Wet and Dry Abrasive Blasting

How it works

Common features include: the ability to use extremely fine, or coarse, medias with densities ranging from plastic to steel; the ability to use hot water and soap to allow simultaneous degreasing and blasting; Elimination of Dust - so silicacious materials can be used without worry, hazardous material or waste can be removed without danger - e.g. removal of asbestos, radioactive, or other poisonous products from components and structures leading to effective decontamination.

What can we blast clean: well almost anything with wet and dry methods that’s made of the following ;stone ,brick ,all hard woods and most soft woods ,all types of metal , paint removal, plant machinery vehicle bodywork and chassis boats, steel, wood, plastic ,gel coatings ,industrial tanks

Who we work for: well anyone with anything that needs blast cleaned anywhere in Britain, industrial domestic and commercial work undertaken. Based in Scotland we cover the country Process speeds can be as fast as conventional dry sand blasting when using the equivalent size and type of media. However the presence of water between the media and the substrate being processed creates a lubricating cushion that can protect both the media and the surface from excess damage. This has the dual advantage of lowering media breakdown rates and preventing impregnation of foreign materials into the surface. Hence surfaces after wet blasting are extremely clean, there is no embedded secondary contamination from the media or from previous blasting processes, and there is no static cling of dust to the blasted surface. Subsequent coating or bonding operations are always better after wet blasting than dry blasting because of the cleanliness levels achieved. The lack of surface recontamination also allows the use of single equipment for multiple blasting operations - e.g. stainless steel and carbon (mild) steel items can be processed in the same equipment with the same media without problems.

Bead blasting

Bead blasting is the process of removing surface deposits by applying fine glass beads at a high pressure without damaging the surface. It is used to clean calcium deposits from pool tiles or any other surfaces, and removes embedded fungus and brighten grout color. It is also used in auto body work to remove paint.

Media

In the early 1900s, it was assumed that sharp-edged grains provided the best performance, but this was later demonstrated to not be correct.

Mineral: Silica sand is the most commonly used type of mineral abrasive. It tends to break up quickly, creating large quantities of dust, exposing the operator to the potential development of silicosis, a debilitating lung disease. To counter this hazard, silica sand for blasting is often coated with resins to control the dust. Using silica as an abrasive is not allowed in Germany, Britain, Sweden or Belgium for this reason.

Garnet: Another common mineral abrasive is garnet. Garnet is more expensive than silica sand, but if used correctly, will offer equivalent production rates while producing less dust and no safety hazards from ingesting the dust. Magnesium sulphate (kieserite) is often used as an alternative to baking soda.

Printing Press

Agricultural: Typically, crushed nut shells or fruit kernels. These soft abrasives are used to avoid damaging the underlying material such when cleaning brick or stone, removing graffiti, or the removal of coatings from printed circuit boards being repaired.

Synthetic: This category includes corn/wheat starch, sodium bicarbonate, and dry ice. These "soft" abrasives are also used to avoid damaging the underlying material such when cleaning brick or stone, removing graffiti, or the removal of coatings from printed circuit boards being repaired. Sodablasting uses baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) which is extremely friable, the micro fragmentation on impact exploding away surface materials without damage to the substrate.

Additional synthetic abrasives include process byproducts (e.g., copper slag, nickel slag and coal slag), engineered abrasives (e.g., aluminum oxide, silicon carbide aka carborundum, glass beads, ceramic shot/grit) and recycled products (e.g., plastic abrasive, glass grit).

Metallic: Steel shot, steel grit, stainless steel shot, cut wire, copper shot, aluminum shot, zinc shot. Many coarser media used in sandblasting often result in energy being given off as sparks or light on impact. The colours and size of the spark or glow varies significantly, with heavy bright orange sparks from steel shot blasting, to a faint blue glow (often invisible in sunlight or brightly lit work areas) from garnet abrasive.

Green Oak: More and more structures are being produced in the traditional Green Oak method. During the manufacture and construction process the oak becomes stained, either by water or iron reacting with the tannic acid, this results in unsightly black markings. Careful Sandblasting will remove these marks, at the same time exposing the grain slightly to produce a character finish.

Site Visits

Site visits can be arranged and a sample blast undertaken where necessary. gleamgenie only uses approved abrasives that are non-silica, inert substances and conform to the current safety legislation. We work with companies with over 30 years of knowledge in the abrasive media industry so we can always use the correct media to suit the substrate A sample blast can be arranged to ascertain the grade of abrasive and pressure that will be required in order to achieve the optimum results possible. Gleamgenie offer a service that includes masking and protection as well as sweeping and clearing the resulting debris on completion. Each of these elements can be included in our price, or a cost for blast cleaning only.

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