Tom,
I'm running each bag of sand through three times, starting with #3 medium
silica at 130psi. Third and last time around it's really broken down and
only good for removing old paint or kind of a finish shot at an already
blasted area (superfine is also great for cleaning up the outside of old
aluminum canteens and ejection seats by the way), but I've worked it into a
system that gives me maximum use from each bag. Luckily, these old Scouts
are made from some really GOOD steel and of the course the armor only has
that patina rust cause its so darned hard. Black beauty leaves a dirty
looking dusty residue whereas the silica just leaves a light colored dust
that isn't quite as noticable. I have a large tent set up in the driveway
that keeps most of the heavy sand in and allows some of the fine dust to get
out so the air clears a little faster that way. I reclaim most of the sand
just by sweeping it up off the concrete and re-sifting it before reusing it.
BUT....I have a house that is 4' off the drive and it's yellow. Drought
here in Texas is great for sandblasting, but precludes the use of a hose and
water to wash down the house for cleanup and black beauty dust would be just
too much to endure.....so I make due with the silica.
For those of you who are following along......Use of a quality mask is
mandatory if you are going to sandblast! (just imagine the Sahara in your
lungs)
TJ
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Sat Sep 02 2000 - 09:32:30 PDT