To provide everyone with more inspiration, this week we are featuring two other shadeblasting etchings that Dave Schulte did on glass mirrors below.
Shadeblasting Leopard on Mirror
The first shadeblasting he shared with us is what I believe to be of a leopard. You can see the level of detail in both the stencil cuts and the shading techniques he used when zooming up on the picture. Dave mentioned he uses a fixed #11 hobby razor knife to cut the stencil.
Thinking about the level of detail in these etchings lead me to think a small swivel hobby knife might be helpful for these projects. He mentioned the swivel knifes can be difficult to control small parts like this. However, I wanted to discuss the swivel knifes even if they may be better for stencil cutting that isn’t as intricate.
How to Use a Regular Hobby Knife
Many of us just use a fixed hobby knife held with with the pointy tip straight up to cut around all the intricate detail. Then we turn it left or right to get around stencil edges. You may want to see what type of hobby knife works best for you.
Dave mentioned he uses a few new blades per project. It is always worth having a very sharp knife to make cutting easier and ensure every stencil edge is cut perfectly. I found a pack of 120 of the #11 blade for about $11 on Amazon here.
Swivel Stencil Cutting Knife
I have some of the Excel swivel knives but also listed some other brands that look interesting. The below swivel knifes are just an idea to try:
- Excel Swivel Knife on Amazon here: I have a few of these. I think it takes some time getting use too and sometimes I prefer using the regular fixed hobby knife blade.
- Fiskars Fingertip Swivel Knife on Amazon here: This version looks promising with its unique design which allows you to place your finger through it for easier holding. I haven’t tried this type yet but it may be a good solution if holding regular pen type hobby knifes cramp your fingers like it does mine.
- VViViD Comfort Grip Swivel Hobby Knife on Amazon here: Another brand that I haven’t used but it looks promising since it has a more comfortable handle.
Shadeblasted Etching of Merle Haggard in Mirror
The other framed shadeblasting mirror that Dave did is the below of Merle Haggard. This provides some ideas that you can sand etch any images of people, including friends and family.
Thank you, Dave for sharing! For everyone else, please leave him some comments below and any questions.
Also, I would like to get everyone’s thoughts on hobby knives for cutting intricate stencils out. Have you used the swivel type hobby knife? Or do you think the regular hobby knife held perpendicular to the stencil while turning it is the best method?
Share this on social media or email by clicking below!
Thanks Eric. I like a standard knife with the fixed #11 blades. I buy them in boxes of 100 and go thru quite a few per mirror. I like a very sharp blade. I need to see if there is a good way to sharpen them quickly. I tried a swivel knife but had a hard time controlling it sometimes. Good for long sweeping curves but not so much for tight work.
Dave, thanks for the details. I was thinking the same after using the swivel knife a few times. I will update the post with this info.
There are a bunch of knife sharpeners out there that can do that quickly but I doubt they would get it sharp enough for razor blades to be worth the time. I found a 120 pack of these replacements blades for under $15 here: https://amzn.to/2MMCAOI It actually comes out to less than 10 cents each.
I really like this! Great artist! Wow!
To keep the blades super sharp have a small strop with you. running it across the leather a few times will make a HUGE difference. I use the strop on the new blades as well so I know they are good to go. You should find that you will use far less blades this way. Have fun and
Keep on Keeping On!
@Dan, that is interesting. I haven’t heard much about strops. Interesting a piece of leather helps with sharpening. Do you use a rubbing compound with them? I read they work without the compound also.