FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Sandcarving?

Sandcarving (also called "sandblasting") is an artistic process that permanently carves a design using pressurized abrasive grit. We sandblast onto glass, glazed ceramics, and stainless steel, but sandblasting can also be done on other hard materials like stone.

I create digital art, which I print onto transparency film, and then use to create a self-adhesive photo-emulsion stencil specifically for sandblasting. Each item has this single-use stencil applied to its surface with a burnisher, then it’s carefully masked. The final etching step is a trip into our professional blasting cabinet, where high-pressure silicon carbide grit carves the permanent design.

Watch videos about our process on YouTube.

Is Sandcarving Permanent?

Sandcarving is one of the most durable image transfer method out there. Since the process removes the top layer of glass or ceramic glaze by carving into it, there isn't any possible way to remove the design.

There are a lot of decals and screen printing out there on dishware that wear off with time. Our process will never do that! Sandblasting also has a smooth, even finish with crisp edges, unlike laser-etching which shows a matrix pattern on its etched surface, and acid cream etching which can be splotchy, and uneven.

Are Your Products Dishwasher- and Microwave-Safe?

Yes! All our glassware and ceramics are food-safe, and can be washed in a dishwasher, and some can even be sanitized. The design will never fade, wear, or scratch. We recommend hand-washing silicone travel lids with unscented soap.

All mugs are microwave-safe as well, and shouldn't get any hotter than any other microwave-safe cups. 

Our metal cups should definitely not go in a microwave (yikes!), but they are dishwasher-safe.

Are Your Products Made in USA?

We buy blank glass and ceramic items, and sandblast our original artwork onto them by hand in Portland, OR. Our "budget" mugs are made in China. Recycled glassware is made in Spain. Our regular pint glasses are made in China or Mexico. We have many American-made glassware options and locally-made handmade mugs that we sandblast as well.

Are Your Products Lead-Free?

We hold all our products to exacting standards (since our family uses them, too), so all products are free of lead, cadmium, and BPA. We're happy to share glaze reports if you'd like to see more data about safety.

The glazes used on our budget mugs meet California’s Proposition 65 strict limits for leaching of lead and cadmium (0.99 ppm lead and 7.92 ppm cadmium). In fact, our glazes are non-detect at testing detection limits well below (< 0.01 ppm for both). This is really fantastic!

What is the Life Expectancy of Your Products?

Technically, they should be able to last multiple lifetimes. We understand that accidents happen, and our items are definitely fragile, but they aren't any more fragile than most other dishware on the market. We consider them more sturdy than some other brands available, and keep our standards quite high for durability.

To prolong the life of your Bread and Badger cups and avoid breakage, we recommend against nesting (stacking them inside or on top of each other).

Some staining of silicone lids is unavoidable on lighter colors, so we recommend choosing darker colored lids if this bothers you.

Why does my cup have imperfections?

We do not manufacture glassware or ceramic items ourselves, so we work with materials we have tested ourselves and found to be sturdy and of high quality.

>Some pieces may have minor imperfections on them. We try our best to only use pieces with the least amount of imperfections, but some tiny bubbles in glass and inconsistencies in ceramic glazes are unavoidable, especially the handmade mugs and recycled glass items.

Custom Orders

Custom orders usually take up to 1-2 weeks with additional charges starting at $30-100 for design work and stencil creation. Please join our mailing list to receive updates about joining our custom order queue.

Please note that we can NOT use art or text that you do not have the rights to reproduce for commercial use such as designs which are copyrighted, trademarked, or belong to any other person or organization, including sports, company, and band logos. We are not responsible for researching copyright ownership of your designs, but retain the right to refuse any custom design request.

We reserve all rights to custom art that we create for you. All custom art is (c) Amanda Siska (unless reproducing art owned by someone else and used with their permission), and may not be used or reproduced without her express written permission. We have the right to use the art we create on our own stock products to sell to other people, unless specifically prearranged.