Blasting Media For Sheet Metal

There are four properties of abrasives that contribute to profile depth.

Blasting media for sheet metal.

With a high pressured system and the right abrasive this process can produce both a cleaning and finishing action for your surfaces. Blast media properties knowing the surface characteristics and the profile depth you need to achieve you are ready to select your abrasive. Despite this soft touch however aluminium oxide is more than capable of removing relatively thin coatings of rust on metal components. But if you plan your projects accordingly the money you lay out for equipment now will pay huge.

Size shape hardness and density. I have 1 body shop and 2 custom shops that i do regular work for. Aluminum oxide is another gentle abrasive. However many companies are moving away from sand as a blasting medium for a number of reasons.

Just one of two of the above suggestions can prevent your sandblaster from warping sheet metal. It s important to understand the different advantages and disadvantages of abrasive types. 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. Steel grit offers a more angular shape and sharper texture.

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. Media blasting has a variety of uses from removing a layer of paint to deodorizing a countertop to eliminating fire damage. Be aware of the danger of using silica.

There really isn t a way to get down to bare metal more efficiently than media blasting. I use 70 silica or crushed glass 5 nozzle 70psi for most of the vehicle. Walnut shell sandblasting media does not blast the metal but for some heavier rust jobs walnut may be too soft to come through. It can be found in applications ranging from anti slip surfaces industrial applications as a blasting media and as a raw material in refractories.

Every other method of stripping is an attempt to get around the major disadvantage of media blasting namely the investment in rather costly equipment. It can be used to remove rust paint or scale from steel surfaces. The terms sandblasting and abrasive blasting are sometimes used interchangeably. Aluminum oxide is characterized by its superior hardness and strength.

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.