A media blasting question

[Stigian 1,234]

Morning all, what would be the best all round type of "media" to blast with?

I'm thinking mostly about blasting wheels at the moment.  If you hadn't of guessed

 

Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

Cheers

[meadowfield 2,570]

e tank!  

 

48Vdc power supply and lots of ventilation....

[VinsRJ 721]

e tank!  

 

48Vdc power supply and lots of ventilation....

 

I'll all done with the etank thing... its run its course with me... aside from a hood off a Round Hood WH... blast everything.

[SousaKerry 501]

I use coal slag, we get it here locally under the Black Beauty brand but I'm sure they don't export.  It is cheap has no silica in it and seems to work very well.  If you start with your cast parts first it will brake down a bit, and be less aggressive for your fender and hood. 

 

http://www.blackbeautyabrasives.com/products/black-beauty-original-abrasives.php

Edited September 4, 2013 by SousaKerry

[Stigian 1,234]

e tank!  

 

48Vdc power supply and lots of ventilation....

 

You might be on to something there Mark, ventilation is good as the the e-tanks out side, and there are handy mains power cables that runs above the shack and heads off to a barn...   Now where did I put those jump leads?

 

 

 

 

e tank!  

 

48Vdc power supply and lots of ventilation....

 

I'll all done with the etank thing... its run its course with me... aside from a hood off a Round Hood WH... blast everything.

 

 

I still love my e-tank, it's just that wheels still need a lot of hand finishing to clean them right up after e-tanking..  A media blaster would be a much faster way of getting the rims clean and it would reach all those "hard to do by hand" places..

 

 

 

I use coal slag, we get it here locally under the Black Beauty brand but I'm sure they don't export.  It is cheap has no silica in it and seems to work very well.  If you start with your cast parts first it will brake down a bit, and be less aggressive for your fender and hood. 

 

http://www.blackbeautyabrasives.com/products/black-beauty-original-abrasives.php

 

Thanks for that.

I've just found the Blackbeauty stuff on ebay, but as It's a USA seller the shipping costs are way too much.

Edited September 6, 2013 by Stigian

[SousaKerry 501]

If you got any coal fired power plants around they may sell or give you some slag material but you would have to screen and crush it yourself.  Just an Idea

[Anglo Traction 761]

Me no Expert Ian, but familiar with what my 'Blaster' in Lingfield UK uses. Are you planning to use some kind of Cabinet and have a kind of Media Recovery system, or a total Media Loss?.  Various grades of Oxide of Alumina are probably the cheapest (if your for total loss). They can wear out the Ceramic Nozzles pretty rapid though (coarse grit). 

I believe Walnut shell is available over here (not cheap), it's effective, gentle and eco friendly.

Plastic or Glass bead usually used and recovered. 

The only drawback is cleaning it out of close or tapering joints.

[KC9KAS 4,741]

ARMEX (Arm & Hammer) soda blast.........http://www.harborfreight.com/50-lbs-medium-grade-armex-soda-blast-media-65929.html

Plastic blast media........http://compomat.com/plastic-blasting-media

Edited September 4, 2013 by KC9KAS

[JimD 3,345]

I used #10 glass bead on some rims and other parts. It works well but don't blast over 60 psi or you'll just be breaking down the media.

[953 nut 55,044]

  Don't know if you have a Harbor Fraight in England, but if you do they have some low priced media blast cabinets and as JimD said I uas glass beads at 50 PSI and have great results and a clean shop.   

[Stigian 1,234]

If you got any coal fired power plants around they may sell or give you some slag material but you would have to screen and crush it yourself.  Just an Idea

 

I like your thinking, I'm always up for recycling stuff.. Unfortunately there are no coal fired power plants anywhere near here.. Cool idea though.

 

 

 

Me no Expert Ian, but familiar with what my 'Blaster' in Lingfield UK uses. Are you planning to use some kind of Cabinet and have a kind of Media Recovery system, or a total Media Loss?.  Various grades of Oxide of Alumina are probably the cheapest (if your for total loss). They can wear out the Ceramic Nozzles pretty rapid though (coarse grit). 

I believe Walnut shell is available over here (not cheap), it's effective, gentle and eco friendly.

Plastic or Glass bead usually used and recovered. 

The only drawback is cleaning it out of close or tapering joints.

 

Morning Richard, I'm planning on using a blasting cabinet which should work out cheaper in the long run rather than a total loss system.

There are a lot of different types and grade of blasting media available in the UK, strangely plastic beads is the hardest one to find.

 

I can live with having to clean media out of tapering joints, it's got to be much easier than cleaning rust/old paint out of the same joint by hand..

 

 

 

ARMEX (Arm & Hammer) soda blast.........http://www.harborfreight.com/50-lbs-medium-grade-armex-soda-blast-media-65929.html

Plastic blast media........http://compomat.com/plastic-blasting-media

 

Thanks for the links, some handy reading there

 

 

 

I used #10 glass bead on some rims and other parts. It works well but don't blast over 60 psi or you'll just be breaking down the media.

 

  Don't know if you have a Harbor Fraight in England, but if you do they have some low priced media blast cabinets and as JimD said I uas glass beads at 50 PSI and have great results and a clean shop.   

 

Thanks guy's, glass beads and about 50psi it is

[Anglo Traction 761]

There are a lot of different types and grade of blasting media available in the UK, strangely plastic beads is the hardest one to find.

 

 

 

Hi Ian , Check this company out, they have what you may be looking for (Avialite Type V ), large choice of media types- http://www.macants.co.uk/

[specialwheelhorse 174]

Aircraft Industry uses glass beads, Worked ten years there.

     The old goof in Texas

[shorts 182]

ground corn cobs are another option here in the Midwest, abrasive enough to clean things but not to hard on the base metal, pretty much environmentally friendly until you figure in the paint removed.