Paint, Scale, and Rust Removal - Blasted!

Speed Bead is the next media to consider. Similar to Glass Beads in terms of content, Speed Bead is the first abrasive mentioned here that contains aluminum oxide. While this means Speed Bead has a faster cut time than Glass Beads, it must be considered that the metal in Speed Bead can impregnate itself in the material being blasted. This may not be ideal if the material is to be polish or if foreign objects are not desired in or around the surface, such as on an aluminum intake manifold. The selling point of Speed Bead is the fact that the aluminum oxide added, about 50 percent, makes the media the best-lasting of the aforementioned abrasives. This may not mean much for the lone guy at home, but Speed Bead could prove very beneficial for a larger shop using its blasting facilities daily.

There are other abrasive medias sold by TP Tools that can be considered as well, and although they may not sell as well as the featured four, they all have their place. Walnut Shells Abrasive is an organic byproduct of the agriculture industry and is good for light-duty paint and carbon removal. This abrasive is often used by the aviation industry for cleaning carbon deposits from engine internals, where an aluminum oxide media may impregnate itself. Walnut shells of different forms are often combined with other medias, such as Glass Beads, as was used to blast my roadster body.

The lifespan of Walnut Shells is the shortest of the abrasives discussed here due to its ease of pulverization. Skat Plus Plastic Abrasive is a great abrasive for cleaning plastic and fiberglass surfaces because of its rather unaggressive nature, but it will not remove rust or other corrosion. Plastic Abrasive is relatively safe to use around unmasked glass if the media is not tainted, and it's good for removing paint and light oxidation. Unlike Walnut Shells and Plastic, Steel Grit, Aluminum Oxide, and Silicon Carbide all contain metal and are aggressive abrasives. Used mainly in the industrial field or where heavy paint, rust, and scale removal is necessary, Steel Grit is extremely fast-cutting on rusty metal and leaves a smooth finish on metal. Aluminum Oxide and Silicon Carbide abrasives are extremely efficient on rusty metal and are among the longest-lasting abrasive medias due to the ability to withstand pulverization. The drawback to this aggressive nature is the shortened lifespan of the blasting components.

Choosing which abrasive to use can be determined by many different factors. A rusty Ford axle, for example, could be blasted with any of the abrasives mentioned. The difference is going to be how long it takes to remove all the rust and scale, and the finish that is left when the job is done. If it were a brass or copper item, such as a tank or catch can, a less-aggressive abrasive would be more appropriate. Although TP Tools recommends Skat Magic to the majority of its customers because of its longevity and medium aggression, that doesn't mean it's right for every application. Other abrasives may yield a better finish or get the job done quicker; just remember that the abrasive is doing the job, not the air pressure. TP Tools recommends 80 psi on all of its blasting cabinets, and Don at Orange County Sandblasting says he runs slightly less than that for most jobs. Turning up the pressure will only pulverize the media faster and shorten the longevity of the abrasive.