Can river sand be used for sandblasting?

Abrasive Differences

An abrasive is a hard material with a rough surface used for abrading and polishing various substrates. Most abrasives come in fine powder form, but some include larger particles with sharp edges. Despite the existence of different types of abrasives, they are all characterized by a common property: they have sufficient hardness, therefore they are able to clean metal surfaces, concrete slabs and other materials from contamination.

When used in a sandblaster, abrasive particles are blown outward by a powerful air stream. The device gives them greater kinetic energy, as a result of which the existing plaque is quickly cleaned off. All abrasives are divided into:

• natural (sand, corundum, spar, diamond, chalk, iron ore, etc.);
• synthetic (couproslag, borazone, boron carbide, etc.).

They differ in origin and composition, degree of hardness, mechanical and chemical resistance. The most popular and inexpensive is quartz sand for sandblasting. Before going on sale, sand goes through several stages of processing, otherwise it can damage equipment. Abrasives also differ in particle size: for example, for delicate or damaged substrates, you need to choose the most gentle materials.

Hardness

All abrasives based on hardness - the ability to resist pressing other material into them - are divided into:

• superhard;
• hard;
• soft.

Even soft materials can remove dirt, but are more gentle. The hardness index is established according to the developed Mohs mineralogical scale, dividing abrasives into 10 classes. This division implies an increase in hardness as the class increases (the softest - talc - has class 1, the hardest - diamond - class 10).

Fraction

Abrasive materials for grinding surfaces differ in grain size (fineness), depending on which they are assigned certain numbers:

• fine micropowders (M10–M5);
• micropowders (M63–M14);
• grinding powders (12–3);
• grinding grain (200–15).

In other words, according to their fraction, abrasives are divided into coarse (coarse), medium, fine and extra fine. To produce them, the base material is crushed by a press, resulting in the formation of crumbs. It is sifted through special sieves and separated into powder with different grain sizes, individual crystals or fragments. Typically, abrasives of the coarsest fraction are used to clean materials from a thick layer of plaque, and the fine fraction is intended for final polishing.

Abrasive ability

By abrasive ability we mean the time period during which it is possible to clean a certain area of ​​the product. This is the amount of material that can be sanded per unit of time. This property strongly depends on the size, hardness and other physical properties of the crystals. Also, the abrasive ability is determined by the intensity of the breakup of particles into acute-angled elements during grinding.

Mechanical stability

Different types of abrasives differ in their ability to withstand loads without destruction. Mechanical resistance depends on the compressive strength. The latter is detected by applying pressure to a crystal of an abrasive material and measuring the load at the moment of its destruction. For most abrasives, mechanical stability decreases as the ambient temperature increases. The higher the durability rating, the more times the abrasive can be reused.

Chemical resistance

This property reflects the ability of abrasive materials not to change their basic qualities under the influence of aggressive chemicals (acids, solvents, alkalis), as well as water.

What you should pay attention to?

To determine the best material, and accordingly purchase a high-quality abrasive, you should find out its main technical characteristics:

the fraction is of paramount importance, since the grain size in the sand allows one to achieve either maximum abrasive ability, or helps to move more gently, as if with a polish, over the material without damaging its structure: the documentation for the material contains precise instructions for the fraction, so the basic, maximum, biggest and smallest value. In this case, the percentage content of each indicator in the container is set: almost always the particle size is in the range of 0.125 - 4 mm

Also, when choosing, you should take into account the sandblasting power and the diameter of the device nozzle;

hardness. Indicates the ability of an abrasive to resist pressure from another material with greater strength. There are 10 classes in total from the softest to the hardest; abrasive ability is the amount of processed material for a period of time described in the standard; resistance to mechanical stress allows you to find out the degree of mechanical load that sand can withstand without breaking up. That is, the compressive strength of the material;

chemical resistance is the tendency of a material to resist reactions with water or solvents or acids.

After determining the quality characteristics, the question arises: where to buy sand for sandblasting? Choosing a specialized representative is a key decision, otherwise it is possible to purchase counterfeits or poor-quality advice, in some cases this poses a danger to life.

Perm sand for sandblasting has high quality indicators.

Sand is supplied under pressure to the part, which leads to ricochet. Small particles rise into the air and form a dust column. So, when performing sandblasting, it is imperative to use respiratory protection.

Types of abrasives

When selecting sand for a sandblasting gun or another type of abrasive, you need to take into account the basic properties and characteristics of the latter in order to carry out the work with maximum efficiency.

Quartz sand

It is quartz sand that is most in demand on the market for sandblasting and grinding products. It is characterized by a low price, decent quality, and is sold everywhere. Quartz sand is made from white quartz by crushing it into different fractions:

• up to 0.1 mm;
• 0.10–0.4 mm;
• 0.5–1 mm;
• more than 1 mm.

