Blasting Media For Sheet Metal

I use 70 silica or crushed glass 5 nozzle 70psi for most of the vehicle.

Blasting media for sheet metal.

On hoods i tend to lower the pressure to 50psi. I media blast cars. However many companies are moving away from sand as a blasting medium for a number of reasons. 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.

Size shape hardness and density. 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. Steel grit offers a more angular shape and sharper texture.

It can be used to remove rust paint or scale from steel surfaces. Aluminum oxide is characterized by its superior hardness and strength. Walnut shell sandblasting media does not blast the metal but for some heavier rust jobs walnut may be too soft to come through. There are four properties of abrasives that contribute to profile depth.

The terms sandblasting and abrasive blasting are sometimes used interchangeably. There really isn t a way to get down to bare metal more efficiently than media blasting. It s important to understand the different advantages and disadvantages of abrasive types. Just one of two of the above suggestions can prevent your sandblaster from warping sheet metal.

Check out our blast media chart to find the right one for the task at hand. Despite this soft touch however aluminium oxide is more than capable of removing relatively thin coatings of rust on metal components. I have 1 body shop and 2 custom shops that i do regular work for. For thin metal like old coach style bodies i use 105 or walnut shell and 50psi.

In fact aluminum oxide is so gentle that it is used on skin for microdermabrasion. With a high pressured system and the right abrasive this process can produce both a cleaning and finishing action for your surfaces. Every other method of stripping is an attempt to get around the major disadvantage of media blasting namely the investment in rather costly equipment. 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.

Blast media properties knowing the surface characteristics and the profile depth you need to achieve you are ready to select your abrasive.