Sand Blast Media - Frame

[Dave C.]

I was going to take my frame to local company that does blasting and Iremember a caution raised for type of media used. They claim that they have a "Black Beauty" fine grade. Is this ok or is there more to check. Also I know that I need to prime soon after blasted how much time do I have?

thanks

[Bill W.]

Re: Sand Blast Media - Frame

Dave, I don't know anything about "black Beauty" grade of sand, but the finer the grade (higher grit number) the more you will like the result. As for how much time you have before the blasted metal begins to rust, that depends on your weather, here in NM I let mine sit for 3 weeks before I could paint it. No problems. Good luck. Bill

[Michael L.]

Re: Sand Blast Media - Frame

Dave, when in doubt, ask to see a piece of steel blasted with their "fine" I use a product in my home blaster called Black Diamond, probably same stuff, mine is 30 grit, pretty aggressive, but still paints well. It does not have the same lung issues related to silica, that is why I use it. The faster you paint, the less surface rust you are removing. As mentioned, humidity is an issue...

Mike

[Mike G.]

Re: Sand Blast Media - Frame

Be careful here. Blasters will use a very aggressive medium to shorten their time unless you've specified exactly what is to be used.
I've used black beauty (which is a slag byproduct as I recall) and it was pretty coarse stuff.

Pressure and distance will affect the surface roughness as well.

Suggest you drop by the blaster and take a look at a job in progress to evaluate the surface finish. If you like it, tell them that's the process you want. You'll probably want something finer.

Just as an FYI, I use 50 grit sand in my pressure pot blaster and it works well. Used about 800 pounds to do my frame, but at a cost of <$50.

[Joe M.]

Re: Sand Blast Media - Frame

OOO sand works great. Got from a rental place but not the same place I rented the tow behind compressor.

Any grit will work but it depends on the size/ pressure of the compressor and the skill of the operator. You can eat up concrete with the finest sand and high pressure.

[Harmon C.]

Re: Sand Blast Media - Frame

If the frame you take them has heavy rust sandblasting won't make it look like new metal no matter what they use. Black Beauty is what I use and it is more aggresive than glass beads so the finish is not as smooth as glass beads but it makes no difference on heavy rust because the surface will be uneven because of the rust. I think the skill of the operator is most important so I would check out the finished work they have ready for pickup before loading up the frame.

[Dave C.]

Re: Sand Blast Media - Frame

Thank you all - I will go by and check grit and review jobs currently in the shop.

[Michael M.]

Re: Sand Blast Media - Frame

BX-40 works very well. It is not as aggresive as BX-30 and not nearly destructive as regular Black Beauty. You can back off a body and take the paint off without damaging the glass if you are use to it. Don`t try on a good body first though if you are not use to the machine. I use mine with a Lindsey 100 pot and 25 cfm compressor. A little slow but I can take my time and not damage anything. Mike