Blasting Media For Sheet Metal

Every other method of stripping is an attempt to get around the major disadvantage of media blasting namely the investment in rather costly equipment.

Blasting media for sheet metal.

It can be found in applications ranging from anti slip surfaces industrial applications as a blasting media and as a raw material in refractories. I use 70 silica or crushed glass 5 nozzle 70psi for most of the vehicle. Media blasting has a variety of uses from removing a layer of paint to deodorizing a countertop to eliminating fire damage. If there isn t a lot of rust on the sheet metal softer abrasives like walnut shell soda blast crushed glass or plastic beads are sometimes used to reduce warping of sheet metal.

For thin metal like old coach style bodies i use 105 or walnut shell and 50psi. Aluminum oxide is another gentle abrasive. However many companies are moving away from sand as a blasting medium for a number of reasons. Steel grit offers a more angular shape and sharper texture.

Crucially it does very little damage to the unmarred metal beneath the rust layer making aluminium oxide an ideal media for blasting thin sheet metal and other relatively fragile metal objects. It s important to understand the different advantages and disadvantages of abrasive types. It can be used to remove rust paint or scale from steel surfaces. There are four properties of abrasives that contribute to profile depth.

With a high pressured system and the right abrasive this process can produce both a cleaning and finishing action for your surfaces. On hoods i tend to lower the pressure to 50psi. In fact aluminum oxide is so gentle that it is used on skin for microdermabrasion. Despite this soft touch however aluminium oxide is more than capable of removing relatively thin coatings of rust on metal components.

Be aware of the danger of using silica. I have 1 body shop and 2 custom shops that i do regular work for. The terms sandblasting and abrasive blasting are sometimes used interchangeably. Size shape hardness and density.

There really isn t a way to get down to bare metal more efficiently than media blasting. I media blast cars. Just one of two of the above suggestions can prevent your sandblaster from warping sheet metal. Aluminum oxide is characterized by its superior hardness and strength.

But if you plan your projects accordingly the money you lay out for equipment now will pay huge.