Abrasive blasting began back in the mid 19th century when the first sand blasting machine was invented in the United States. The process has been used ever since to strip rust, paint, dirt and other contaminants from a wide variety of surfaces and prepare them for coating.

Since its inception, abrasive blasting has evolved to replace the original silica sand it used with a variety of creative materials that are not only healthier for the tradespeople applying them but are equipped to clean and prepare a stunning array of surfaces for painting and other industrial processes. Because abrasive blasting makes use of powerful equipment to clean and prepare surfaces, it far outstrips laborious cleaning methods such as sanding and wire brushing, saving time and money on a large scale.

If you're in need of abrasive blasting services, the first step in embarking on this efficient medium of surface preparation is choosing the right blasting medium for your project. Common media include: 

METAL

  • Aluminum oxide. Grit made from Aluminum oxide is a common choice for cleaning, grinding, and polishing a range of surfaces and preparing them for coating.  

  • White aluminium oxide. Often used to prepare metal for painting, white aluminium oxide offers a sharp abrasive that is long-lasting and reusable.

  • Steel grit: Your best choice when you need to clean foundry metals or prepare steel and other metals for coating.

GLASS

  • Glass beads: If you need to polish and clean metal without changes the subtle dimensions of its surface, glass beads are a reusable medium free from harmful lead and silica.

  • Crushed glass: An eminently environmentally friendly choice manufactured from recycled bottles, glass grit is abrasive enough to strip paint, coal tar, epoxy, polyurea and vinyl.

ACRYLIC

  • Acrylic media: For less abrasive stripping of surfaces that are sensitive, acrylic media is your best choice.

NATURAL MATERIALS

  • Walnut shell: Perfect for projects that require gentle polishing and cleaning, ground walnut shell will not scratch softer surfaces.

  • Pumice: Useful for projects that require a gentle clean, pumice is created from volcanic rock.

  • Corn grit: This biodegradable and organic media is formed from corncobs. It is suitable for removing a diverse range of surface contaminants and is also reusable.

Whatever the demands of your project, abrasive blasting can be adapted to provide what you need. Highly efficient and affordable, the diverse range of blasting media on the market make short work of what was once back-breaking labour.

Share