Sandblasting 21" Rims

[8EL]

When I first started blasting I only used Black Beauty.A man that was retiring from it showed me that white silica was better for sheet metal.Coal slag hits,tears of the rust and paint,then makes a little cut in the metal.Good on machinery and chassis parts to hold paint.The silica hits,explodes,and kind of blows sideways on the surface without cutting into the metal.It is also the stuff that is not good to breathe in.I don't know where it is illegal,I buy it from the masonry supply to use it in my cabinet blaster.

I recall with the silica using it at dusk you could actually see a little "red" ring where it was impacting the part. Yes, the Black Beauty leaves a nice surface for the paint to adhere to, might even say that the primer actually "jumps" onto the part. None of this is good to breathe, I guess some people were using it incorrectly and having lung problems. I used a lot of it over the years with the respirator and have no health issues from it. In Illinois where they regulate everything, it has been unavailable for years now. At the time when I could no longer get it, I inquired and was told that government mandate prohibited its sale, sorta like what was done with carbon tetrachloride. Once used commonly as a excellent electrical cleaner.....

 

[Phil Brown]

You can still get silica sand at most construction supply places or block and brick suppliers
Again no matter what blasting media you use, use a respirator. And let's not forget how much lead paint might still be on those parts your blasting