Abrasive blast materials that are easy on the lungs?

[robroy]

Good afternoon,

Ten years ago I did some "sand" blasting using crushed garnet, which I heard was easier on the lungs than other material available at the time.

It worked pretty well, but even when using a respirator, plastic face shield, etc., I wondered it if was totally safe for my lungs. I've heard that the type of dust produced by this activity can lodge itself in your lungs and form permanent scar tissue (very bad)!

Does anybody know of a material I could use instead of garnet that's supposed to be less hazardous to the lungs?

Thanks!
-Robroy

[71PA_Highboy]

I use 'Black Beauty'. It is a coal slag material, and I am paying $16 per 100 lbs.

hth,

eric

[robroy]

Good morning Eric,

Interesting! When you use it or dump it from the bag in to your blaster, do you see lots of fine dust plooming around in the air?

I'll have to check this out as an alternative.

Thanks!
-Robroy

[71PA_Highboy]

Nope.. It is clean... Semi-low dusting.... but any media will dust after you use it.

No Silicates, so it is relatively safe....

hth,

eric

[robroy]

Great, thank you Eric!

Do you wear a respirator with this material? Do you think it's a wise idea or not worth the effort?

I always use one when I blast with the garnet, but I suspect it's a more dangerous material.

Thanks again Eric,
-Robroy

[OldRedFord]

I use "black diamond" should be available at your local TSC. Its also coal slag. Price is the same as "black Beauty" I do wear a mask when blasting. Just a middle of the line one with replaceable cartridges. FWIW the white part of the filter is black after 2 uses. And I wear a hood when I blast.

[robroy]

Hi Tim, thanks for your response!

What led you to choose this particular material over other types?

I had never heard of (T)ractor (S)upply (C)ompany before your post--thanks for the tip. The nearest one is fifty miles from me but it may be worth a drive just to check their stuff out!

Thanks again,
-Robroy

[OldRedFord]

Hi Tim, thanks for your response!

What led you to choose this particular material over other types?

I had never heard of (T)ractor (S)upply (C)ompany before your post--thanks for the tip. The nearest one is fifty miles from me but it may be worth a drive just to check their stuff out!

Thanks again,
-Robroy

Well I had never done any blasting before. I bought it cause it looked like a good choice for removing rust and caked up oil and grease off of parts for my truck. Have also prepped some hand rails for paint with this same material with good results.

I picked up a 90 lb. capacity gravity fed blaster for $100 or so. Seems to do just fine for what I need. Sometimes have to swish the granules around a bit to clear up a clog, but like I said, works for what I do.

I chose the black diamond stuff cause of the availability, and to me...$8 for a 50 lb bag seems fair.

[dablack00]

Another thing you can do is hook up your shop vac to the vent on the cabinet. The vent on my blasting cabinet is round and my shop vac line fits just right. It also makes it where I can see in there a lot easier. If you don't have a shop vac, get one. I use mine for everything.

[robroy]

Hey Dablack00,

I'm actually blasting without a cabinet. I'm just doing it out in the yard, making a mess.

A cabinet would be a good idea, but a lot of the parts I blast are large (like inner fenders, gas tanks, etc).

Thanks!
-Robroy

[Ranchero50]

Then use plastic sheeting to set the parts on and build partial walls so you can recycle the blasting material.

Jamie

[robroy]

Hey Jamie, that's a good idea, thanks. The material's a little expensive!

-Robroy

[BlueOvalDave]

+1 On Black beauty.
I used it to do my Torino

[robroy]

Hey BlueOvalDave, those are great photos of your Torino!

So is Black Beauty an aggressive material (takes off rust quickly)?

So far I've tried crushed garnet and glass beads. Of course it's probably just the grit size but I found the garnet to be much more aggressive, while the beads left behind a less scored, more shiny finish on the metal. The garnet finish was dull and obviously seriously blasted, like this old guy my buddy and I used to know that lived in a trailer in the woods.

Thanks for the photos BlueOvalDave! Do you happen to have a "before" type photo of the undercarriage before Black Beauty?

-Robroy

[BlueOvalDave]

I'll look for some before pics but believe me it wasnt a pretty site under there, rusty ,scaly but no undercoating thank God! I used the remote tank which held 40lbs of material with 90-100lbs of air and it worked great, I had no problems or instances of blowing thru any sheet metal. BUT, even with the box fan pulling the dust out it was still impossible to see after3-5 minutes of blasting, I would have to wait till the dust settled before continuing on,
Here's an after pic after Por 15 and then chassis black, applied with a spray gun.