How do you sandcarve a rock that has an irregular surface?

Personalizing rocks is popular right now. There are occasions when a customer will want a specific stone personalized that has an irregular surface. How can the photoresist mask adhere to the non-flat surface? There are couple of key tips that help produce a great sandcarved piece that will leave your customer amazed.

Photomask is flexible, making it perfect for an irregular surface because it conforms to the shape.

Start by brushing on additional adhesive to the photomask and allowing it to dry.

Rinse the surface to remove any dirt and heat up the rock with a mini torch or heat gun. The key is to get the surface hot.

Apply your photomask to the surface, press with your fingers, quickly remove the clear liner, and continue to press the photomask down using your fingers or thumbs. By quickly removing the clear liner, the heat causes the photomask to sink into the uneven areas of the stone.

Finally, blast at a 90-degree angle to the surface. Since the surface is irregular, you will have to move the nozzle to maintain a 90-degree angle over the uneven areas. The key is to use the blasting stream to further compress the photomask to the surface. If you blast at an angle, then the air and abrasive will make their way under the photomask, causing it to lift up.

Heating the surface and carefully blasting at a 90-degree angle over the irregular areas keeps the mask secure to the surface, resulting in beautifully etched piece.

-Liz Haas, Rayzist