Glass engraver

Glass engravers engrave lettering and ornamental designs onto glass articles, using engravers hand tools. They sketch and lay out the lettering and designs on the article, cut the design in the article and finish it.

The following job titles also refer to glass engraver:

diamond point glass engraver
decorative glass engraver
glass decorator
precision etcher
ornamental glass engraver
glass hand etcher
precision engraver
glass etcher
heritage glass engraver

No formal educational credential is generally required to work as a glass engraver.

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

• the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
• the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
• the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Glass engraver is a Skill level 2 occupation.

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to glass engraver.

stone engraver
metal engraver
jewellery engraver
glass polisher
stone polisher

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of glass engraver. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of glass engraver with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

automated assembly line operator
industrial robot controller
pulp control operator
plastic and rubber products manufacturing supervisor
metal production supervisor

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of glass engraver.

• Engraving technologies: The characteristics of various materials and methods used to engrave something on a surface.

These skills are necessary for the role of glass engraver.

• Use glass engraving tools: Use engraving tools which use steel, stone or copper wheels according to the kind of glass or glassware.
• Position engraving equipment: Position and clamp work pieces, plates, or rollers in holding fixtures.
• Engrave patterns: Engrave and print designs and patterns onto a variety of surfaces.
• Ensure accurate engravings: Closely observe the actions of the mechanical cutting tools, resulting in a flawless engraving process.
• Use personal protection equipment: Make use of protection equipment according to training, instruction and manuals. Inspect the equipment and use it consistently.
• Manipulate glass: Manipulate the properties, shape and size of glass.
• Ensure equipment availability: Ensure that the necessary equipment is provided, ready and available for use before start of procedures.
• Transpose designs to engravings: Examine diagrams, sketches, blueprints and samples, and calculate how they are to be engraved onto work pieces.
• Clean engraved areas: Polish and clean engraved etching areas.
• Determine quality of engraving: Quality control of engravings and etchings; check for cuts, burns, rough spots and irregular or incomplete engraving.

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of glass engraver. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

• Sandcarving: Process using high pressure sandblasting to carve motifs into materials such as glass, stone, wood and metal.
• Lathe machine parts: The different parts of a lathe machine and their applications, such as the compound, the bed, the sadle, the cross slide, the cutting tool, the lathe dog and more.
• Abrasive machining processes: The various machining principles and processes employing abrasives, (mineral) materials that can shape a workpiece by eroding excessive parts of it, such as grinding, honing, sanding, buffing, diamond wire cutting, polishing, abrasive blasting, tumbling, water-jet cutting, and others.

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of glass engraver. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

• Protect workpiece components from processing: Cover parts from being treated with chemicals in order to protect them.
• Inspect quality of products: Use various techniques to ensure the product quality is respecting the quality standards and specifications. Oversee defects, packaging and sendbacks of products to different production departments.
• Supply machine with appropriate tools: Supply the machine with the necessary tools and items for a particular production purpose.
• Maintain equipment: Regularly inspect and perform all required activities to maintain the equipment in functional order prior or after its use.
• Select engraving templates: Select, prepare and install engraving templates; operate cutting tools and routers.
• Identify customer’s needs: Use appropriate questions and active listening in order to identify customer expectations, desires and requirements according to product and services.
• Operate engraving equipment: Operate mechanical engraving tools and machines, set controls of cutting tools. Make adjustments if necessary.
• Monitor automated machines: Continuously check up on the automated machine’s set-up and execution or make regular control rounds. If necessary, record and interpret data on the operating conditions of installations and equipment in order to identify abnormalities.
• Handle etching chemicals: Brush or smear acid over mechanic engraving tools, in order to improve the visibility of the inscriptions.
• Supply machine: Ensure the machine is fed the necessary and adequate materials and control the placement or automatic feed and retrieval of work pieces in the machines or machine tools on the production line.
• Consult technical resources: Read and interpret such technical resources such as digital or paper drawings and adjustment data in order to properly set up a machine or working tool, or to assemble mechanical equipment.
• Prepare workpieces for etching: Prepare mechanical tools and work pieces for etching by polishing their surface and bevelling the work piece to remove sharp edges. Polishing is done using different sandpapers and sand films which are applied and vary from rough to very fine ones.
• Prepare workpieces for engraving: Prepare mechanical tools and workpieces for engraving by polishing their surface and bevelling the workpiece to remove sharp edges. Polishing is done using different sandpapers and sand films which are applied from rougher ones to very fine ones.
• Verify engraving accuracy: Examine design results to verify engraving accuracy, rework engraving where needed.
• Inspect etched work: Inspect finished etchings in detail, using microscopes and magnifying lenses.
• Keep records of work progress: Maintain records of the progress of the work including time, defects, malfunctions, etc.
• Set up the controller of a machine: Set up and give commands to a machine by dispatching the appropriate data and input into the (computer) controller corresponding with the desired processed product.
• Use abrasive wheel: Use the specific abrasive wheel or the step in the finishing process according to the type of stone or workpiece.
• Compute engraving dimensions: Measure and compute dimensions of lettering, designs and patterns to be engraved.

7316 – Sign writers, decorative painters, engravers and etchers

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References

1. Glass engraver – ESCO