Sandblast materials

Description

Fine particles, usually of sand, directed in a high-pressure stream of air. Sandblasting cleaning process was patented by Benjamin Chew Tilghman in 1870. Large scale sandblasting is used to remove paint, rust, grime, and other accretions from metal, stone, and brick surfaces. Sharp grains cut faster and rounded grains produce a smoother surface. The U.S. Bureau of Mines grades sand as follows:

- No. 1 sand (20-mesh to 48 mesh): used for light work and smooth finishes

- No. 2 sand (10-mesh to 28 mesh):

- No. 3 sand (6-mesh to 14-mesh):

- No. 4 sand (4-mesh to 8-mesh): used for rough cast iron and steel.

Other types of abrasives used include powders of: metal, glass, aluminum oxide, silicon carbide, sodium bicarbonate, dry ice, walnut shells, and coconut shells. Microabrasion techniques use pencil sized nozzles to clean and/or engrave many types of surfaces such as glass, metal, stone, wood, plastic, and bone.

See also erosion.

Synonyms and Related Terms

sandblast sand; sand-blast sand (Br.); sand blast; sandblasting; abrasion cleaning; microabrasion cleaning; blasting abrasive

Hazards and Safety

Sandblasting should be performed in a controlled environment using ventilation, protective clothing and breathing air supply.

Comparisons

Properties of Common Abrasives

Authority

• G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971

• Website address 1 Comment: http://p2library.nfesc.navy.mil/P2_Opportunity_Handbook/2_II_5.html

• Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, at http://www.wikipedia.com Comment: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandblast (accessed Dec. 6, 2005) - gives patent info.

• Art and Architecture Thesaurus Online, http://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabulary/aat/, J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles, 2000