictures or photos and engraving them into the crystal. Quality of the designs and images varies greatly between vendors in the promotional and personal services sector (photo engravers) – the mass producing curio vendors have the habit of reducing resolution of the points and lowering output to maximize their laser diode's lifespan.[5]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_e...tone_and_glass

http://www.leaguelaser.com/products/...s/LG804A_B.htm

[byron3]

Just Google "Sub Surface Laser Etching" ......................

http://www.princessglassworld.com/wo...aser-engraving

[themoch]

god i love you all,

everything i could have said has been said already.


everybody: Major Props!!!!

[byron3]

The only nail I did not drive in that coffin lid would be a direct connection to boro ................ Well doing research on BK7 Glass yields the final stroke!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_glass_%28optics%29

[FredLight]

This is so much better than sandwiches.

[LarryC]

This is so much better than sandwiches.

Ohh. I dont know. Aliensciences sammitch thread was the shit.

[PyroChixRock]

This thread needs a lot more sammiches.

[Colin Allhose]

see # 1
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=sammich

[funksizzle]

Don't cut at all, sell it as pure, uncut downstem.