Abrade
In construction, abrade means to remove the surface of a material by rubbing, grinding, or blasting it with an abrasive substance. This maybe used in cleaning, surface preparation before painting or tiling, creating a profile for better adhesion or just for aesthetic purposes. Abrasive materials can include sand, synthetic particles, or water under pressure, while tools like sanders, brushes, and blasting (sand blasting) equipment are used to perform the action. An aesthetic example might be the use of a sand blaster on new green oaf framing to remove softer timber and create contours along the grain giving the effect of aged wood.
In terms of glazing The York Glaziers Trust: Illustrated Glossary mentions the word abrade as meaning "To grind away the coloured upper surface of a flashed glass, revealing the base glass beneath. Tell-tale scratches left by the grinding tool will often remain around the edges of the abraded area. This technique is most commonly found in the context of flashed ruby glass."
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