sandblasting abrasive

   / sandblasting abrasive #1  

deereman75

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Well I will be getting one of the cheep siphon sandblasters soon, and I am wondering what abrasive to use. I have a high end 3M cartrage resperator, and I am wondering if it is safe to use silica sand with that, I know all about the hazards of silica sand, but will that make it safe? If not, what other cheep, safe abrasive can to strip paint and rust off of salavaged steel for projects. (the cheeper the better)
 
   / sandblasting abrasive #2  
Well I will be getting one of the cheep siphon sandblasters soon, and I am wondering what abrasive to use. I have a high end 3M cartrage resperator, and I am wondering if it is safe to use silica sand with that, I know all about the hazards of silica sand, but will that make it safe? If not, what other cheep, safe abrasive can to strip paint and rust off of salavaged steel for projects. (the cheeper the better)

We have used allot of "sand", different grades, but mostly #3, (med course). I think that will be your cheapest option. Glass beads work, for fine finishes you can use fine sand, nut shells like Pecan and Walnut that are commercially available, I have even used talc.

We have used the respirator type you mentioned when we had to, but generally we use a total hood with filtered ventilation from the compressor. I did buy a hood fairly cheap one time from harbor Freight that kinda worked, but without ventilation, I had a problem with condensation build up on my window. You may get by with that 3m if your working outside and watch the wind, but you will be safer with a hood and will stay cleaner too.
 
   / sandblasting abrasive
  • Thread Starter
#3  
We have used allot of "sand", different grades, but mostly #3, (med course). I think that will be your cheapest option. Glass beads work, for fine finishes you can use fine sand, nut shells like Pecan and Walnut that are commercially available, I have even used talc.

We have used the respirator type you mentioned when we had to, but generally we use a total hood with filtered ventilation from the compressor. I did buy a hood fairly cheap one time from harbor Freight that kinda worked, but without ventilation, I had a problem with condensation build up on my window. You may get by with that 3m if your working outside and watch the wind, but you will be safer with a hood and will stay cleaner too.

OK I will be doing this in the yard, so I have alot of ventalation. I will only be using this maby once a month to remove rust and paint from steel stock (love the building salvage yard). I dont really care about the finish, it just needs to remove rust. My compressor is only 10 cfm at 90 psi, so I dont think I could run an air supplied hood as well. I have also seen crushed glass almost as cheep as well, how well does that stuff work?
 
   / sandblasting abrasive #4  
I have a gravity feed blaster, I have always used sand. I have even used really dry playground sand
 
   / sandblasting abrasive #5  
Breathing air from an ordinary compressor may not be the best.:)
 
   / sandblasting abrasive #6  

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   / sandblasting abrasive
  • Thread Starter
#7  
It seems a sandblaster will make too much dust for where we live, so that idea is out. I guess I will just have to stick with a wire wheel in an angle grinder. (a cup brush in my 7 inch should remove rust fast)
 
   / sandblasting abrasive
  • Thread Starter
#9  
Needle scaler for the first pass??:)

Wish I had a needle scaler, but I dont, I might get an IR one sometime.
 
   / sandblasting abrasive #10  
Princess auto supplied me with a twenty dollar needle scaler that worked well.

Note: I do not know what a good scaler is like or worth.:)
 
 
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