About Sandblasting
Abrasive blasting is commonly referred to as sandblasting, although use of actual sand is not recommended. There are a variety of problems with using sand, such as:
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Needs to be dried before use |
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Low hardness on Moh's Scale, basically non- recyclable |
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Contaminated with minerals such as salt, which is adverse to the metal |
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Dirty and dusty |
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Contains free silica, a health hazard |
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Poor use of resources |
Modern blasting shops use a variety of different abrasives depending on the application. Most of these are made from recycled materials, some are raw materials. Commonly used abrasives include:
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Plastic Media |
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Coal Slag |
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Aluminum Oxide |
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Crushed Glass |
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Glass Beads |
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Silica Sand (also contains free silica) |
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Steel Grit |
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Baking Soda |
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Corn Cob |
The Society for Protective Coatings, or SSPC, is an organization that maintains standards for cleanliness of blasted materials. To learn more about SSPC specifications, click here. The process for preparing surfaces for paint involves many steps- these are the basics:
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Degrease/ De-wax |
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Pressure Wash |
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Needle Scale |
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Hand Tool Prep |
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Abrasive Blast |
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Mechnaical Repairs |
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Clean Prepared Metal |
We prepare the substrate to near new conditions following SSPC guidelines for commercial blast to white metal blast. This gives the metal the best profile for primers to etch and adhere to for superior bonding.