Blasting advice

I don’t reuse media. The juice isn’t worth the squeeze imho. I think I pay $7 for a 50 pound bag at Northern Tool. How much time to scoop and screen the media? Then the inevitable clogs that need to be cleared.

Don

I can give you a time Don :)..... I shoot out of a 5 gallon pail and it takes me about 5 minutes to sweep the majority in to a pile then I have a screening system that just sits over the 5 gallon pail and I shovel it into the screen. Super easy and a 50 lb bag can last all day. By the time I am through the 5 gallon pail I want out from under that hood for a bit to clean the glass and let the compressor have a short break.
 
I can give you a time Don :)..... I shoot out of a 5 gallon pail and it takes me about 5 minutes to sweep the majority in to a pile then I have a screening system that just sits over the 5 gallon pail and I shovel it into the screen. Super easy and a 50 lb bag can last all day. By the time I am through the 5 gallon pail I want out from under that hood for a bit to clean the glass and let the compressor have a short break.
You are a better man than me Jim! I’m just too damn lazy and I find it more than enough work as it is without reusing media. I’ll gladly spend an extra couple of hundred dollars to make a miserable job less miserable.

Don
 
I can give you a time Don :)..... I shoot out of a 5 gallon pail and it takes me about 5 minutes to sweep the majority in to a pile then I have a screening system that just sits over the 5 gallon pail and I shovel it into the screen. Super easy and a 50 lb bag can last all day. By the time I am through the 5 gallon pail I want out from under that hood for a bit to clean the glass and let the compressor have a short break.
speeds it up a little if you blast on a tarp, then its just getting it together faster. Just the cheap bags of the black stuff at a home center is not a sand that is really meant to be used over and over anyway. Its figuing you are blasting graffiti off a brick wall and giving the sand back to nature.
 
With crushed glass, you can reuse it but it does continue to break down until its a fine dust and doesn't cut anymore.
The coal slag from Tractor Supply is $10 a bag and that I normally use outside and don't reuse.

The GTX was blasted with crushed glass as can be seen on the floor where I swept it up. It produces a nice finish for epoxy.
Left Inner Fender.JPG


I used coal slag on this fender on the '69 Chevy C-10 and you can see the finish is not as nice:
Fender Right Media Blasted.JPG


The epoxy when on fine though:
Fender Right in Epoxy 1.JPG
 
Crushed glass is not supposed to be reused due to the silica in the glass, But yeah, start with somewhere around 20, it explodes becomes 40, then 60 before turning into glass beads. Start out too fine and its one and done.
 
What do you guys like to use? Coal slag then starblast?

Tractor supply has Coal slag $10/50lb (red bag, fine) various size granules, pretty dusty but seems to work ok for sheet metal so far.

Surfaceprep sells Crushed glass 40/70 grit $10/50lb and Garnet 80 grit $18/55lb

Port Warner (distributor) sells Star blast $14.88/50lb (loose blend of coarse and fine staurolite sands that are well-graded and have clean, rounded to sub-angular surfaces)
https://www.chemours.com/en/-/media...l-starblast-and-starblast-xl-product-info.pdf

Would you say crushed glass and starblast are the least hazardous and preferred media?
 
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Thanks Chris, I did notice a difference coming at it straight on for sure. I'm looking forward to the next decent day I can put all this good advice in to practice.

Add far as stepping up the media, I do have some black beauty from tractor supply. However I've been trying to err on the side of caution. I'll see how dialing in the blaster with the crushed glass goes first.
Rob, did you take a picture after blasting again?
 
What do you guys like to use? Coal slag then starblast?

Tractor supply has Coal slag $10/50lb (red bag, fine) various size granules, pretty dusty but seems to work ok for sheet metal so far.

