In the world of media basting the choice of supplies can be overwhelming. From your plastics and sands to your metals and glass, the choice of which material to use when cleaning your materials is an important but not necessarily straight forward one. Reading this handy guide will explain the three main materials used in media blasting and describing what the key characteristics’ of each are. Using this guide will hopefully help you gain a clearer understanding about which media blasting supplies will suit your needs best.
Metals
Metal can be one of the most powerful materials to use when blasting, however it often comes with a higher cost and increased danger to yourself and surface integrity. Metal supplies such as steel grit and shot are only used for their extreme cleaning applications, where surface integrity is not a concern. They are often used for improving the surface quality of another metal or stripping an engine. While your softer aluminum oxide type blast offers a wide range of uses, it often causes more injuries to the user and can prove to damage some softer exteriors.
Recommend to use for tougher materials where damage is not a concern.
Organics
Organic materials can be the favorite of many of a blaster, but not always due to their performance. Substances such as corncob and walnut shell grit offer adequate cleaning power for cheap cost, a plus when maintaining your materials on a budget is a must. Using pumice is again for those playing it safe, it offers mild cleaning power but will definitely keep your surface away from any damage. Another nice thought is that organic materials are often better for the environment.
Recommend to use for budget or lighter cleans, or where surface integrity is of prime importance.
Plastics
Plastics come in different types, but unlike using metals and/or organics, plastic can come in many different strengths, size and forms; ranging from a superfine soft clean to a bold, larger plastic with mega cleaning power. The application for plastics are also as varied as the plastic themselves, can be used on anything from stripping paint off walls to cleaning corrosion off vehicles, this material really is the most versatile. Also unlike other media blasting supplies, plastic has been special designed for the job, from the shape and sharpness to the width and gravity; metal and organic products simply are refined to do the job and can show larger variation in quality of one batch.
Recommend for wide range of uses, hard or soft surfaces. Can order to specification.
If you’re looking to acquire some media blasting supplies contact the specialists at OptiBlast. Reach them at (903) 589-0452 of online at http://www.optiblast.com.
