Sandblasting: a new type of cleaning without damaging material surfaces – Setafi

Old-fashioned methods of cleaning rusty and rough surfaces are very outdated. It is worth looking for new options, which are full on the tool 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 sandblaster is a device for treating a specific surface with an abrasive substance. What does sandblasting look like? This is an inconspicuous barrel of abrasive material. As a rule, ordinary quarry sand is poured into it. Sometimes other fine-grained substances are used.

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

A hose is inserted into the tank under the abrasive, through which sand or other substances are brought out and process the part. The procedure is carried out by supplying compressed air to the sandblast.

At the end of the sandblaster (for domestic 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 during operation the sand is rubbed through the hose. Other head materials would have worn out long ago, so when you see simple steel nozzles for sandblasting, this will not be the best solution and not the most productive.

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

Why sandblasting is needed is determined by its type. There are several functional features of the devices, which we will now introduce you closer:

• tank - structurally resembles an ordinary 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 it is difficult to hold it without physical effort. Sandblasting is suitable for work in a car workshop, for example, to clean a fender or body part for subsequent painting.
• Hose - the whole structure consists of two hoses: the first is for supplying air under pressure, the second is for removing the abrasive substance to the surface. Such a device is suitable for construction teams. One of the innovations in construction is the "matting" of glass on an industrial scale.
• Chamber – suitable for processing small parts made of glass, ceramic or metal. For cleaning, they are placed in a special chamber - part of the sandblasting. 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 these sandblasts are used for depends on the task.

Homemade sandblaster - what is it

One way to save money on a tool is to make it yourself. Structurally, homemade refers to the tank type of sandblasting. Even an ordinary plastic bottle can be used as a sand tank.

Important details are the tip and nozzle for spraying the abrasive. Primitive options have to be constantly replaced, as they are erased 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 erasing with powder. To make the gun last longer than a regular homemade one, the tip is made from tungsten. Or find boron parts and make them.

An alternative is to buy a ready-made tip in a store. It is unlikely that you can do something better than a purchased option, so spend a little money and get a good tip - and sandblasting will last much longer. Thank you again for saving me time and nerves. You need to look for tips in special departments of construction markets and stores.

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

As a body for the gun itself, a conventional 3-cell plumbing adapter (tee) is used.

As for the pump: along with it, you must put a receiver into which air will be collected under pressure. Choose pump power in proportion to the scale of work. For concrete and iron, a consistently powerful compressor is needed. In the carpentry, a conventional automobile pump may also be enough.

What are the pros and cons when choosing a sandblaster

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 expensive industrial ones - for large tasks.
2. The small size of the sandblaster itself. The device does not take up much space, but other parts are overall, without which it cannot fully work. Yes, sand needs to be stored somewhere. In general, the gun itself is small, and it is convenient to control it when processing.
3. A simple design allows you to assemble even a homemade device.
4. Ease of use stems from the small dimensions of the pistol.
5. There are self-assembly models, they are several times cheaper than usual ones.
6. Savings on other cleaning methods. Sand is inexpensive and lasts a long time.
7. Saving time from the use of automation. 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 there are disadvantages in the tool. There are not so many of them, but we will not hide them either:

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

You can reduce the number of flaws with simple safety rules, for example, remove excess furniture or cover it with a film during processing. The use of a protective suit is always and mandatory.

What material to take as a consumable

Do not use river sand for sandblasting. Even if you wash and sift it 10 times, nothing will come of it. Sandblasting on such an abrasive will refuse to work in a couple of weeks.

Also, the part itself after processing is not of very high quality, so it is best to buy an abrasive in the same construction market - this way you will protect yourself and your sandblasting gun. Believe me, you only need to spend a little, and the result will not be long in coming.

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 you need in addition to the 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 sanding parts. 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 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 a garage-scale surface, an inexpensive option may be suitable. However, industrial equipment needs both a high-quality sandblaster 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.

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

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