Surfaceprep sells Crushed glass 40/70 grit $10/50lb and Garnet 80 grit $18/55lb

Port Warner (distributor) sells Star blast $14.88/50lb (loose blend of coarse and fine staurolite sands that are well-graded and have clean, rounded to sub-angular surfaces)
https://www.chemours.com/en/-/media...l-starblast-and-starblast-xl-product-info.pdf

Would you say crushed glass and starblast are the least hazardous and preferred media?
I use Black Diamond coal slag I get at Northern Tool for around $7 per bag. Dusty as heck, it used to be washed but no longer. I use it because it’s easy to get and cheap since I don’t reuse media.

Don
 
I was not real happy with starblast, but I am just too impatient. Coal slag, real coal slag is not dusty at all. I think glass is at least twice as dusty as coal slag until you start spraying off what you have stripped off already. Thats why the mobile blasters use it with water. I did make an hour trip to get the coal slag from the closest tractor supply and it was not the coarse I am used to using, but is definitely the fastest in my opinion. Just gets sold many ways. You go to a menards and they call it black blast, its black sand with metal bits in it to add some bite, but not coal slag.

God bless you if you are patient enough to use star blast. I wont argue the beautiful finish, but not a quick answer.
 
What air compressor and sand blaster do you use?
It takes me a couple hours to sand blast a few parts with my set up...20 gallon air compressor at 60psi, 40lb sandblaster with deadman valve, fine black Diamond coal slag, using a large tarp in the backyard to collect and reuse. I use the entire tank (40lbs) in a couple hours. I frequently have to wait for the compressor to bring it back up to 60psi.
I suppose what you don’t pay in dollars you pay in time.
 
What air compressor and sand blaster do you use?
It takes me a couple hours to sand blast a few parts with my set up...20 gallon air compressor at 60psi, 40lb sandblaster with deadman valve, fine black Diamond coal slag, using a large tarp in the backyard to collect and reuse. I use the entire tank (40lbs) in a couple hours. I frequently have to wait for the compressor to bring it back up to 60psi.
I suppose what you don’t pay in dollars you pay in time.
I use an 80 gallon compressor and a similar blaster with a 3/16 nozzle. No way do I get two hours out of a tank. More like 20 minutes. Maybe you should increase the media flow rate.

20 gallons is too small for media blasting imho.

Media blasting is the most miserable job I do when doing my builds. I burn through media to minimize the time spent. Would farm it out but it’s a huge time waster.

Don
 
I am currently stripping powdercoat off aluminum parts, the coal slag is powdered, I throw in some of the DHEA plastic media you use to remove clear powder from factory rims without needing to repolish and its blowing off the powder easily.

Wont do a thing for rust, but put another hole thru the glove with plastic and it earns some respect.
 
I use an 80 gallon compressor and a similar blaster with a 3/16 nozzle. No way do I get two hours out of a tank. More like 20 minutes. Maybe you should increase the media flow rate.

20 gallons is too small for media blasting imho.

Media blasting is the most miserable job I do when doing my builds. I burn through media to minimize the time spent. Would farm it out but it’s a huge time waster.

Don
Had a fairly new TIP pressure pot blaster, last time I used it was on the front frame and underhood of my TR6, 18 hour marathon one weekend in 100 degree temps with a zoot suit on, but it had to be done. Dealing with relentless humidity and clogs, got through on a sunday and on monday I took the blaster to a junk dealer friend and gave it to him. Swore off blasting forever, never again, I'll gladly pay for blasting now.
 
Had a fairly new TIP pressure pot blaster, last time I used it was on the front frame and underhood of my TR6, 18 hour marathon one weekend in 100 degree temps with a zoot suit on, but it had to be done. Dealing with relentless humidity and clogs, got through on a sunday and on monday I took the blaster to a junk dealer friend and gave it to him. Swore off blasting forever, never again, I'll gladly pay for blasting now.
Not sure what they charge for blasting in your area but here it's not cheap - $75/hour and up.
 
Of the last three guys I tried to hire to help me, not one of them lasted a whole day. They all quit when they found out it was actually work!
Working for me as a helper in my shop is not something I would wish on my worst enemy... LOL

When my wife lost her job due to Covid she wanted to help me out in the shop. I declined her offer to save the marriage... :>)

Don
 
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