All about sandblasting services

Sandblasting which is also commonly referred to as abrasive blasting is a process in which a medium is used to smoothen out or polish a rough surface.  In a world full of machinery and metal parts, rust and corrosion are a common pestilence. Fortunately, sandblasting is a quick and efficient solution to getting these metal parts functioning and looking their optimum best. This process can also be used to prepare surfaces that need repainting.

As its name suggests, abrasive blasting is a process whereby an abrasive material is used to blast through a surface in a bid to make it smooth or remove impurities. A lot of pressure is used to push out the grit and cause the blast to occur. The pressure used to usually determine how fast the process will be and the quality of results.

The term sandblasting was commonly used in the past because sand was the only grit/medium utilized; however, as trends in the metal fabrication industry continued to improve, other types of grits began being utilized. Often the type of medium used in abrasive blasting will determine its type.

Let us look at different types of sandblasting methods:

Steel Grit

In this process, steel grit is used as an abrasive in the removal of paint and rust from steel metals. The use of steel leaves a smooth finish. Steel grit is usually preferred due to its fast cutting nature.

Glass Bead

For a matte and satin finish glass bead sandblasting is best; this is because this grit has very fine materials that polish the surface of the object being sandblasted. This type of abrasive blasting is often utilized on cabinets.

Bristle Blasting

In this type of sandblasting, no separate medium is used. Instead, steel wire bristles are rotated on a surface. This action of rotating aids in the removal of impurities, hence leaving the surface smooth. This method is often used to clean metal surfaces with some form of corrosion.

There are various types of sandblasting including, silicon dioxide, soda, steel, bristles, glass bead and much more. All these different abrasive blasting methods usually use a specific type of grit to achieve the desired results, hence the importance to determine the correct technique to use. For example, if you want to remove old paint from your car so that you can repaint it, consider using the beads abrasive blasting method. This is because beads will delicately remove the surface paint without damaging the vehicles metallic body.