SandBlasting Equipments & Supplies

Many of my readers ask me about sandblasting, but one of the main questions is:

Can I Do Sandblasting Myself?

The easy answer here is no. Of course, with the proper training and experience anyone can master the skill of sand blasting, but for your average homeowner, this is a task best left to the professional.

The process comes with its share of potential hazards. Besides the danger inherent in grits of sand being shot out of a gun at high pressure, this cleaning method can also cause respiratory problems if the practitioner doesn’t take the proper precautions.

The fine silica dust that is a consequence of propelling sand and other materials against rough surfaces at high velocities can accumulate in the lungs over time and cause silicosis. That being the case, only perform sandblasting tasks in a ventilated area while wearing protective suits and the proper respiratory equipment.

Well, folks this is a rational response but my friend Eric is working in a sandblasting information product. This product will be available very soon. And it will allow anyone to properly sandblast your projects without potential hazards and doing a professional work.

I’ll keep you informed.

If you have a sandblaster or are thinking of getting one, you can do more with it than just clean parts and old surfaces. With a little creativity you can use it as a glass etching craft. Sandblasting glass has been becoming a very interesting art or craft for many people today. It allows you to abrade areas of a glass in the shape of a design which reveals a frosted image. The area that is sandblasted gets chipped lightly on the surface of the glass. It depends on the grit of the abrasive, so the finer the grit the smoother the frosted image in the glass becomes. Most glass etchers desire a fine grit at about 100 and finer.

In order to frost the design into the glass, you need to create a stencil that will resist and protect the areas that you don?t want frosted. Most people start with a pattern and trace it on the stencil resist material and then cut it out with a razor blade or exacto knife. But there are many more advanced ways to do this also since technology today has becoming more advanced. Once the stencil is cut out and glues on the glass, you can begin sandblasting. There are two types of sandblasters that you can use for this. You can use a pressure pot or a siphon sandblaster to etch glass, but you can usually do more artistic etchings with a pressure pot. Since a pressure pot has much more blasting power, you can etch an image into the glass, formally known as sandcarving. This will allow you to carve an image in a 3 dimensional form. It is then looked at from the backside of the glass because it reveals the sculptured like image best on that side.

If you have a siphon sandblaster, you can create cool glass items also. Most people have a siphon sandblaster since it is a lot cheaper to buy. This is fine to etch glass lightly on the surface. Either way, both sandblasters will allow you to create personalized etchings into your glass piece outlined by your stencil.

Overall this process allows you to create permanently etched glass designs without the need of an expensive laser engraver. But like I said, the pressure pot sandblaster lets you create amazing glass artworks that no other machine will let you. So there you have it, you can do a lot more with your sandblaster than just clean up old parts or buildings.