Glass Bead Blasting

[manta22]

I have a new sandblaster-- a small cheap one but it works. I tried removing some hot- rolled mill scale from some of my fabricated steel parts with "80- grit" glass beads and it worked but it seems like that size glass beads are really too small. Does anyone have a recommendation for glass bead sizes for cleaning steel parts?

Thanks,  Neil  Tucson, AZ

[Dean Los Angeles]

Glass beads are light and round and don't apply much impact force. Aluminum oxide might be better choice for cleaning steel. If you don't want to change, then you have to be patient, it's going to take longer.

Steel shot and steel grit are other choices that would work better.

From McMaster-Carr.com
http://www.mcmaster.com/#catalog/115/2679/=11pw0g

   Glass Bead— Spherical beads remove carbon and surface residue. This media is inert and leaves no residue.
   Ground Glass— An alternative to sand and grit; leaves a rough surface.
   Glass/Aluminum Oxide Grit— Mixture of glass bead and aluminum oxide removes tough corrosion in applications where 100% aluminum oxide is too aggressive. Contains less than 1% of free silica.
   Aluminum Oxide Grit— Sharp, hard, and durable, it prepares surfaces for recoating. Use to frost glass, letter stone, and remove contaminants.
   Black Beauty Grit— The best alternative to silica sand, it's also known as black diamond and black blast. Contains less than 0.1% free silica. Grit is inert and moisture free.
   Silicon Carbide Grit— Quickly cleans granite, ceramics, silicon, quartz, cemented carbides, and other tough materials.
   Steel Grit— Leaves a textured surface to enhance the bonding ability of paint and other coatings.
   Steel Shot— Generates a high impact force to clean and peen heavy forgings and remove heat-treated scale. For steel and other cast metals.
   Cast Stainless Steel Shot— Outlasts aluminum oxide, glass beads, and black beauty grit by a ratio of 1000 to 1. Use to descale nonferrous metals.
   Garnet Grit— More aggressive than other blasting media and cuts faster while producing less dust.
   Plastic Grit— Easily removes coatings and build-up without marring and warping base material. Must be used with pressure feed blasting equipment; use with 3268K on page 2676.
   Walnut Shells— These soft-grit shells clean, polish, and deburr soft metals, fiberglass, plastic, wood, and stone.
   Corn Cob— Cleans metal, wood, fiberglass, plastic, masonry, and electric insulators. Won't frost glass, pit aluminum, or damage surfaces.
   Baking Soda— Scour almost any material. It can be used "wet" with water for removing grease. Baking soda is environmentally friendly.

[manta22]

Thanks, Dean-- good info.

Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