Blasting Media - How to Choose?

[BonzoHansen]

i only use the PG sand outside. like a subframe or something, so it does not hurt the yard or anything. I understand it to be bad to breathe as well. I wear a respirator blasting. i'm getting soft in my old age.

[billscamaros]

thanks guys.

a follow-on question for you ..... i'm good with blasting parts and brackets, but what about bolts and small, tiny pieces? do you clean them in your blasting cabinet or use some sort of a small bead blaster??

i've got a couple of coffee cans full of old rusty bolts, washers, nuts, retaining clips from over the years. i'd like to clean them up and maybe re-use them at some point.

[GregWeld]

Bill --

I have a "basket" that I use for small parts like that...

And I use a pair of slip pliers for holding other parts that are too small to hold with gloves etc.

Maybe take one of your coffee cans and punch a bunch of holes in it and use it like a "strainer" basket... and blast away - give it a shake to move the bolts and nuts - and blast some more. Experiment with pressure -- because you can blow the stuff right out of the "basket". They also sell these small parts baskets at TP Tools... just google 'em. They have lots of stuff for blasting..