The sand undergoes thorough screening, so larger particles are practically not found in its small fractions, and sandblasting can be done without harm to the product. The material has good durability and abrasive ability, especially considering its availability. Sand will not damage delicate products or non-ferrous metals. Waste quartz sand after sandblasting can be sold as a building material.

A significant disadvantage of sand is the release of a large amount of dust, which enters the worker’s lungs and eyes, which is harmful to his health. With the regular use of sand for such grinding in the absence of personal protective equipment, a deadly disease can develop - silicosis. To avoid such problems, all equipment should be equipped with dust removal systems, and each batch of sand should be used no more than 1-2 times.

Cooper slag and nickel slag

These abrasive materials are obtained by processing slag from nickel and copper production. They are considered reusable, economical and more effective than quartz. The particle strength, hardness and abrasive ability of cooper slag is higher than that of nickel slag. Such materials can be used up to 3 times without the risk of dust.

The use of these abrasives is advisable when cleaning expensive and complex structures, which is associated with the high quality of the result, but also with the price of materials. Cooper slag and nickel slag are capable of cleaning the most durable types of metal and concrete; they do not crush along with plaque due to their high strength.

Metal (technical) shot

This material is small metal balls made from steel or cast iron. Technical shot can be cast, chopped, chipped, with the first having a spherical shape, and the rest being acute. Steel and cast iron shots are used for shot blasting and shot blasting of products that require notching (profiling) or descaling. This purpose is associated with the high strength of the materials and the presence of sharp-angled edges on their particles. After treatment, the metal base will have a high degree of adhesion and adhere perfectly to finishing coatings.

Steel shot is of good quality - it is the hardest, has the highest strength characteristics, can be used several times, and does not cause dust. The increased service life is due to additional heat treatment of the shot during its production. Stainless steel shot is used for processing structures made of the following materials:

• steel;
• zinc;
• titanium;
• aluminum;
• copper;
• bronze;
• brass;
• concrete;
• granite;
• marble.

Corundum

This material is prepared on the basis of aluminum oxide and is considered one of the most durable abrasives. Its particles are in the form of crystals, and their characteristics are close to diamond. The price of the material is high, which is why it is used for processing mainly expensive products. Corundum can be reused many times. It is ideal for decorative sanding and polishing of surfaces.

A variety of corundum is electrocorundum - a super-strong material obtained by adding a number of impurities to aluminum oxide. Its particles are not damaged at all during processing of materials, therefore repeated processing can be carried out a large number of times (after sifting). On the Mohs scale, electrocorundum is only one position inferior to diamond, it is so hard. Its grains have sharp edges and have the unique ability to sharpen themselves.

Garnet sand

Garnet, or garnet sand, is an abrasive of mineral origin, which in terms of technical characteristics is superior to quartz sand, nickel slag, and cooper slag. The material can be used repeatedly, used both for sandblasting and for hydraulic cutting of metal.

What parameters should be considered when purchasing sand?

An important condition for purchasing a high-quality abrasive is the possibility of its reuse and a minimum amount of dust in the composition. Due to safety precautions, it is prohibited to use sand without personal protective equipment and special dust extractors, because when it hits the surface, the abrasive will still break into dust. Therefore, if it is not possible to carry out work in accordance with the standards, preference will have to be given to another type of abrasive material.

To select the sand of the right category, you should consider the following recommendations:

1. Plaque thickness. The larger it is, the larger the sand fraction should be. A dense, thick layer of rust can only be cleaned using a coarse abrasive - grinding grain.
2. Base hardness. The harder the material of the product that needs to be cleaned, the stronger the abrasive should be.
3. Purpose of processing. When it is necessary to obtain a smooth surface even without minor defects, choose the finest sand. On the contrary, coarse grains are required to create a network of scratches and enhance adhesion to protective coatings. Typically, sand with a fraction of 0.6–1 mm is used to remove rust, and larger ones are suitable for removing thick bitumen coatings.
4. Speed ​​of sandblasting machine. At high speed, the soft abrasive particles will be quickly destroyed and the work efficiency will remain low. Also, at high speeds, using rounded particles will be less effective than those with sharp edges.

Sifting from stones

If for a concrete composition it is only necessary to free the sand mixture from large and medium-sized stones, the bed base mesh already mentioned above is suitable. Read about making cinder blocks at home at this link.

Another way is to use a filter on a concrete mixer. Large volumes are mixed mechanically.

The filter for a bucket or concrete mixer is made of a mesh with 3-4 mm cells. It must be fixed to the surface. This can be done using strips of tin, a wooden frame, and flexible clamps. As a homemade sieve, you can use an ordinary household basin with a cut out bottom. A mesh is attached to the bottom. The basin is selected according to the diameter of the filling hole of the concrete mixer, the basin is inserted and sifted. Read about wood concrete blocks with cladding in this article.

