Best Sandblasting Sand?

[Dan22]

Hello,
I have a couple of blasters including a suction type and a new HF pressurized type. I would like to know what folks use for the pressurized sandblasters. I have some rather large items to clean up, and buying 50# of alumina or some other standard blaster sand can be quite expensive.

Are there any bulk alternatives out there? I would like to avoid silica sand due to its silicosis hazard. I intend to blast outdoors and if necessary will make a tarped area to try and recover some of the sand for re-use. Of course I use a respirator for any blasting work.

I used some Lowe's Play Sand, and that just plugged up the jets, and made such a dusty mess it was pretty much useless.

Thanks in advance.
Dan

 

[DieselPower]

It's best to buy media sold as sand blasting media because it's sifted unlike "play sand". You probably ended up with a clogged nozle because you were using unsifted media. If you plan on blasting a lot outside you might think about getting a soda blast conversion for your unit. I started soda (baking soda,Bicarbonate Soda) blasting a couple of years ago and as long as the item being blasted is not heavily rusted it can't be beat. If doing vehicles or tractors you don't have to remove glass or trim as it will not harm them at all and it's environmentally friendly. The only environmental concern you would have would be the paint you are blasting off. I would suggest you also get the water kit also. It cuts down on the cloud of soda and leaves the metal the with a Bicarbonate Soda residue which prevents corrosion from forming on steel for up to 6 weeks and longer with inside dry storage.

Do a online search, there are numerous suppliers. Eastwood sells them. Here's a basic description of the process. Eastwood Airbrushes - High Performance at an Economy Price

 

[srjones]

DP,

I do like the idea of sodablasting, especially since it's recommended for wood restoration projects. It also 'cleans' the grease and grime that builds up as well.

A few questions if I may:

1. Have you used yours on wood?
2. How much is the soda media that you buy?
3. How long (in minutes) does a bag last when you're blasting at various pressures? 20psi-120psi
4. Did you get a retrofit kit for a standard blaster or did you buy a blaster designed from the ground up to be a sodablaster?

Thanks in advance...

 

[DieselPower]

1. No, I can't say I have.
2. The media I buy is Natruim 260 Soda Blasting Media, it has a very uniform grain and virtually no powder making it very effecient. I buy it from a local distributor for around $32.00 for a 50 pound bag.
3. 1 bag can last me as long as 1 hour. It takes very little soda compared to sand blasting.
4. I actually got a used Stripco trailer mounted unit at a auction. It has a 210 CFM John Deere powered compressor with it. Not what I went to the auction for but I couldn't pass up the deal. I figured if nothing else it was a heck of a nice compressor set up. After using it the first time to blast a Desoto I was in the process of restoring I have not used a sand blaster since except on heavy crunchy rust.

 

[rhett]

hi "Dan22",

i to use "play sand" for cost reasons, it must be screened before use to remove pebbles and other debris. the sifting screen that came with my blaster will not allow anything larger that 1/16" to pass through. so i would guess that some 1/16" mesh screen would do what you need. also it will be usefull for sweep up and recycling sand.

hi "srjones",

from research i found that "Ground Pecan Shells" is the best media to use for blasting wood. it is plentifull down here because of numerous Pecan Orchards, so availability may be a problem elsewhere.

Do a google search with this phrase "wood blasting media", it will give you alot more information than i can.
c/p ex: Blast cleaning wood can be accomplished successfully using corn cob grit.

 

[Egon]

blast outdoors and if necessary will make a tarped area to try and recover some of the sand for re-use. Of course I use a respirator for any blasting work.

I tried that once with less than desirable results. Yet a Blasting Cabinet reuses the media?

I have also used glass beads for blasting. These I preferred to the sand media.

My blasting experience is rather limited as is my equipment so my comments should only be taken in limited quantities.

 

[Scooby074]

I used to use blasting sand in my cabinet. Its ok, but its life is limited and it creates alot of dust, even with dust collection. After a couple hours, its the consistency of talcum powder. I now use aluminum oxide, its much better than sand, its dusty, but less than sand. Once this abrasive is warn, i think im going to steel shot, and deal with the increased wear on my cabinet that it will create. I use a pressure pot type cabinet, its much better than siphon feed.

As far as outside blasting, there are some options, such as copper slag and starblast that have less risk of silicosis due to low levels of silica. Thats what i'd use, unless i had a supplied air system.

Shaw Resources

 

[1m21]

The best blasting sand is not sand. It's coal slag.

Reed Minerals: BLACK BEAUTYｮ Blasting Abrasives

 

[porta mill]

the best blasting media that I have found is black beauty. it holds up very well I used it in my cabinet for quit a long time before it needed to replace it

 

[Dan22]

Thanks again everyone! This is just the info I was looking for. I think I will go with the copper slag. I found it locally for $10 for 100 lb bag. Various sizes readily available too.

What a great site.

Dan

 

[srjones]

Thanks for bringing this up--it's really got me thinking taking the plunge. Especially once I get my PTO compressor finished.


