i do alot of blasting here in my shop. i am using an industrial pressure pot not a cabinet. i have tried a variety of different media but dollar for dollar the best media for rust and paint removal is black beauty (coal slag). its extremely sharp and will, on average, cut 2-3 times faster than any sand will so it actually comes out significantly cheaper. in a cabinet and you dont mind paying more then aluminum oxide but the bb will also work just as well there too.
Coice of Material for Sandblasters
- Thread starter Bedlam
- Start date
I started with a siphon blaster. It used 1/4 the sand and 3x the air while doing 1/10 the job of the replacement 100# pressure tank blaster. If you are just going to clean off an odd bit and boubble now and again and don't care about how much air you used or sand, then the cheap sand sucker is ok.
But, if you are going to do anything large or with lots of rust / paint / etc then a pressure blaster is the way to go.
I used to recycle media, but with sand it gets real dull and small so that after a couple times thru it's just making dust. Not so good as all you do is run the compressor and get little clean! It's pretty much better to just buy good media (black stuff) and use it once.
jb
But, if you are going to do anything large or with lots of rust / paint / etc then a pressure blaster is the way to go.
I used to recycle media, but with sand it gets real dull and small so that after a couple times thru it's just making dust. Not so good as all you do is run the compressor and get little clean! It's pretty much better to just buy good media (black stuff) and use it once.
jb
Sand is about free. And works ok.
Some people don't think that the harm will hit them. (They probably smoke, drive drunk, etc too)
jb
There is no doubt the silica is harmful.
My point is that #2 silica was by far the better product for removal, vs. coal slag. Only expensive products like oxides, or carbide, work better.
You can even "feel" the difference while using it. I can blast with no gloves, and in short sleeves using coal slag. Doing the same with #2 silica was like getting stung by bees.
Yes and no. Yes, you can feel the impacts from the sand like bee stings. No, that does not mean it works better. The coal slag crumbles when it hits the object. That helps keep blast damage to the object down. Ever sand blast body panels? They stretch and warp like a son of a gun. They don't do that (near as much) with the slag. The sharp edges of the slag do cut paint very well. IMHO better than sand. That's just opinion based on about 50 bags of the black stuff and 5x that with sand. Not a lot in some quarters, so I don't claim it to be gospel! It does NOT do near as well on rusty cast as sand. Nothing is perfect. I'd rather give up some with the black stuff than get the silicosis. But that's just me.
jb
Let me repeat my statement:
"My point is that #2 silica was by far the better product for removal, vs. coal slag. Only expensive products like oxides, or carbide, work better".
I did not say it was better for damage or warpage. If your interested in removal, the sharper and stronger it is, the better it works, because it is more abrasive. Try blasting a heavily scaled utility trailer with coal slag, I have, I'll pass.
I like to get the job done. I don't enjoy sandblasting, I want it to work fast.
As far as the silicosis goes, you wear a respirator, and if your not wearing one no matter what your using, that's stupid.
I work with dangerous and toxic chemicals all day long, I don't worry about just one risk, and I can't completely eliminate them.
And yes, I have blasted body panels, for 30 years, and you have a long way to go to do it as much as I have.
It's all a moot point, since you can't get #2 silica anymore.
khamill2000
Bronze Member
I have used the HF pressure blaster for years and love it. Have probably run 20 tons of sand through it. The air must be dry and if you are recycling the media, filter it through a screen first. Also must keep the air pressure up. I have always run sand but just bought a HF blast cabinet and will probably run something else in it like glass beads, walnut shells, or slag.
charlz
Elite Member
I bought a HF blast cabinet the other day for a project. The instructions say to NOT use really hard media like aluminum oxide (IIRC) so I used glass beads. Is it normal that the stuff pretty much turns to dust and ends up in your dust collector (shop vac with drywall bag in my case)? Just curious.