When working with a concrete mixer with a homemade filter installed, you should be especially careful and do not remove the element until the equipment has completely stopped and turned off. It must be located away from the operating unit.

Areas of application of abrasive materials

The area of ​​use of abrasives may vary depending on their type, strength, cost, and fraction. For example, river or quartz sand is most often used to remove paints, rust, and dirt from building facades and metal bases. To polish products made of copper, aluminum and similar materials, use quartz sand with a particle size of 0.1–0.3 mm; to clean metal from stubborn paint, it is better to take a sand fraction of 0.3–0.6 mm.

Old traces of rust, which are difficult to remove chemically, are removed by sandblasting using 0.6–1.6 mm sand or nickel slag or cooper slag. The same abrasives can be used to remove welding scale from metal structures. Technical shot is most often used for cleaning:

• small, medium, heavy casting;
• rolled carbon and stainless steel;
• products subject to painting, electroplating;
• car body parts.

During processing, shot also helps to strengthen torsion shafts, coil springs, and spring leaves. Electrocorundum, corundum is used for cleaning and grinding titanium, alloy steel, and tempered glass.

Wet sieving method

Given the density of construction sand, the mixture can be sifted using only water. During extraction, it is washed using huge installations. It is possible to make a similar small installation at home. But such a device will not allow you to sift out a large volume.

Sifting with water:

1. You will need two or three “filter” grids with different cell sizes. The first is with the largest size (about 3-5 mm), the second is up to 2.5 mm, the third is with minimal cells for retaining small grains of sand.
2. The filters are inserted into a wooden frame; it is advisable to have small handles for convenience.
3. You will need a container in which you can install the grids one above the other. An old bathtub will do.
4. We install filters in the container in descending order of cell sizes. Place sand in an even layer on the top. Large rocks and debris will remain here. We pour water over the sand, rinsing and sifting out the composition. The smallest faction will be at the very bottom.

The design can be changed and improved depending on the imagination and technical capabilities of the construction project.

Making abrasives at home

In some cases, you have to prepare your own consumable mixture for sandblasting, for example, in order to save money. Homemade abrasive is well suited for cleaning metal and concrete bases. Typically, gravel or river sand is used as the starting material. The order of work is as follows:

• prepare 2-3 sieves made of fine mesh stretched over a wooden frame;
• sift the sand first to remove debris through a sieve with larger cells, then through smaller ones until the required abrasive fraction is obtained;
• the finished material is dried in a metal container over a fire or in another way;
• sift the sand again through a sieve with the smallest mesh.

Such sand can be poured into a sandblasting gun or device of a different design and used for its intended purpose.

Design and principle of operation

A homemade sandblasting machine has a fairly simple design.

1. A compressor, preferably powerful enough.
2. A working container (cylinder) into which sand is poured.
3. Branch pipe with a shut-off valve for adjusting the sand supply.
4. Spray gun (nozzle).
5. Connecting hoses.

Sandblasting diagram: 1 - air supply from the compressor; 2, 13, 15 — connecting tees; 3, 5 — air supply adjustment; 4 - pressure sensor; 6, 14 - pipelines; 7 — overpressure valve; 8 - dry sand; 9 — air supply control valve; 10 — rubber gasket of the filler neck cover; 11 — sand supply adjustment valve; 12 — sand container; 16 — air supply with sand to the nozzle; 17 — filling neck; 18 — filler neck cover.

It all works very simply.

1. Two pipes are inserted into the working container. The top one is for connecting to a compressor to create excess pressure inside the cylinder. The lower one is for supplying sand. To regulate the flow intensity, a tap is inserted into this pipe.
2. The air flow from the compressor is divided into two parts: one goes into the upper pipe of the cylinder to pump pressure inside, the second is connected to the lower pipe to create an air-sand mixture at the outlet.
3. From the lower nozzle, a mixture of sand and air under pressure is supplied to the spray gun or nozzle.

It all looks not too complicated and is quite accessible for self-assembly.

Where can I get sand for sandblasting?

Sand is sold at any hardware store. There is packaged material on sale in bags - regular without division into fractions or already purified and sifted with the particle size indicated on the packaging. Most often, quartz sand is sold in 25 kg bags, its price per package is 250–300 rubles. Purified and fractionated river sand is cheaper (150–180 rubles per 25 kg), while unseeded sand costs between 50–60 rubles per bag. For comparison, the cost of garnet sand is about 700 rubles/25 kg, and electrocorundum is up to 2300 rubles for the same volume.

Consumption of quartz sand during sandblasting

Abrasive consumption varies greatly depending on the specific treatment and is determined by the power of sandblasting, the volume of work, the fraction, the degree of contamination of the base, the size of the nozzle and other parameters. It is advisable to identify the expense indicator at the initial stage in order to calculate the total financial costs for the entire work. The best choice will be an abrasive that will have a minimum cost per unit area.

