sandblasting abrasive

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Well I will be getting a siphon feed sand blaster from home depot on the weekend, with the plans to turn it into a PA blaster. Now this will mainly be used for removing rust and paint from salvaged steel, outside, so I want the abrasive to be as cheep as possible. I know all about the hazards or silica, but I have a high end 3M resperator, and I am wondering if that will make it safe. If not, the local tool store has crushed glass abrasive for about $10 for 50#, how well does that stuff work?Deereman75 from TBNLincoln electric AC225SBlueshield O/A torchSmiths aircraft torchCH 3HP 220V air compressorlots of power toolslongevity stickweld 250
Reply:if out side i would suggest using a cheap sand screened for sand blasting unless you make a stop to catch and reuse your materiali own both cabinet and bucket type sand braster. silica sand in cabinet and and cheap sand out side it blows every where and COVER UP anything you don't want a dust on or inBUY a hood protect your face and handsi would shy away from glass  big blasters are using walnut shellsidealarc 250/250 ac-dc tigidealarc 250/250 ac-dc tig #2 used for sticklincoln sp100hh125dual arbor grinder polisher30 yrs of hand tools52 pitch blocks 6p-26prake gauge -pitch gaugeG&D prop repair 918-207-6938Hulbert,okla 74441
Reply:for outside blasting like that, I'd recommend some form of PAPR.  I've done it with a full gas mask and those will actually clog up relatively quickly (3-4 hours of blasting maybe before the cartridges start clogging up).  The PAPR is the safest and the proper way to do it...just also expensive new and hard to find used.--Wintermute"No man's knowledge here can go beyond his experience." - John Lockewww.improvised-engineering.comManufacturer Agnostic:Blood----------Sweat---------Tears----|------------------|----------------|----Lincoln Red, Miller Blue, Esab Yellow
Reply:We use the glass beads in a glove box type of blast cabinet. Works pretty well.
Reply:agree glass in cabinet --not out sideidealarc 250/250 ac-dc tigidealarc 250/250 ac-dc tig #2 used for sticklincoln sp100hh125dual arbor grinder polisher30 yrs of hand tools52 pitch blocks 6p-26prake gauge -pitch gaugeG&D prop repair 918-207-6938Hulbert,okla 74441
Reply:Outside = Soda
Reply:Originally Posted by wintermutefor outside blasting like that, I'd recommend some form of PAPR.  I've done it with a full gas mask and those will actually clog up relatively quickly (3-4 hours of blasting maybe before the cartridges start clogging up).  The PAPR is the safest and the proper way to do it...just also expensive new and hard to find used.--Wintermute
Reply:Ohh, one thing to think about with soda outside is that it will kill every plant in the area of where you are blasting...this is great if you're blasting around the blackberrys you haven't been able to get rid of...but really bad if it's on your lawn --Wintermute"No man's knowledge here can go beyond his experience." - John Lockewww.improvised-engineering.comManufacturer Agnostic:Blood----------Sweat---------Tears----|------------------|----------------|----Lincoln Red, Miller Blue, Esab Yellow
Reply:Originally Posted by wintermuteOhh, one thing to think about with soda outside is that it will kill every plant in the area of where you are blasting...this is great if you're blasting around the blackberrys you haven't been able to get rid of...but really bad if it's on your lawn --Wintermute
Reply:Originally Posted by wroughtironHmm maby I should soda blast my neighbours yard, all his black berrys and weeds are growing into my yard.
