I've just bought a shot blasting cabinet and now need to get some sand/grit for it
could anyone tell me the best stuff to use for cleaning up car parts and where to get it from
many thanks
ian

if you can make the trip to lincoln, ive got about 4 bags of sand that can be used , you can have em free .

Kiln dried sand will do it

for soft ally parts you could also use crushed walnut shell, cleans up pretty nice! but you need a different gun nozle depending on the size of the gritt'ss (if thats a word at all)

grtz Thomas

Dont use sand, I used it until I realised the possible hazards.
The high silicate content can cause major lung disorders including cancers and must be avoided.

Aluminium oxide is aggresive and effective on steel and cast parts but don't use on aluminium or alloys.

For alloys use glass beads or peening beads.
the media can be collect after use and used again, just seive out the larger parts of rust etc.


There is some info here.
http://www.kramerindustriesonline.com/blasting-media.htm

I got mine from:
Anglo Scot Abrasives
5, Bolton Rd, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, Lancashire WN4 8AA Tel: 01942 270729
They recomended fine grit followed by glass beads for a nice fine finish on alloy.
I found them really helpful.
They make and supply cabinets for the MoD, Industry and DIY and also do a kit for a DIY cabinet, as well as supplying blast equipment and media.

You'll need a respirator mask anyway..... Breathing down any blasting media is a bad idea...

If you can't get hold of anything else get a metal bucket full of sharp sand (which will be moist), put it over a heat (barbeque worked for me in the past else a little camping stove). Drive off the humidity. Then voila.... Lots of dry sand....

Thanks for all the input guys
i might have a go with the dry sand as i've got a bag of sharp sand lying around. i've heard about lung disorders/diseases etc so i think i'll probably invest in a mask to be on the safe side.
thanks for the offer Volvorsport but unfortunately your abit too far away
cheers
Ian

We get some reach plates in at work that are blasted with maize.......

Don't ask, I haven't got a clue

It is very true about the dangers from using sand!

Having said that i use it all the time as it is very effective and also very cheap.

Always make sure that there is no way for you to breath in any particles and that there can be no contact with your skin.

The other thing to remember is to make sure there is absolutely no moisture in it, otherwise it blocks your feed line and gun.

Maize blasting media would basically be polenta!!! Good option. Sharp little nuggets, cheap as chips and as long as you didn't cook it first it wouldn't contain any water

The sand to use is kiln dried sand from B&Q, don't waste your time with drying out sharp sand, the ready dried stuff is only a quid or two per bag.

Having done all this diy style myself, observe the following..............

1) anything other than a pressure pot type blaster is shite and takes ages to achieve what a grinder will do in seconds. A pot type one however, when just used with sand, will clean off 4mm of scale in the time it takes to point the nozzle at it, and will drill though a 2" paving slab in a few seconds.

2) sand of any sort, though cheap, is awful stuff! There's the health warning, but more to the point, because it has fines in it, when you use it in a cabinet, even with a light in there you can see naff all. A big vacuum connected to the cabinet helps but makes moving your hands tricky as the gloves go all pressurised.

3) glass bead is great, and I have a free source of as much as I need, but I still don't have a good enough cabinet to use it in. As with everything, you get what you pay for and there is no substitute for a proper industrial cabinet and extractor.