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Media Blasting - An Overview

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Media blasting is a very gentle form of rough abrasive blasting where sodium bicarbonate crystals are blasted onto a flat surface with compressed air at very high pressure. It's more abrasive than sandblasting too, which is how it got its name. A more recent use is in the preservation of the Statue of Liberty from the New York City skyline in the late 1980s. A company called Rubicon has also been active in helping to protect the environment from acid rain through their work with projects like the Acid Rain Act. Find out more about media blasting here.


In media blasting, the dry, powdery abrasives are blown onto the surface to be sanded. They're usually accompanied by some sort of a low pressure stream of air to further assist in removing surface irregularity and noise. The abrasives used can also be high pressure - up to 1500 pounds per cubic feet. This isn't necessary for the majority of jobs, but is sometimes helpful for particularly tough, dirty surfaces that you don't want to get covered up by the wet sand. This can also be useful for removing old paint from a smooth surface as well.


There are two basic kinds of media blasting. One involves using a very high pressure washer and blasting the material with the pressurized streams of water. The other uses a chemical stripping agent that reacts with the dirt and grime so that it can be removed without blasting. Which type you use depends on what you want to accomplish. High pressure washing eliminates all sorts of obstructions from the existing finish surface, whether it's on concrete metal or wood, while chemical stripping can strip away anything from the top coat of paint to the base material. Sometimes it's a combination of both. Click here to hire media blasting experts.


For materials like bricks and paving blocks that need to be blasted, one common grit size that is sometimes used is 3/8 inches, although larger pieces can also be used. This is the best grit size when working with sheet rock and larger objects. A drawback to using smaller sizes is that they tend to give more kick back than the larger ones, so work with the smaller sized pieces first to get a feel for how the pressure behaves. The best thing to do is to test several sizes before making your decision.


Before you begin media blasting, make sure that your equipment and tools are clean and properly maintained. Many chemicals and grit sizes will damage your equipment if you don't make sure you don't have any contaminants on them. Media blasting companies usually supply media blasters with an air compressor and hose, but some will also provide the tools and accessories needed to run the machine as well. Some people prefer to do their own media blasting because they don't have to worry about cleaning up the dust or grit, and it can be a handy bit of DIY home improvement. However, it's important to note that the larger the piece being blasted, the higher the pressure must be to get the same amount of sanding in, so planning ahead is important. There are also media blasting machines available that are able to do both grinding and sandblasting, so even if you're not experienced at either, there is plenty of scope.


One thing to remember with media blasting is that it takes longer to clean up than some other techniques. This is because it requires exposing the material to high levels of air and heat. If you have a small piece that needs to be sandblasted, it's best to try and complete this task in one session to reduce the amount of dust that will be released into the air. However, if you have a larger piece to blast, it's usually best to make several passes over the piece, and to also use a very powerful air compressor to help out with the cleansing process. It's also important to ensure that you wipe down your work area immediately after finishing your sandblasting session, to reduce the risk of contamination and to keep the work surface as clean as possible.

Find out more about this at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17oANLVOevk.

 

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