Reply:i can't recommend a good respirator to use because anyone you get will be a pain in the butt having to change filters constantly if you are doing much blasting.  but then again with the blaster you are buying you won't be doing much blasting as opposed to the amount of time you will be doing it. i use a 700lb pressure feed pot with a Bullard air feed hood hooked up to a charcoal filter multi stage stand alone filter (looks like a fire hydrant) hooked up to the 250cfm IR rotary comp that i use for blasting. i use this rarely anymore because the EPA in Ca is a real bitch. i found out that it is not a real good idea to threaten to rearrange an inspectors facial features with a quick blast on the bail of a deadman. i use pretty much wet blasting anymore. no dust, no drift over the neighbors house a 1/4 mile away, no dust to attract bureaucrats. just have to force dry the steel when done. for economics use silica blast sand bought in 100lb sacks at your home depot.  do not try the cheap playground sand as it is not sized and is wet and will not feed. they probably only sell it in #30 grit. if you plan to reuse it a rule of thumb is 10 grit smaller with each reuse. #30 will become #40-#50-#60- etc. anything over about 60 grit is good for only polishing. get some #30 mesh to screen your reuse sand or you will hate yourself  because of plugged nozzles. also if the blaster you are getting uses ceramic nozzles they will enlarge to the next size in a very short time (1-2 hrs) so buy a good supply. i use carbide that last 100's of hours unless i screw up and drop it on a hard surface  as said before buy at least a cheap blast hood to cover your whole head and face and make sure it has a replaceable lens and get a good supply of them and use the respirator under it. safety glasses or a grinding face shield are very poor substitutes as eye and skin removal hurts far worse than rust or paint removal. just remember it can take only a few minutes of breathing the unfiltered dust to at minimum with a good pair of lungs to come down with pneumonia and it only gets worse. been there done that.225NT bobcatAEAD200LEScott 125mm175, mm252 w 30A, PT225mm211, TA 181iHyper Therm 380, cut master 529100X & XX, Digital Elite6 Victor setssmith little torch, meco midget kalamazoo band sawsteel max saw evoulution circular saw
Reply:Originally Posted by wroughtironHmm maby I should soda blast my neighbours yard, all his black berrys and weeds are growing into my yard.
Reply:Ok.. based on all the criteria you have mentioned.... use sandblasting sand outdoors and put a fan so that all the dust goes away from you.  Line up so that the prevailing winds are going the same way your fan will be trying to blow the dust also...Weldandpower Lincoln 225 AC,DC with Briggs 16hp gas engine.WW2 era Miller TIG.
Reply:Ok I tested out the blaster today, and it works well. I dont have a blast hood yet, But I will get one on the weekend before I blast again. The local home depot doesnt carry sandblasting abrasives, so I just used dry playground sand, and it worked well. (this stuff was bone dry, and sifted) I will try to find a sandblasting supply store, and get proper silica sand. I also need to get an air dryer, that would make it work better. Also, my compressor seems pleanty big, it was only running about half the time. It worked OK as a siphon blaster, but I think I will turn it into a PA blaster, because it doesnt flow constantly, it sort of pulses.Deereman75 from TBNLincoln electric AC225SBlueshield O/A torchSmiths aircraft torchCH 3HP 220V air compressorlots of power toolslongevity stickweld 250
Reply:Do not use sand with silica in it.www.tjsperformance.comDynasty 300 DXHTP 240HTP Microcut 380Hyperthem 85JD2 Hyd Bender and HF Hyd Ring Roller all in one =(Frankenbender)Bpt. Mill/DRO4' x 8' CNC Plasma TableInstagram: tjsperformanceYT: TJS Welding and Fabrication
Reply:You should be able to get "black sand" for blasting.  It is common in western Canada as it comes from the Grand forks area of the Kootenays.  It is glass based so it does not break into silica dust like white sand which in many areas is outlawed.
Reply:Originally Posted by socoj2Outside = Soda
Reply:If you are going to be blasting a lot then you need a blasting hood with an air feed. Yeah it is hot but it will protect you no matter what you use. As for abrasive you can never beat silica sand, however aluminum oxide is very close, I'm not sure about the crushed glass but I would imagine that it is close to the silica sand. Keep in mind that it being glass does not make it silica free, in fact glass is made from silica sand so it may be just as harmful should you breathe it.
Reply:My buddy uses some type of sand outside, just never asked him what kind. I like steel shot in the booth, works way better then the silica sand they forced us to try once. Steel shot  probably costs way more than sand.  The sand did make a smoother finish than the steel shot we were using at the time though, just took about 3 times longer.
Reply:I have used crushed glass(not glass bead) and it works good.It is not supposed to emit free silica like silica sand.I would not trust a respirator to filter our free silica.......if in doubt try and find a respiartor that lists being ok for sand blasting.The one thing you did not mention is air compressor capacity.My 7.5 hp 2 stage will let me blast a fair amount of time and I still have to use a small orfice to keep air volume down.
Reply:if you're going to do this outside,get a $60 hydro blast attachment for a pressure washer.it's a lot more aggressive due to the higher pressure.no dust from whatever sand you choose to use.just have to wipe off the water and then oil it if not using right away.northern tool might still sell the unit.miller thunderbolt 250vlincoln square wave tig 175 prolincoln idealarc mig sp250everlast tig 210EXTeverlast power plasma 50chicago electric (hf) 130 tig/90 arcchicago electric 90 amp flux wire3 sets oxy/acet