Aluminum Oxide

[cruizer]

I SWEAR I have heard from many people about how great this stuff is, and how it's dust content is less than glass bead. Well now I am wondering if those people who use aluminum oxide have ever used glass bead? I switched over from glass to aluminum last night, and I tell you what, I had a dust could so big I couldn't even see the part! I had to stop three times while blasting a simple pully to clean the window.

Grrr.

[autobonifica]

maybe you should get a reclaim system

[Popeye]

If you spray at to high psi all you do is shatter the beads.

[cruizer]

Popeye:

Well I was spraying at 80 psi.

What is the recommended psi for aluminum oxide?


Autobonifica:
What is a reclaim system?

[JeffL]

Personally I like the finish of a glass beaded part better, but have read that it is not so powder coat friendly.I switched to AO,I think it strips faster, but it tears the hell out of the ceramic nozzles.....gotta get some carbide ones.

[sdold]

It's incredible how long the carbide nozzles last. I thought $70 was way too much, but I've been using the same nozzle weekly for about a year now.

[cdaeme]

I had my carbide nozzle cryo treated and have been using it daily for well over a year now with very little sign of wear. Previous to purchasing the carbide nozzle I would get less than an hour use from ceramic tips and maybe two hours from the regular steel ones. The carbide is well worth the money.

Jason

[JTW37]

You will find, if you haven't done it yet, that a vacuum will take care of the cloud. BUT if you use your vacuum, put a paper bag in it, so the dust don't destroy your motor. I learned that the hard way. fortunately mine was still warranted. You can get the bags from any of the Menard's, Lowe's or Hom depot stores. Worth the money. As for the nozzles, I have used my Ceramic tip for over 6 months and it's still okay. But then, I use the PA Blaster setup. Don't eat up the tips as a standard Pot Blaster. www.pablaster.com

[cruizer]

Well, I have switched back to the glass bead. I was just expecting something totally different than what I got. I had heard many "good" things about using AO, but the only thing that seems to be true was how good the aluminum parts came out after powdercoating. No little defects at all. But the dust could was incredible, and the finish ion the part was less than desirable on parts I was just cleaning and not coating. I don't have a setup where it is easy to switch media, so I am just going to stick with the glass beads.

Here are a couple pics of what it looked like in my cabinet after only cleaning to relatively small bolts. And yes, the window was cleaned before I started blasting these TWO bolts!

[Popeye]

Cruizer,
Sorry I read your post wrong I thought you were talking about glass bead.