How to choose sand/media for your project?

sand/media for sandblasting

How to choose sand/media for your project? Discover what types of sand are used in the process and which will work best on various surfaces.

When considering a sandblasting project, the first thing you need to do is select the right abrasive. If you're new to sandblasting, the array of abrasives available on the market can be overwhelming. Each with its own set of advantages and disadvantages. We'll discuss some of the most common types of abrasives and their applications. Let's get started!

Aluminum Oxide:
* Widely used
* Used for various materials- metal, glass, granite, marble, steel.
* Surface preparation & paint stripping.
- Mesh sizes: 12-325
- Hardness: 9 MOHS
- Shape: Angular/ Sub angular
Brown aluminum oxide (ALOX) abrasive is a highly pure sandblasting material with various applications due to its impressive qualities. It is frequently utilized in high-performance microdermabrasion sandblasting equipment. One of its key advantages is its recyclability, making it a cost-effective option. Unlike sand, aluminum oxide is considered safer and delivers a smoother finish thanks to its consistent particle size. One of the prominent uses of brown aluminum oxide abrasive is in the automotive and aircraft industries. It is commonly employed for turbine blades, valves, pistons, and engine heads. This abrasive is valued for its hardness, as it can effectively cut deeper into surfaces. Such capability is particularly beneficial when preparing a surface for coating, such as in the case of painting. Its ability to enhance adhesion makes it a popular choice in coating applications. Overall, the uses of brown aluminum oxide (ALOX) abrasive span a wide range of industries. Its presence in sandblasting equipment, along with its recyclability, cost-effectiveness, and ability to deliver smoother finishes, makes it a preferred choice for various applications, including surface preparation and coating.
Soda:
* Remove contaminants without damaging the underlying substrate.
* Used for material: plastics, wood, Chrome, Mold.
Coal Slag / Aluminum Silicate:
* "Green" abrasive.
* Low-dust
* Remove rust, paint, weathered coatings, and scale from steel and concrete.
- Mesh sizes: 12-80
- Hardness: 6-7.5 MOHS
- Shape: Angular
Crushed Glass:
* Used in profiling and removal of coatings and surface contamination.
* Clean steel, aluminum, wood, concrete, stone, and fiberglass substrates.
* Can be used to open air blast around navigable water.
- Mesh sizes: 30-325
- Hardness: 5-6 MOHS
- Shape: Angular
Staurolite:
* Low dust
* Ideal for removing scale and corrosion from steel surfaces.
* Used in storage tank & tower construction, structural & plate steel blasting, and steel fabrication.
- Mesh sizes: 12 -120
- Hardness: 7.0-7.5 MOHS
- Shape: Sub rounded
Glass Beads
* Removal of burrs, rust, paint, dirt, grease, scale and carbon build-up.
* Used in the process to polish soft metals. Such as cast iron, stainless steel, aluminum, brass, plastic, wood, and fiberglass.
* Excellent choice for applications that require a softer, brighter finish.
- Mesh sizes: 60-120
- Hardness: 5.0 – 6.0 Average MOHS
- Shape: ball shapes
Glass bead blasting media is a versatile material commonly employed for sandblasting due to its numerous applications. When used in this process, glass beads are effective in several tasks such as deburring, cleaning, peening, finishing, brightening, preparing surfaces for coating, and removing cosmetic flaws. Their adaptability is remarkable, as they can be used on a wide range of materials including stainless steel, plastic, and various other materials. In addition to their flexibility, glass beads offer several advantages when used as blasting media in sandblasting. Notably, they are less abrasive compared to alternative materials, ensuring minimal surface damage. Moreover, glass beads do not leave any embedded residue, ensuring a clean and smooth finish. Furthermore, they are considered environmentally safe, making them an ideal choice for conscientious users. Whether employed on fabricated parts, castings, pipe fittings, structural steel, or decorative parts, glass beads prove highly effective in achieving desired results.
Steel Shot
* Rubber build-up removal
* Expoxy and adhesive removal
* Cleaning and polishing metal surfaces and parts in automotive, aerospace, construction, foundry, shipbuilding, rail, and more.
* The larger the number of the steel shot, the larger the steel shot is.
- Mesh sizes: 7-120
- Hardness: 40-51 MOHS
- Shape: Spherical shape
Steel Grit
* The larger the size number for steel grit, the smaller the particle is.
* Removing mill scale
* Removing coating or coatings from a product surface.
- Mesh sizes: 10-120
- Hardness: 40-65 MOHS
- Shape: Angular, random shape
Corn Cob Grit
* Soft abrasive, won't cause anchor patterns.
* Ideal for cleaning, deburring burnishing and de-flashing applications.
* Common industries: jewelry, cutlery, engine parts, fiberglass, and the removal of graffiti or debris from wood, brick or stone.
- Mesh sizes: 8-40
- Hardness: 4-4.5 MOHS
- Shape: Sub angular
Walnut Shell Grit
* Soft abrasive, won't cause anchor patterns.
* Suitable for stripping and cleaning delicate surfaces and parts,
* Cleaning aircraft engines, dies and molds, polishing watches ad jewelry and restoring antique surfaces.
* Cleaning dirt, grease, oil, carbon, scale, burrs and paint
- Mesh sizes: 6-100
- Hardness: 3-4 MOHS
- Shape: Subangular
Copper Slag (Iron Silicate)
* Aggressive abrasive
* Used for new steel manufacturing or in maintenance blasting.
* Manufacturing of storage tanks and ships
* Cleaning of hard steels
* Oil fields and off-shore platforms.
- Mesh sizes: 12-80
- Hardness: 6.0-7.0 MOHS
- Shape: Angular
Garnet
* Low-dust
* Used for wet or dry sandblasting
* Excellent for removing tough coatings, paint, rust and mill scale from steel.
- Mesh sizes: 30-120
- Hardness: 7-7.5 MOHS
- Shape: Subangular
Garnet media is a versatile blasting material that finds various applications in sandblasting. Compared to other blasting media options, garnet is known for its environmentally friendly properties. It is derived from Andradite or Almandine deposits and is available in different sizes to suit specific requirements. Additionally, garnet can be obtained with either smooth or rough edges, allowing for different finishing results.
Mineral sands
* Low-dust
* Remove rust, paint, weathered coatings, and mill scale.
- Mesh sizes: 20-120
- Hardness: 6.5-7.5 MOHS
- Shape: Angular to subangular (olivine), subangular to rounded (staurolite)
Plastic
* Soft, light abrasive, leaves no anchor pattern.
* Suitable stripping paint from sensitive surfaces.
* Mold cleaning
* Won’t work well on hard metals or for finishing applications.
- Mesh sizes: 12-80
- Hardness: 3-4 MOHS
- Shape: Angular

Grit Size	Mesh USS	Microns (Avg)	Inches (Avg)
#46	40	356	0.014
#54	45	305	0.012
#60	50	254	0.010
#70	60	203	0.008
#80	70	165	0.0065
#90	80	145	0.0057
#100	100	122	0.0048
#120	120	102	0.0040
#150	140	89	0.0035
#180	170	76	0.0030
#220	200	63	0.0025

So, what abrasive should you buy for your sandblasting project? It depends on the type of surface you’re working with and the results you want to achieve. If you need help selecting the right abrasive for your needs, be sure to check out our comprehensive guide on choosing an abrasive. And don’t forget – if you buy suitable media, then you’ll also need the perfect sandblasting gun! Thanks for reading and happy blasting.

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