Media Blasting 101

[Damien]

Great thread Jason. One question for you, which grade of Garnet media would you recommend to clean up things like exhaust manifolds and maybe paint removal from suspension and steering parts?
Thanks in advance.

[SuperNovaSS]

Damien,


I'll have to check the numbers on What I have. I have only tried 2 types. One was very fine and worked well but caused a lot of dust. I just ordered a new batch that is more coarse. It works well but seems to leave a more rough finish. Who would have thought?

You may be best to call one of the blasting supply places and get their opinion since they deal with it all the time and you will have to buy the stuff somewhere. I also used a media mix called Starblast that worked pretty well for the type of parts you are asking about.


Jason

[67 442]

Garnet is a fine media but it breaks down fairly fast and the media starts sharp and the edges dull as it is used. I sandblast glass as a hobby and I find aluminum oxide is a superior media as it break down but at a slower rate and as it breaks down it fractures and leaves a sharp edge. 80 grit is a good rust cleaner and 120 works for me with glass.
Excellent topic by the way.

[SuperNovaSS]

I'm not sure if I have used aluminum oxide. I'll give it a "shot".


Thanks for the tip,

Jason

[John Brown]

I have a monument company (headstones and such) that does most of my blasting. They use black aluminum oxide. When new it is very aggressive. I usually wait a week or so after they get new media to have them do any blasting for me because of that. Since those guys have years of blasting experience, they have tricks you or I would never think of. They are also artists that do their own layouts on headstones with sheets of adhesive backed rubber material. These guys come in real handy when you want some decorative blasting done.

[Damien]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: SuperNovaSS</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Damien,


I'll have to check the numbers on What I have. I have only tried 2 types. One was very fine and worked well but caused a lot of dust. I just ordered a new batch that is more coarse. It works well but seems to leave a more rough finish. Who would have thought?

You may be best to call one of the blasting supply places and get their opinion since they deal with it all the time and you will have to buy the stuff somewhere. I also used a media mix called Starblast that worked pretty well for the type of parts you are asking about.


Jason </div></div>

I have found 3 grades, fine, medium and coarse so I am going to try medium with a little lower pressure and see how it goes. Thanks again.

[mockingbird812]

Good post. I recommend moving this to the Garage/Shop section. Good stuff, Jason!

[enio45]

Excellent thread.

I have experienced that cleaning off the parts with a parts washer first if key to keep the media from getting contaminated with grease and dirt material, more than necessary.

Any yes Bruce - turning on the vac (cough, cough) is a good idea!!

[SuperNovaSS]

I agree, cleaning is key. I tried to grab a dirty carb for the pictures so I could show how much difference the plastic makes. I didn't realize it was THAT greasy. I forgot to mention another cool thing about the air bleed system on the bottom of the cabinet. It allows you to run a very small amount of media if you
choose due to its design. That way, if you badly contaminate some media you can simply toss it and it's not a huge waste.


Jason

[m22mike]

Aluminum oxide, and glass, is all I have ever tried. The Aluminum oxide does hold up well. If it is light rust I switch back to glass.

Mike