HF has a 100 pressurized blaster for $129.99 (on sale).
Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices


They also have a 10lb soda blaster for $99.99.
Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

But if I look at what eastwood sells and look at the following patent I might be able to retrofit the big tank to be able to do both.

Soda blasting apparatus - Google Patents

 

[Scooby074]

Thanks for bringing this up--it's really got me thinking taking the plunge. Especially once I get my PTO compressor finished.


HF has a 100 pressurized blaster for $129.99 (on sale).
Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices


They also have a 10lb soda blaster for $99.99.
Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

But if I look at what eastwood sells and look at the following patent I might be able to retrofit the big tank to be able to do both.

Soda blasting apparatus - Google Patents

I have a simular pressure blaster to the HF one. Its not too bad id say 7/10. Goes thru nozzels and their unique to that model plus theyre expensive.The deadman is worthless. The deadman block is made of aluminum or something soft so it wears very fast. The abrasive doesnt feed all that well when its below 1/2 full due to the lack of slope on the bottom of the tank. This causes you to start adjusting the abrasive flow, then you get a jam and have to blow out the line. I plan on rigging up a vibrator to try to help that. I also plan on upgrading to a good quality nozzel that i can get good tips from my local pneumatic supply for.

How much air do you have? Your realistically going to need 18CFM delivered at the tank. My compressor is around 19CFM and its not enough. Id rather have 25-30 at least.

Your going to need very dry air, especially if you go soda. Coalessing filters arent good enough, you will need dessicant or refridgerated dryer for blasting.Count on filtration being the better part of $500. I use 2 coalessing and a dessicant canister on mine. It works pretty good. Water in air is the cause of most peoples problems with blasters. Your air really cant be too dry.

 

[Scotty370]

For what it's worth, my employer uses Black-Beauty, as mentioned above, for cleaning pipes and fittings prior to coating. I think it's almost an industry standard! ~Scotty

 

[srjones]

I have a simular pressure blaster to the HF one. Its not too bad id say 7/10. Goes thru nozzels and their unique to that model plus theyre expensive.The deadman is worthless. The deadman block is made of aluminum or something soft so it wears very fast. The abrasive doesnt feed all that well when its below 1/2 full due to the lack of slope on the bottom of the tank. This causes you to start adjusting the abrasive flow, then you get a jam and have to blow out the line. I plan on rigging up a vibrator to try to help that. I also plan on upgrading to a good quality nozzel that i can get good tips from my local pneumatic supply for.

How much air do you have? Your realistically going to need 18CFM delivered at the tank. My compressor is around 19CFM and its not enough. Id rather have 25-30 at least.

Your going to need very dry air, especially if you go soda. Coalessing filters arent good enough, you will need dessicant or refridgerated dryer for blasting.Count on filtration being the better part of $500. I use 2 coalessing and a dessicant canister on mine. It works pretty good. Water in air is the cause of most peoples problems with blasters. Your air really cant be too dry.

Jason,
Thanks for the info. My compressor will deliver 13.5 CFM @ 90 PSI. However my primary interest is for wood restoration and I've read it's recommended to run at 20 psi, so I should be on the high side of 16 CFM. I hadn't thought too much about drying the air, but I think you're absolutely right--the dryer, the better. I since I'm building it now, it's probably the best time to put in a cooling/drying system.

-srj

 

[CCWKen]

I've been using sandblasting sand. I get it for $7.50/100# at the paint shop. When the pressure tank holds 300 pounds and you go through that in about an hour, you tend to shop around. I have a tarped room, filtered exhaust, suit and air supply so the silica is less of problem for me. I recycle the sand and can get anywhere from six to ten uses out of it. What powders out gets pulled out by the exhaust. I like the recycled sand myself. It gives the same finish as soda after the about the 4th time through. Longevity depends on the pressure you're shooting too. For steel panels I shoot 60-80psi and for crusty old frames I shoot at about 100psi.

My big compressor puts out 160cfm @ 125psi so there's no shortage of air. And lately, moisture is the least of my worries. I've had to run a ground wire to the pressure tank then from the tank to the gun. I was getting Zapped! Static electricity was pulsing at about 2Hz at the gun and the part if I grabbed it to move it. Not real bad but enough to be uncomfortable. It will arc about .060-080"--About the gap on a wide spark plug. It goes clean through the leather welding gloves I wear.

I run separator then an air pot off the compressor. From the air pot, it goes through a filter/dryer then to the pressure blasting tank. The air pot collects most of the moisture when it's humid. I leave the bottom valve just cracked and it auto-drains. The filter/dryer takes care of the rest. I haven't clogged a line yet. But I run a 3/4" supply line to the tanks and a 1/2" blast line to a 5/16" tip.

 

[Bruce-4310TX]

I use a 2 stage compresser 80 gal from Home Depot i think 15.6 cfm it workes great on the big pressurized blaster tank from HF.if you use the specialized sandblast sand get 100lb bags around here its about $12 a bag #4 grade works the best for most jobs. Playground sand 60lb bags at Home depot can be used but much dustier and you must sift it first use a commmon home window screen works great. Use a respirator and keep the sand dry any dampness it will clog.