A good economic effect comes from using sand for sandblasting if its fraction is ideal for a particular type of work, and cleaning is carried out in a special box. The exact consumption may change along with the original data (for example, with different thicknesses of the rust layer on one product), and the calculations will be approximate in any case.

An example of calculating abrasive for metal processing per 1 square meter

To understand which abrasive is best suited for processing, it is worth considering the average consumption of the most popular materials when cleaning metal to a degree of Sa 2½:

On average, 2–3 kg of sand is consumed per minute of processing a metal surface. The consumption of this material can be somewhat reduced by using modern sandblasting machines with a closed processing cycle, as well as vacuum systems for collecting waste abrasive.

When removing old stubborn paint, a thick layer of rust, or stuck dried cement, you will have to spend a lot of time cleaning the already used abrasive, which will have increased dust formation due to accelerated destruction. In such situations, it is worth considering purchasing a different abrasive material with greater hardness.

Nuances of use

If you purchase abrasive material in a store, then, as a rule, it no longer requires special preparation, however, in everyday life or in small enterprises, even ordinary river sand is used as a free alternative to purchased raw materials. The availability of such abrasive allows you not to think about consumption and reuse, but to achieve the desired result you should follow the instructions.

First of all, river sand must be carefully sifted in order to achieve maximum uniformity of the fraction without any foreign inclusions. The required fraction size is determined depending on the size of the nozzle and the characteristics of the material being processed, after which it is necessary to select a suitable mesh for exactly this particle diameter. Most often, improvised materials are used - from a flour sieve and mosquito net to tulle and construction mesh. Experienced sandblasters advise that when using river sand, do not be lazy and sift it 2-3 times.

Only after this can you start drying. In industrial conditions, it is customary to dry abrasives using specially produced dryers, but in everyday life, craftsmen have to come up with their own original solutions. Some people dry river sand on a metal sheet laid out on top of the grill; others find it more convenient to spread the future abrasive on film and dry it with a heat gun. The result is considered acceptable if the sand spills freely through a loosely clenched fist.

The presence of quartz in river sand is quite likely, so theoretically it would be worth using in special chambers with dust suppression. However, those enterprises that have such equipment rarely save enough to collect sand directly from the river, and in domestic conditions there is nothing even close to this. To avoid the development of silicosis, it is strongly recommended to carry out sandblasting work with river sand away from residential and crowded areas, and the amateur sandblaster himself must reliably protect his eyes and respiratory tract from the slightest dust particles.

To learn how to prepare sand for sandblasting, see the following video.

Preparation of river sand for sandblasting

As preparation measures, the sand should be thoroughly dried and sifted. It must be completely dry before loading into the sandblaster, otherwise the device may be damaged. The permissible level of humidity is determined by squeezing the material with your hand - it should flow freely through your fingers. The sand fraction must ideally match the size of the nozzle, which is achieved by sifting on sieves with cells of the required size.

How to sift sand for sandblasting?

To clean sand at home, you can use improvised means - tulle, gauze, flour sieve, mosquito net. The main thing is to sift the abrasive several times so that it is of high quality, uniform in particle size and does not include foreign impurities.

How to dry sand for sandblasting?

The easiest way to dry the sand is in a special drum dryer. The installation has a convenient drying chamber and a built-in sieve, so the time and effort required to prepare the abrasive will be minimal. If such a device is not available, you can dry the sand over the flame of a fire. To do this, a sheet of metal, an iron box, or another metal container is fixed above the fire, where the sand will be located. Some craftsmen dry the material using a heat gun, scattering it on film. This is convenient and easy to do, and the quality of the finished abrasive will be at a decent level.

How does a sandblasting gun work?

If you decide to use a sandblasting gun for the first time, it will not hurt to first understand the question of its operating principle. Knowing the principle of operation of the nozzle, it will not be difficult to learn how to use it. First, let's find out how a sandblasting gun from a compressor works:

1. The gun is connected via a hose to the compressor through the receiving fitting
2. The air enters a special chamber where its pressure can be adjusted
3. The air is directed through the channel to the nozzle
4. Due to the passage of air through the channel, sand and abrasive are sucked from a special container (due to the pressure difference)
5. The amount of sand sucked in by air can also be adjusted with a special screw, which depends on the tool manufacturer
6. Not only compressed air is supplied through the nozzle, but also sand with abrasive particles, which have a cleansing effect on the surface

The operating principle of the tool is somewhat similar to the functioning of a spray gun. Often these two tools are used simultaneously when performing paintwork. Initially, the surface is cleaned and then painted. Moreover, this applies not only to car bodies, but also to various structures on the farm, for example, gates, fences, poles and others.