Today I’m bringing to you a classic example of the high efficiency of the sandblasting technique. See the video to discover how easily is to get rid of heavy rust.

First, invest in quick connect couplers and an inflation kit. Any tools you buy will require the couplers in order to be connected to the air hose, and if your kid’s bicycle tire goes flat or he’s dying to have his brand new pool toy inflated, you’ll be glad you bought the inflation kits.

Have you ever struggled to scrub away stubborn dirt from the wheel well of your car, or laboriously tried to wipe away all the dust and cobwebs from a piece of stored furniture? If so, a blo-gun is what you need to invest in. You’ll be surprised with all the uses you find for your blo-gun. Just be sure never to point it at exposed flesh.

A nail gun is another attachment never to point at exposed flesh; however, if you’re tired of wasting energy banging away with a hammer, let your air compressor do the work for you and invest in a nail gun. You could also use an air hammer or an air drill to do jobs around the house faster and easier.

An air stapler is an energy saving attachment much like the nail gun, and you’ll be surprised at what you can find to staple. Perhaps your roof needs re-shingling? A heavy duty air stapler may be the time-saving convenience that you’re looking for.

If you like to work on cars, an air ratchet wrench or impact wrench can make your job a whole lot easier.

Even if you don’t do body work on automobiles, an air sander and a sandblaster are attachments that can come in handy. Rather than laboriously scraping away old paint chips when you repaint your house, you could save time and the strength in your arm with an air sander or a sandblaster.

Once you start to actually paint your house, a paint gun may be just what you need to cut your labor time in half and improve the quality of your workmanship.

As you can tell by the aforementioned examples, air compressors start to look a lot less daunting and a lot more promising when you realize the time and energy they can save you if you invest in a few handy attachments.

Dry sandblast cleaning is a relatively new method of cleaning recently built masonry, In spite the system has been used for many years in masonry restoration work.

Most experts prefer sandblasting over conventional wet (acid) cleaning because of possible adverse acid reactions with certain types of brick. Other designers are reluctant to permit sandblast cleaning from fear the blasting will erode the face of the brick and mortar joints. Nevertheless, with a qualified operator, proper specifications and good job inspection, sandblasting bricks is as good as any other system and is sometimes superior in many ways.

This is my recommended procedure for Sandblasting bricks:

• Wait for mortar to harden. Brickwork should be completely dry and at least seven days old, preferably 14 days.
• Remove all large mortar particles with hand tools before blasting. Use wooden paddle, the rough edge of a brick, or metal scrape hoe. Chisels may be used if necessary to remove hardened mortar or concrete. This “pre-cleaning” is a very important part of sandblast cleaning. Sandblast operator would irreparably damage wall if large droppings are left for him to remove by blasting.
• Provide adequate protection for all non-masonry surfaces adjacent to work areas, Use plastic sheeting and duct tape to protect windows, doors, etc. If possible, painting, caulking, etc. should be done after sandblast operation is completed.
• When all surfaces are prepared and protected, the operator can begin a first test cleaning.

Dry ice blasting (also known as CO2 blasting) is a relatively new cleaning process using solid CO2 pellets. It is primarily used for industrial use in a variety of applications. The pellets sublimate (convert directly from a solid blast pellet to a vapor (CO2) leaving no residue. The process is superior to sand blasting, glass bead blasting and other types of cleaning methods for numerous reasons.

Today, the dry ice method of cleaning is quickly becoming favored for environmental as well as production reasons. Because of tremendous environmental regulations, industry has needed to minimize wastes. Also, there is a growing consciousness that many are placing now on the global environmental impact of their production practices. However, these benefits are accentuated due to the tremendous performance gains through dry ice blasting — little or no production downtime, quality of clean and minimized damaged to equipment.

What Is Dry Ice?

Dry ice pellets are made by taking liquid carbon dioxide (CO2) from a pressurized storage tank and expanding it at ambient pressure to produce snow. The snow is then compressed through a die to make hard pellets.

The Process

With the dry ice blasting process, dry ice (CO2) particles are propelled to supersonic speed impacting and cleaning a surface. The particles are accelerated by compressed air, just as with other blasting methods. Overall, there are three steps involved in dry ice blasting.

Step #1 - Energy Transfer

Dry ice pellets are propelled out of the blasting gun at supersonic speed and impact the surface. The energy transfer knocks off the contaminant without abrasion. The force of this impact is the primary means of cleaning.

Step #2 - Micro-Thermal Shock

The cold temperature of the dry ice pellets hitting the contaminant creates a micro-thermal shock (caused by the dry ice temperature of -109F) between the surface contaminant and the substrate. Cracking and delamination of the contaminant occurs furthering the elimination process.

Step #3 - Gas Pressure

The final phase has the dry ice pellet explode on impact, and as the pellet warms it converts to a harmless CO2 gas, which expands rapidly underneath the contaminant surface. This forces off the contaminant from behind. The contaminant is then relocated, typically falling to the ground. Since the dry ice evaporates, only the contaminant is left for disposal.

But now a company called TechnoLines is unveiling its latest laser-scribing system, which features a patented method for creating a worn look typically associated with sandblasting.

This OH-based firm invented the TechnoBlast technology in 1997, and since then has worked to improve and protect the intellectual property rights related to its laser-based scribing process and the software system that drives it. Last year, the U.S. patent office issued three patents to TechnoLines related to TechnoBlast. As of press time, two additional patents had been granted, and several others were pending.

