Architectural Details
For a time, I had a design business called Weatherwood. The business began as a sign business specializing in a new (at the time) technique called sandblasted wood. As time went on, I began designing architectural accouterments for architects to place in their designs of commercial spaces. Whatever I was able to craft myself, I did. I contracted out to a craftsman whatever I designed that was beyond my skills. Some work was etched glass, which I created myself. My other work was wrought iron and leaded glass, for which I contracted out to a craftsman who would follow my design specs and drawings.
Etched and Leaded Glass
This glass is etched using a sandblast technique. The glass is specially ordered in various sizes. You can see that some of the pieces are not rectangular. The glass was covered with a resist material called “buttercut.” The design was transferred to the buttercut, and then, where the etching was to be, the buttercut was removed. I built a 12′ x 12′ frame building whose walls were thick black plastic. I did all of the sandblasting of the glass inside this small temporary building. This allowed me control of lighting, which was crucial, and also reduced my risk of inhaling silica dust, something that could cause lung disease later in life.
