Blasting Media

[Mini me]

Good afternoon

I have a small Sealey blasting cabinet, what media would you guys recommend for cleaning small components, ie heater, pedal box, back plates and the like.
There seems to be at least 4 options,
Coarse grain soda
Aluminium oxide, grit from 60-80-120
Garnet
Glass bead
I presume each has its good & bad points. but which would be a good allrounder?

Thanks in advance.

[MrNoo]

Crushed glass seems to work very well, abrasive enough to get rust out but also leave a very nice finish ready for etc or primer, they sell different grades but I used the finer one.
Soda is ok for alloy components etc and you can just wash the part, no cleaning as you would with grit but Soda will not remove rust.

[Stoneface]

I also use crushed glass.

[swifty]

I've got the biggest blast cabinet that machine mart do . I've tried all the grits , glass beads , shells etc and ended up just using normal builders kiln dried sand . It's cheap considering the price of other materials ... works just as well .... ken

[Bitsilly]

It depends on what force the compressed air provides doesn't it?

I have a small compressor and binned my blaster once I had access to a large unit at a friends garage. The only difference was the compressed air capacity, not the medium.

[coopersean]

Hi Ken, Just a concernen, but I have heard you have to be careful using normal sand, due to the risks of silicosis. I believe a specialist blasting media/sand should be used, but may be wrong?

I've got the biggest blast cabinet that machine mart do . I've tried all the grits , glass beads , shells etc and ended up just using normal builders kiln dried sand . It's cheap considering the price of other materials ... works just as well .... ken

[swifty]

Yes your correct of course and I have heard of this . I think you would have to be exposed to silica dust for a number of years as in builders grinding through paving / cutting bricks / use of sand etc . I believe there's a risk in anything that creates a dust . The other mediums mentioned will also create some form of dust . i should have mentioned that when I use my shot blasting cabinet , that I have a mask on , the cabinet is in a room with a extracta fan on , and a Henry Hoover is connected to the outlet of the cabinet . The Henry Hoover helps keep the screen of the cabinet clear as well .... ken

[InnoCooperExport]

Depending on the part and desired finish I will use either Oxide or glass beads. Aluminium Oxide if it's very badly corroded and not going to very visible (so surface finish isn't too important). Glass beads if I want it really nice and smooth.

For instance, radius arms I did with oxide. Steel wheels glass beads.

Make sure the pressure isn't too high as it won't increase the efficiency and will just destroy the medium.

[mk1]

Glass bead, wouldn't use anything else in a home blaster.

Lasts well, gives a good finish & can be used on more or less anything.

[Pandora]

Hi Ken, Just a concernen, but I have heard you have to be careful using normal sand, due to the risks of silicosis. I believe a specialist blasting media/sand should be used, but may be wrong?

I've got the biggest blast cabinet that machine mart do . I've tried all the grits , glass beads , shells etc and ended up just using normal builders kiln dried sand . It's cheap considering the price of other materials ... works just as well .... ken

You are of course correct to think about the risk of silicosis, but remember also that glass is made of silica..... it's the VERY fine dust you have to worry about, that's the stuff that gets into your lungs and forms a nice grinding paste - the bigger bits you'll cough out -, so whilst working in a cabinet obviously controls a lot of dust from entering the breathing zone, it is as mentioned above a good idea to always wear a well fitted mask and appropriate filters.

Yes, exposure risk is cumulative, but if I held up a handful of dust and told you to "breathe in, this won't won't be the dose to kill you" you wouldn't would you? (and yes, I did use this illustration on site to brickies and stonemasons as an HSE Inspector! far better than any pamphlet )

and also, remember the biggest risk is probably when you open the cabinet, either to get the parts out, or to clean / collect up the used media, so keep the mask on for that bit.

Here endeth the lesson..... you've only got one set of lungs. look after them

Al

[Highnumbers]

Another vote for glass bead. It comes in all kinds of coarse grits (large and small), and it's equally effective on aluminum, steel and other substrates.

The main issue with using aluminum oxide, and especially playground/builder sand is the heat that it generates. You can seriously warp things that are made of sheet metal.

Also, these shouldn't be used for stripping paint. Chemical stripper to get the thick of it off, then blasting for the final clean up.

Glass bead is not overly expensive and it lasts quite awhile. After many many hours of blasting, it will slowly continue to break down into smaller dust and get sucked up in the vacuum.