Ruth Dobbins

With over 35 years in the glass business, Ruth Dobbins offers experience in fused and cast glass, as well as in glass-etching techniques. She owns Professional Glass Consultants with her husband Norm and holds a master's in printmaking and art history.

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Education

Ruth DobbinsMarch 1, 2022

Types of Compressors for Sandcarving

Most people think that a compressor is a compressor, but that’s far from true. There are at least five different…
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Education

Ruth DobbinsNovember 22, 2021

Holiday Staples: Common Ornament Types and Edge Finishes

One of the main staples of the holiday season is ornaments. They can be used for any special occasion or…
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Education

Ruth DobbinsDecember 23, 2020

Abrasive Types for Etching

Some of the choices you are faced with if you etch and carve glass include glass beads, beach sand (brown),…
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Ruth DobbinsOctober 9, 2020

High-Volume Sandcarving Considerations

In the awards industry, many of us are used to working with equipment that is suitable for small-scale production. We…
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Ruth DobbinsMarch 19, 2020

Choosing the Right Paint for Outdoor Sandcarved Projects

When choosing paint for sandcarved items that will be placed outside, such as monuments, stone plaques, or bricks for walkways,…
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Tips

Ruth DobbinsMarch 11, 2020

Adhering Stencils for Sandcarving: Tape-Hinge Method

When dealing with flat pieces of glass or other substrates, applying the stencil is relatively easy, especially when the glass…
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Education

Ruth DobbinsMarch 4, 2020

Testing Your Sandcarving Exposure Units for Time

Having worked with many exposure units over the past 30 years, it quickly became evident that the attached timer on…
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Tips

Ruth DobbinsFebruary 26, 2020

Situating Stencils to Sandcarve Odd-Shaped Glassware

Oftentimes we have to work on odd-shaped glassware that presents its own can of worms when it comes to registration.…
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Ruth DobbinsFebruary 17, 2020

How can a decorator make the most of their time in the sandcarving process?

It is always a good idea to gang up certain processes. By this, I mean do all of one step…
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Tips

Ruth DobbinsFebruary 10, 2020

What to Watch Out for When Sandcarving Mirrors

It all depends on which side of the mirror you want to sandcarve. If you sandcarve on the front of…
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Tips

Ruth DobbinsFebruary 3, 2020

Tips for Drying Painted Sandcarved Items

With all paints, educate yourself as to the drying and curing times, which are different. Some spray paints dry to…
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Tips

Ruth DobbinsJanuary 20, 2020

Keep Glass Unscratched During Sandcarving

One of the greatest problems all glass decorators face is trying to keep your project pristine and unscratched. Even though…
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Ruth DobbinsJanuary 14, 2020

How important is a well-ventilated space when applying color to sandcarved items?

Color application is an often-requested add-on treatment for sandcarved items and requires, besides the obvious paints, an area that is…
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Ruth DobbinsJanuary 7, 2020

How can airbrushing paint be applied to a sandcarving project?

One method of applying paint to a sandcarving project is by airbrushing. The hand motions of airbrushing are similar to…
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Ruth DobbinsDecember 17, 2019

Which light wattage is best for exposing photoresist film for sandcarving?

An important factor in choosing the right light to expose photoresist film is the wattage of the bulb. In the…
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Tips

Ruth DobbinsDecember 10, 2019

Sandcarving a Graphic Artist’s Design

Just because someone is a graphic artist does not mean they are able to produce the artwork necessary for sandcarving.…
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