You don't need much of a sandblaster to prep small objects for paint but you do need some real abrasive like 80-120 grit aluminum oxide (alox). 60-70 PSI air pressure is about right.
Bead blasting makes more of a polished surface texture. For paint you want an abrasive that puts a "tooth" on the surface ie a rough surface that would snag fibers from a cotton ball.
Dupont Starblast XL is the best media to use for all coating jobs, it's aluminum oxide and will put a good tooth on the metal for bonding. Any blastring cabinet will work for the job. Al
Dupont Star Blast is a good paint prep media. It is not Alox and it produces a surface halfway between Alox and beads. It is a "sub-angular particle". If you looked at it under magnification it has facets like a cut diamond not sharp points like Alox.
Technically the Alox still provides a better paint surface but Star Blast driven fairly hard at 80-90psi works OK.
We used to use Star Blast to smooth surfaces on SS food processing equipment that had been previously blasted with Black Beauty media so the surfaces could be cleaned.
I use Star Blast media in my blast cabinet for general purpose surface prep. It is much easier on the blasting equipment than Alox or Silicon Carbide.
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