This system incorporates a software program for designing the desired worn look, and a computer-driven laser that simulates the sandblasting process. The designer can use the software to select the placement of a worn section; determine the degree and shape of the worn area; and create unique abrasion patterns to be scribed onto the denim garment in a matter of seconds. For example, TechnoBlast can be used to create the popular feathered abraded look, in which whisker-like lines are scribed onto certain parts of the garment to simulate a worn-in look.

Historically, the material used for artificial sandblasting was sand that had been sieved to a uniform size. Sand used to be the most commonly used material, but since silicosis (a lung disease) is caused by extended inhalation of the dust created by sand, other materials are now used in its place.

Other materials for sandblasting have been developed to be used instead of sand; for example, steel grit, steel shots, copper slag, glass beads (bead blasting), metal pellets, dry ice, garnet, powdered abrasives of various grades, powdered slag, and even ground coconut shells or corncobs, walnut shells, Baking Soda have been used for specific applications and can produce distinct surface finishes.

This is just a small introduction to the sandblasting process. If you want to explore more advanced information just click below for:

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  Sandblasting Equipment
   
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  Sandblast Materials
   
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  Sandblasting Tips
   
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  Questions About Sandblasting

Question: “We have just purchased a horse trailer. It is steel and has some rust on the roof and other parts of the trailer. We want to sand it down and repaint it and are looking at sandblasting. Ebay has a “sand blasting gun” that you hook to a 5HP compessor, would this work to lightly remove the paint and rust? We are then going to prime it and then put an enamal auto paint, probably white b/c we think it might be more forgiving then a darker color, my dad owns a spray gun.

The local body shops are charging $500, we don’t really care how long it takes, but cannot afford that…

Answer: I have done my fair share of sandblasting .. if the spots are really big .. i would say just talk the trailer to a company that sandblast large items . get them to blast the entire trailer .. the you can fix any holes , prime and repaint trailer will look good as new. when you use a portable baster you use a lot of sand and a 5 horse power compressor will not be able to keep up with the demand of air for more than 5 to 10 minutes at a time. unless it is a small area .. it will take you weeks and cost a lot ..
it also makes a big mess will sand flying everywhere. Also you have to have a proper clothes ..it can be a big problem. In most cases the money you think you will save by doing it yourself , will turn out to cost you twice as much as you think your saving.

If you can’t find some one in the yellow pages that blast large items, then contact your local auto body shops. They will know of someone for sure.

Concerning the color; yes the lighter the color the less it shows. Also white will be cooler for the horses. Dark colors draw and build a lot of heat.. If you want to add a little color do it on the sides if you must but paint the top white; the horses will be grateful…

Read more at:

http://news.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?z=2&a=323380

Meanwhile Dry Ice Blasting offers faster, environmentally sound way to clean.

Dry ice blasting uses compressed air to shoot dry ice pellets to clean in a way similar to sandblasting, but with some major differences. It can clean heavy duty machinery, yet can be gentle enough to clean books. It doesn’t require as much disassembly so less down time is needed.

Read More at:

http://www.deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,635211664,00.html

First we need to diferentiate between materials to be sandblasted and materials used to sandblast.

1) Materials suitable to be sandblasted.

Glass, stone, metals, wood and plastics steel, brass, aluminum, pewter, silver, etc. In general, most materials be sandblasted except for diamond which is harder than all sandblasting media. Stone is regularly sandblasted as a way to create gravestones and memorials. Metal is sandblasted to remove rust and sharp edges or as a way to enhance adhesion of coatings and adhesives. Wood and brick is sandblasted to remove years of paint, oil and dirt and to produce a clean surface for staining and painting. Certain types of plastic can be sandblasted for decorative effects, but the work has to be done very carefully, as the plastic can be much softer than the abrasive and will wear away quickly.

2) Materials to sandbast.

By mixing air under pressure with a hard, particulate abrasive or media, material can be slowly abraded or worn away by directing the abrasive stream onto the surface of the material. The longer the abrasive stream is held in one spot, the more material will be removed. Moving the nozzle closer to the surface decreases the area being blasted, and increases the rate of material removal. By moving further away, the area increases and the rate of removal decreases. If the nozzle is held very close to the material, a hole can be abraded through the surface very quickly.

Among the abrasive media or materials used to sandblast we can find:

• Sand – Single use. Lowest cost at <$0.05/lb.
• Aluminum Oxide – Lasts 30-40 x over sand. Creates static charge. Moderate cost at $1.00/lb
• Silicon Carbide – Lasts at least 40-50 x over sand. Highest cost at $1.60/lb Cuts faster than AO, wears hoses and nozzles faster, has no static charge, and fractures leaving sharp edges vs. rounding of AO.
• Garnet
• Glass Beads
• Black Magic
• Walnut Shells
• Plastic Pellets

I have an outdoor iron rocking chair that I’m looking to get repainted. Unfortunately, it is so rusty that I’m thinking sandblasting the rust (and old paint) off is the way to go (at least for preparing the chair for new paint).

How much should it cost?

Where would I get it done?

Are there sandblasting specialists?

The chair is all iron, approx. 4′x4′x4′

Response:

You might inquire at an automotive body shop,one that paints cars,as they most likely have a sandblaster. At the most you will pay the hourly shop rate or maybe one of the guys will do it on the side(after work,of course) and save you a few dolars.