Sandblasting: a new type of cleaning without damaging material surfaces

Old-fashioned methods of cleaning rusty and rough surfaces are very outdated. It’s worth looking for new options, which are abundant on the instrument market. One of these is sandblasting.

What is the device, what tasks does it cope with? And most importantly, how to choose sandblasting for various areas of work? Read about everything in our short article.

What is sandblasting and “how to deal with it”

A sandblasting machine is a device for treating a specific surface with an abrasive substance. What does sandblasting look like? This is an inconspicuous barrel with abrasive material. As a rule, ordinary quarry sand is poured into it. Sometimes other fine-grained substances are used.

Air under pressure is supplied to this barrel from a separate pump or an entire pneumatic system (if the device is used in an enterprise).

A hose is inserted into the reservoir under the abrasive, through which sand or other substances are discharged out and processed into the part. The procedure is carried out by supplying compressed air to the sandblaster.

At the end of the sandblaster (for home or industrial use) a nozzle is installed that forms the correct flow and speed of cleaning with the substance.

This nozzle is made of a special material similar to ceramics. It is resistant to friction, as sand is rubbed through the hose during operation. Other head materials would have worn out long ago, so when you see simple steel sandblasting nozzles, this will not be the best solution and not the most productive.

Which sandblasting is better: we consider the main types of products

What sandblasting is needed for is determined by its type. There are several functional features of the devices, which we will now introduce you to more closely:

• Tank - structurally resembles a regular airbrush (spray gun), only the tank is filled not with paints, but with fine-grained sand. There is a big drawback - the mass of the product with sand is very large, and without physical effort it is difficult to hold it. Sandblasting is suitable for work in a car repair shop, for example, to clean a fender or body part for subsequent painting.
• Hose – the entire structure consists of two hoses: the first is for supplying air under pressure, the second is for bringing the abrasive substance to the surface. This device is suitable for construction crews. One of the innovations in construction is the “matting” of glass on an industrial scale.
• Chamber – suitable for processing small parts made of glass, ceramics or metal. For cleaning, they are placed in a special chamber - part of the sandblasting machine. The dimensions of the chamber are determined depending on the power and performance of the model.
• Tubeless – everything that is not included in the first three categories belongs here.What such sandblasts are used for depends on the task.

Homemade sandblasting machine - what is it?

One option to save on a tool is to make it yourself. Structurally, the homemade product belongs to the tank type of sandblasters. Even an ordinary plastic bottle can be used as a sand reservoir.

Important parts are the tip and nozzle for spraying the abrasive. Primitive options have to be constantly replaced, as they wear out under the pressure of sandy material, so look for only the most durable and wear-resistant materials for them.

Ceramics and cast iron will not last long, as they are not suitable for powder erasing. To ensure that the pistol lasts longer than a conventional homemade one, the tip is made of tungsten. Or find boron parts and make them from them.

An alternative is to buy a ready-made tip in a store. It is unlikely that you will be able to do anything better than the purchased version, so spend a little money and buy a good tip - and the sandblaster will last much longer. You will also thank me for saving time and nerves. You need to look for tips in special departments of construction markets and stores.

The body of the sandblaster is made to fit the dimensions of the tip. A handle with two fittings is installed on it: one is located at the top - for our plastic bottle and sand, the second is connected to the pump. Take the compressor from the garage or buy one.

As a body for the gun itself, a regular 3-cell water supply adapter (tee) is used.

What about the pump: along with it you must install a receiver into which air will be collected under pressure. Choose pump power in proportion to the scale of work.Concrete and iron require a consistently powerful compressor. In a carpentry, an ordinary car pump may be sufficient.

What are the pros and cons when choosing sandblasting?

The main advantages of the tool are presented in the following small list:

1. The price of the device is extremely different. There are simple household models, they are inexpensive and perform the main range of household chores. And there are also expensive industrial ones - for large tasks.
2. The small size of the sandblast itself. The device does not take up much space, but other parts are large, without which it cannot fully operate. And the sand needs to be stored somewhere. In general, the gun itself is small and easy to control during processing.
3. The simple design allows you to assemble even a homemade device.
4. Ease of use follows from the small dimensions of the pistol.
5. There are self-assembled models, they are several times cheaper than conventional ones.
6. Savings on other cleaning methods. Sand is inexpensive and lasts a long time.
7. Saving time from using automation. You need to quickly polish glass or tiles - no problem. The need to stand for days with a brush has disappeared.

It is worth saying that the tool also has disadvantages. There are not many of them, but we won’t hide them either:

1. Budget devices have a short shelf life, since the working parts quickly wear out under the powders.
2. The devices are very noisy. The treatment is carried out in a protective suit and headphones.
3. A large amount of dust, which can harm nearby furniture and the health of others, which is why cleaning is carried out indoors and with a respirator.

The number of defects can be reduced by simple safety rules, for example, removing excess furniture or covering it with film during processing.Wearing a protective suit is always mandatory.

What material to take as a consumable

River sand cannot be used for sandblasting. Even if you wash and sift it 10 times, nothing will come out. Sandblasting with such abrasive will refuse to work within a couple of weeks.

Also, the part itself, after processing, is not of very high quality, so it is best to buy additional abrasive on the same construction market - this way you will protect both yourself and your sandblasting gun. Believe me, you only need to spend a little, and the results will not take long to arrive.

A small conclusion: it doesn’t matter what you choose – homemade or purchased. The main thing is its performance and resistance to stress during operation, and this can only be verified in practice.

What is needed in addition to a sandblasting device?

Sandblasting is not an independent device. It also requires a compressor that will distill compressed air. We also need a compressed air dryer (or separator), because any pump, along with air, supplies water particles that are not needed when processing parts with sand. They only harm system performance.

Another detail is the receiver, or air collector. It collects compressed air in the compressor system, allowing it to “rest” until the next pumping cycle. If this is not done, the pump will not work for even a couple of months.

It is a misconception that a tool such as sandblasting is a very cheap device. I bought something cheaper for production - and let it work! Everything is exactly the opposite.

Indeed, for small jobs like stripping small parts for painting or cleaning garage-wide surfaces, an inexpensive option may be suitable.However, industrial equipment requires both high-quality sandblasting and a good compressor.

You can’t just take a garage pump (for example, from a car) and connect an industrial cleaner to it. You just don't have enough air pressure. The sand will crumble, but not as an abrasive material.

Therefore, to organize full-fledged production, you need to buy one of the industrial types of sandblasting machines and the corresponding additional equipment. A pistol is like a car: it won’t go without wheels and a motor.

Now you know how to choose a sandblasting machine, what it is for, and what to do with it in the future. If you are familiar with small life hacks for processing parts, please share with our readers in the comments!