Blasting Trade Services
Probably the most common way to clean the surfaces on commercial buildings or to prepare those surfaces for coatings is to wash them with high pressure water. When that won’t produce the desired effect or if pressure washing isn’t an option for other reasons blasting may be called for. A multitude of blasting techniques and blast media are available to suit the needs of any application from sand blasting cast iron to dry ice blasting antiquarian books to remove smoke residue.
Abrasive Blasting
Armex Blast Media
ARMEX, available in multiple formulations, is a baking soda based abrasive. Armex maintains a network of authorized distributors that sell portable and contained soda-blasting equipment systems, parts and accessories as well as the ARMEX Blast Media Formulas.
Blasting Abrasives
On this page Surface Preparation Solutions (SPS) pictures and describes twenty-two blast media including aluminum oxide, ceramic beads and corn cob. SPS also supplies blasting and painting tools, equipment and supplies.
Fundamental Elements of an Abrasive Blasting System
“The actual title of this article is “A Tale of Two Contractors: The Hidden, Staggering Costs of Inefficiency” and it’s primarily about how basic aspects of blasting operations effect efficiency and therefor costs. The broad message is important, which is paying attention to how your equipment operates increases production. The tools, accessories and conditions examined in the article are used in abrasive blasting so the author provides basic and instructive information on configurations and equipment settings and parameters.
SSPC: New Wet Abrasive Blast Standards
Jointly with NACE, The Society for Protective Coatings have published five new standards for Wet Abrasive Blasting (WAB) intended for use by coating and lining specifiers, applicators and inspectors who need to define a standard for surface cleanliness for carbon steel surfaces. The new standards are: SSPC-SP 7 (WAB)/NACE WAB-4, Brush-Off Wet Abrasive Blast Cleaning, SSPC-SP 14 (WAB)/NACE WAB-8, Industrial Wet Abrasive Blast Cleaning, SSPC-SP 6 (WAB)/NACE WAB-3, Commercial Wet Abrasive Blast Cleaning, SSPC-SP 10 (WAB)/NACE WAB-2, Near-White Wet Abrasive Blast Cleaning and SSPC-SP 5 (WAB)/NACE WAB-1, White Metal Wet Abrasive Blast Cleaning
Concrete Surface Prep
Three part series by BlastJournal.com on (1) the symptoms and causes of unsound concrete, how to detect them and how to repair unsound concrete, (2) the types of contaminants and (3) how to prepare concrete surfaces for coating or overlayment.
Concrete Surface Preparation: Part 1
The symptoms and causes of unsound concrete, how to detect them and how to repair unsound concrete
Concrete Surface Preparation: Part 2
The types of contaminants
Concrete Surface Preparation: Part 3
How to prepare concrete surfaces for coating or overlayment.
Dry Ice Blasting
What is Dry Ice Blasting? at ColdJet.com
The first patent for modern-day, single-hose dry-ice blasting technology was awarded to David Moore of Cold Jet, LLC in 1986. Dry Ice blasting is similar to other forms of abrasive blasting such as sand blasting, plastic bead blasting, or sodablasting but dry ice is the blasting medium. The process leaves no chemical residue as dry ice sublimates at room temperature so it is used for some rather special applications such as removing smoke residue from antiquarian books.
Robotic Blasting
Fasterblaster by RBW Enterprises
RBW Enterprises, Inc. manufactures centrifugal shot blast cleaning equipment including remotely operated equipment for blasting tanks.
Soda blasting
Wikipedia Article on Sodablasting
Sodablasting is a very mild form of abrasive blasting. It’s non-destructive and used for cleaning, paint & varnish stripping, automotive restoration, industrial equipment maintenance, rust and graffiti removal, passivation of steel for corrosion resistance, oil removal by saponification and translocation, masonry cleaning and restoration, soot remediation, boat hull cleaning and for food processing facilities and equipment.
Sponge Blasting
In this type of abrasive blasting the blast medium is abrasive or micro-abrasive particles added to one of many kinds of polyurethane foam or “sponge”. The combination results in a process that is well controlled and nearly dustless.
Sponge Jet, Inc.
Sponge-Jet, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of dry, recyclable abrasive blasting media and related high-production equipment. The Sponge-Jet process is used in the oil and gas industry, shipbuilding, the petrochemical industry, historic preservation, power and nuclear industries and others for surface preparation and maintenance.
Blog Post at Hydro-Clean.com on Sponge Blasting
The five main types of media are identified in this November 28, 2012 blog post. The abrasive materials in them are steel grit, aluminum oxide, DuPont Starblast, plastic and a “very mild” abrasive.
Vapor Abrasive Blasting
Blast Journal
Information for the vapor abrasive blasting industry.
Graco Inc.
Graco is a world leader in commercial and industrial fluid handling systems and packages that move, deliver, dispense, control, and apply fluids. This link is to their Ecoquip line of portable vapor blasting equipment.
