Common media types that are safe for use in a speedblaster.
Max 14 Grit Media size of list below.
Aluminum Oxide Grit: Aluminum Oxide is widely used as a tough recoverable media for quick removal of paint, rust and scale. It is also a good choice for pre‐paint adhesion.
Silicon Carbide Grit: Silicon Carbide RA Type. An extremely hard, sharp grain that is more friable than aluminum oxide. Silicon Carbide Grit. For use in blasting of extremely hard materials. Available in grit sizes 12 to 1200
Garnet Grit: Garnet is a sandblasting mineral, derived from either Almandite or Andradite deposits. It is appropriate for both wet and dry sandblasting applications. Garnet is a industrial gemstone that creates a profile virtually free of embedment, which makes it excellent for coating adhesion, as well as applications where low or no transfer of grit into the substrate can be tolerated. The simplest way to describe garnet would be "Clean & Fast".
Steel Grit: Pick steel grit or steel shot for special finishes. Though softer than aluminum oxide medium, steel grit leaves an etched surface that makes it easier for paints to adhere. Steel shot is used for peening operations to leave a smooth, polished finish. The shot can be used up to 3,000 times and produces minimal dust.
Steel Shot: Steel abrasive is a cost‐effective alternative to other abrasives due to its toughness and high recyclability. It can be used on a variety of surfaces to effectively remove contaminants, texture a surface for proper adherence of a final coating, or in peening (hardening) applications. The correct size, hardness and shape play a significant role in the proper media selection.
Glass Bead: For cleaning, finishing, peening and deburring applications. This media generally gives a brighter matte finish. It maintains tighter work piece tolerances and is normally blasted between 40‐80psi.
Coal Slag (Black Beauty): Utilized in a wide range of industrial and commercial applications including removal of surface coatings such as rust, paint, and scale from variety of substrates, especially structural steel and concrete. These structures include bridges, ships, water tanks, off‐shore drilling rigs, oil field equipment, pipelines, marine equipment, railcars, and steel machinery.
Stainless Steel Shot: Stainless steel shot and grit. Rust proof, spherical. Patented and controlled atomizing. Efficient deburring and de-sanding with perfect surface finishing.
Ground Glass: This coarse grit blast media is ideal for aggressive removal of paint, polyurethane, elastomer and vinyl coatings. This glass media is non‐damaging to soft materials, nontoxic and inert. This media is great for heavy duty blasting for creating clean, smooth surfaces on a variety of materials.
Walnut Shells: Walnut shell abrasive is a hard naturally occurring material made from crushed walnut shells. It is the harder of the soft abrasives, available in a variety of sizes for blast cleaning and polishing softer surfaces that could incur damage from harsher abrasives. Typical applications include polishing of soft metals, fiberglass, wood, plastic and stone. It can also be used in tumbling operations for polishing gem and jewelry.
Corn Cob: Corn cob abrasive is a granular abrasive manufactured from crushing the dense woody ring of a corn cob into various grit sizes. It is the softer of the naturally occurring abrasives making it ideal for cleaning, deburring, burnishing and de‐flashing applications. Common industries include jewelry, cutlery, engine parts, fiberglass and the removal of graffiti or debris from wood, brick or stone.
Plastic Grit: Plastic Blasting Media ‐ Plasti‐Grit Type II. Medium harness media. Cleans molds, tooling and sensitive substrates leaving anodized and other base coats intact. Great for paint stripping.
Baking Soda: Because sodium bicarbonate shatters on impact, it is much gentler than sandblasting or media blasting. It is suitable for use upon chrome, plastics and even glass if applied correctly. Soda is also used to a lesser extent to remove mold and smoke damage, as sodium bicarbonate is a natural deodorizer.