Sand carving glass is a unique process of carving into glass using abrasive sand. The sand is actually blown out of a high-pressure air hose (similar to a flamethrower) towards the glass. The force of the sand against the glass creates chips in the glass, carving it out thousands of chips at a time.

The actual process of creating a design in glass starts with masking off the glass. This prevents any scratches as well as protects the glass from being carved anywhere other than the areas that need to be carved. After the glass is masked off, the design is drawn or transferred onto the protective mask. The design is then cut out, and the areas of the design to be carved into the glass are pulled away from the glass. This effectively exposes only those portions of the glass to be carved. To create the intricate depths in the design, you use a process sometimes called weeding, where you pull away a small portion of the mask, then carve the unmasked portion of the glass. Next you pull out another small portion of the mask, and carve that area to a deeper level. This process continues until the sculpture is finished.

The masking can be made out of any combination of wax, strip hide, or other basically pliable material so long as it can withstand the sand enough to protect the glass from chipping underneath it. The surface of the glass should be cleaned thoroughly and allowed to dry before the mask is attached, pinching the edges around the glass pane to hold it in place.

Sand carving is a type of sculpting. The glass is carved away, shaping and contouring the surface into flowing valleys and crevices. This gives the glassware a physical depth and three dimensional appearance. You create contour by varying the intensity of the sand on the glass. Depending on the experiance and overall of the crafter, and the amount of time that can be spent on the piece, the intricacy of the design can vary greatly from simple mugs bearing insignia of a craft or hold, up to portraits of animals and, if the crafter is especially talented, people.

Credits:

http://www.mugcarver.com/technique.html