[Shop-talk] Blasting media

[Wayne]

Karl Vacek wrote:
> couldn't wait to try my HF cabinet.  It IS a religious experience to have a
> blast cabinet !!

I got me a gen-U-ine NASCAR blast cabinet!  If I gave a rat's about 
NASCAR it might be religious  ;)  Andy Petree Racing used to operate out 
of my town here, but closed up 4 years ago and auctioned everything off. 
  In its old life, it was dedicated to blasting a surface finish on 
valves in their cylinder head shop.  I paid too much for it, but it's a 
Skat Blast that works better than others I've used, and I told the wife 
I got it cheap, hehe.

> I bought HF-s genuine Chinese imitation glass beads - one grade fits all.
> They work OK, but are the beads really supposed to be microscopic bits of
> glass dust ?  ISTR that in the cabinet at work many years ago they were

I got a bag of glass with mine, and later bought some from Northern 
Tool.  They're both finer than say salt or sugar you'd find in the 
kitchen.  Almost powdery.  If it gets on my epoxy floor, it's like 
millions of little ball bearings that make it as slick as wet ice! 
Works great on aluminum and not-too-dirty steel.  Almost chews up 
aluminum a little more than I'd like;  but badly like Al2O3 I've used in 
blasters at work.

-Wayne