Filtering blast media

[1930artdeco]

So I need to blast some rust off my floor pans to see where the good metal is. I got walnut shells so as to not breathe in silica dust going down the road.

So, what is the best way to filter the media after I have used it? I am using a HF 20lb. portable blaster and want to use the media as long as I can.

Thanks,

Mike

 

[ZRX61]

Walnut is pretty much one & done

 

[Chris_Hamilton]

Window screen sized so that the blast media can sift through but not larger chunks. FWIW using walnut shells on rust is a waste of money and time. Get some crushed glass or coal slag. Both are silica free in that they don't contain "free silica" which is what is dangerous and far far cheaper than walnut shells. Northern tool has both the glass and coal slag. Around $10-$11 for a 50lb bag.

 

[Chris_Hamilton]

Again FWIW silicosis is a long term type of illness. Meaning it takes years of breathing silica to see the effects. Much like lead poisoning If you wore a respirator (N-95) you could relatively safely blast with sand. Especially if you are not doing it day in day out. Still the best choice for large parts like a car body is crushed glass or coal slag. And you should wear a respirator using them as well.

 

[ZRX61]

Again FWIW silicosis is a long term type of illness. Meaning it takes years of breathing silica to see the effects. Much like lead poisoning If you wore a respirator (N-95) you could relatively safely blast with sand. Especially if you are not doing it day in day out. Still the best choice for large parts like a car body is crushed glass or coal slag. And you should wear a respirator using them as well.

P100, not N95.

 

[Jazz1]

Sandblasting the most fun you can have with your clothes on..I sift Black Beauty through screen to keep larger pieces from clogging line. Wear a mask under your hood and no issue. I wear a P100.
The sedan delivery was my last frame off and all sandblasted,,inside, outside, underside
Yes i reinforced the rear door frame with 1/2” steel plate

 

[CudaChick1968]

Two simple scrap plywood frame sections with a large opening in the center sandwich three loose layers of metal screen between them fastened first with large staples, then glued together creating a slight bowl out of the screen.

One larger farm bucket serves as the dump receptacle under the hopper flap on my cabinet and another collects the hand sifted media. It's tedious for sure but works well, especially to find hardware that falls between the expanded metal grate.

In your situation I suspect you'll use a shovel to get most of it out of the floor pan so size the opening in your screen frames to be a bit wider than your shovel is. If I build another one it will be polyurethaned too ... because plywood slivers ****.

 

[1930artdeco]

Thanks, I will use the walnut shells and if they work great, if not then I will go the glass route. I just did not want silica dust floating around the car going down the road as this is not a frame off, it is cut and weld and get her on the road.

 

[Jeff Ivers]

Personally, I have found 80 grit aluminum oxide to be the most versatile blast media for me. Somewhere, I acquired a round screen with a metal frame for sifting my blast media (can't remember where I got it). Periodically, I drain the media from my cabinet, sift it into a bucket and re-install in the cabinet. It is amazing the quantity of large paint chunks, rust nuggets, etc that collect in the cabinet. I have used walnut shells, but like others have said, they really aren't re-usable. I only use walnut shells when needing to clean something that will go inside an engine where any blast residue would be problematic.