I tried Black Beauty once...and only once. I've never used it in a blast cabinet, but when I used it outside in my pressure blaster it pulverized into dust when it hit the metal so you couldn't recycle it. I suspect it would do the same in a blast cabinet since it's about the same thing.
For outdoor blasting I use silica sand and I wear a respirator, gloves, ear protection, a face mask, and a hood. I get the silica sand at Lowes. I can recycle it numerous times.
56 Nomad, Ramjet 502, Viper 6-speed T56, C4 Corvette front and rear suspension
Other vehicles:
56 Chevy 2-door BelAir sedan
56 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
57 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
1962 327/340HP Corvette
1961 Willys CJ3B Jeep
2001 Porsche Boxster S
2003 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD Duramax
2019 GMC Sierra Denali Duramax
Fyi, I looked online for garnet after Roberts post. Both Tractor Supply and Home Depot sell the garnet and glass beads. Home Depot sells online only, not stocked in stores, but I think you could buy online and pick up in store. Tractor supply has in stock in some stores and recommends to call ahead.
Brian
The brand at both Home Depot and Tractor supply is "Black Bull"Originally Posted by Custer55
I can get the Black Bull from my local Home Depot. They have 2 types: 80 grit Garnet Sand and 80 grit abrasive Glass Bead. if both are 80 grit, should I assume the Sand is still too abrasive for cleaning sheet metal or aluminum parts?
1957 Nomad- LS1/T56 on C4 chassis
1959 Fleetside Apache 1/2 ton, shortbed, big window, 327ci.
Thanks for the heads up on HF's glass beads not really being "glass beads". I might have been tempted to buy them thinking they were the real thing, just because of convenience and price. Tractor Supply is convenient enough if it's the real thing.
I used to use HF glass beads and they were good...then they apparently changed suppliers and it's junk now. That's why I went to Tractor Supply and it seems to be better so far.
56 Nomad, Ramjet 502, Viper 6-speed T56, C4 Corvette front and rear suspension
Other vehicles:
56 Chevy 2-door BelAir sedan
56 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
57 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
1962 327/340HP Corvette
1961 Willys CJ3B Jeep
2001 Porsche Boxster S
2003 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD Duramax
2019 GMC Sierra Denali Duramax
Sounds like most of you understand your setup pretty well but I'll throw out a couple of things I experienced while useing a blasting cabinet that some might find helpful. When the tip wore,cutting action deminished dramaticly,a new tip made a big difference. Being the tightwad I am,I cut off pieces of rubber hose to use as tips rather than spend money on proper tips. I found hose that had desired id and would fit snug in gun,bought a few feet from parts store and all was well. You will be amazed how long rubber lasts.
That may work for the most non-aggressive media, but moderate or aggressive media will eat up even the good tips pretty quickly.
It's all relative.
I have some glass beads & aluminum oxide from Granger which is better than HF. Switched to the Aluminum Oxide a few months back to prep my new headers for ceramic coating. Coating or painting needs a "tooth" to hold on to. Real glass beads dimple, great for rust removal & general clean-up, but I prefer AO for painting & coating. It does generate a lot of dust though, I have to open the cabinet & run a brush or squeegee across my glass inside to clear it up every so often.
I powder coat & have had to re-do some of my screw ups. I find the best way is to just take my oxy-acetylene torch with a rosebud tip & burn the coating to an ash. Then you can blast the residue off pretty easy. I don't recommend this method on aluminum, just steel.
Danny
As far as the tips wearing away, don't be a tight ass, go ahead and buy the carbide nozzle from TP tools. I did about 8 years ago and haven't touched it since.
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