Everyone is always wandering what kind of sand does a sandblaster use. Well there is a lot of different kinds of sand used for different sandblasting applications. Most people automatically think that regular play sand is the abrasive media used, but it actually is the least recommend for a few reasons.
It is very cheap but it has dangerous risks involved because it can cause a lung disease called silicosis. Since sand is mainly composed of silica, it is the most dangerous. Another reason it isn’t used much anymore is because it also wears out quicker. Other abrasive media is used for sandblasters because it can be recycled inside your sandblasting cabinet.
Since play sand has these huge and risky disadvantages, most people choose some of the other sandblaster media mentioned. There is a list of the most popular types used for sandblasters. To help you choose even more, it really depends on your application. The harder the media is the faster and easier it is to remove tougher grime off your substrate.
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i am tryin to sand blast paint off of jeep rims from world war 2 used in africa and they have abrasive or scrath resistent paint on them and im usin 80 psi and a green sand that costs $160 a pound or bag and im use to soda blasting but never used any thing heavier in grain than this green silica sand and im wondering if its calcium carbide or what? and this most have silica in it sometimes i get slightly sick from it to
Hi Jeff, I am not sure what type of abrasive that is. But if its making you sick- please do yourself a favor and stop using it. Its more serious than you think it is. Just about every abrasive will release some silica. Abrasive like sand is the worst or the highest levels of silica. At least use some good respirators.
right now we sand blast holes in rocks(sand stone and Red lava)for the Aquariums. we drill a small hole first. we are using a sand blasting sand but i need to find some a little better and not to expense. the sand and will last for several cycles.
the sand right now only last maybe 2 times then its a powder and does not do the job.
Hi.iam trying to just take the first coat of paint off of a frame and I dont want to goto bare metal what do I use I have no clue never done it before
Motar sand
@ Austin, if its body work related, I would just use a DC sander.
So how can I reuse sandblasting media not used in a blasting cabinet?
@Romell, I lay down a tarp and sweep it up. I also created these plans which shows how to make a on-site sandblaster. It basically uses a vacuum system to recollect the abrasive. See here: https://www.sandblasterinfo.com/sandblaster-manual/on-site-plans/
Reading through the replies, I think there is confusion as to mediums used in blasting stuff (in a cabinet or out is free air both. The medium is rated in two groups which are cutting and cleaning mediums. Cutting, as you might think, actually can take material away from the subject items (take paint off and score the material being blasted too). Cleaning medium as you might recognize, removes foreign material (paint, old oil, rust, etc), but does not harm the item itself. There are times each of these times is good to address such as to repaint a fender would necessitate cutting into the metal (etching) so that it will hold the new paint coat as a good example. Cleaning rust stains off a hydraulic RAM is a good example of using a cleaning medium instead of a cutting one.
Examples of cutting medium are sand, any rock material (think sand paper). Cleaning examples are soda, nut shells, glass beads (think powder or polishing mediums). Cutting medium tends to be harder materials as opposed to cleaning mediums which tend to be softer and somewhat plastid as to how both groups react to their impact characteristics.
Each medium has a “hardness” rating which basically means the harder it is, the more it will break apart when it impacts on the target.. This means more dust and collateral damages. The medium depends on the project and the goals intended in other words. This little post is too small to go into the specifics of each medium and what it can provide, but some mechanical characteristics need to be paid attention to including speed of delivery (CFMs), size of particles (how big of a wallop), hardness of medium (what speed and force needed to shatter medium particles).
Compressors need to be measured as well so that the air is not too wet, and the proper CFM is delivered in context to each medium’s needs… I have found that personally 12CFM is the bare minimum air needed to do any blasting work of any kind… and around 23-24 is ideal for most normal actions. In terms of reusing the medium.. well basically when you make a lot of dust, it means you are over-stressing the medium in use and reuse will be limited: I have found reuse is from 2X to 6X based on how brittle the material and the rounding of the corners of the particles become (think of stones rolling around in a creek or ocean getting rounder and rounder.. they will not cut any longer, right?)
I hope this can give a little background and information as to what the mediums actually are and their use from a high level view. Let me know if you have any questions on this topic and I will try to answer for you the best that I can..
What type of sand is used for wet blasting pavers with a pressure washer. I have the nozzle set up.
Hi, im wanting to Sand blast stucco and paint off of cinder block. from the interior of an old house. To prepare for demolition. What type of sand is safe to use?
@Tony Henry, I am not sure what the perfect abrasive would be but I would suggest looking into crushed glass or something similar.
Hi, I want to sandblast my front gates. they are too big to take off and send away. What sand should i use? thank you.
Hi. I need to sandblast small mobility scooter alloy wheels. I have recently bought a sandblasting cabinet and have no experience in using it yet. Has anyone done a similar job and what grade of sand/grit did you use? Thanks.
what would I use to sandblast paint off of an old radiator. I want to take it all off..it has many layers of paint. Thanks for any help.
Has anyone used cement for blasting ?
I would like to blast my grill on the inside, what kind of sand should I use and can I recycle the used Sand? Thanks Rick
I need to get peeling paint off a set of plantation shutters, would sandblasting do the job?