Joe Curry wrote:
>
> Justin Wagner wrote:
> >
> > Why not spend $20.00 on 3 mil 20' x 20' plastic sheeting... lay it
> > out... and RECOVER your media? 800 lbs????? Where'd it go? :) Just
> > wondering.
> >
> > Justin
>
> Justin,
> Here's my take on reusing media.
>
> 1. If you are blasting a very cruddy frame, the residue will be cruddy
> and very difficult to sift for reuse.
>
> 2. If you use glass beads, they tend to break when shot, so reusing them
> will be the same as sand after the first or second re-use.
>
> 3. Even sand particles break apart when shot through a blasting gun, so
> recovering that is even less productive than one might think.
>
> To sum up my thoughts, sand is cheap, does a great job and lays down a
> matte finish that accepts primer well. The only fault with using sand
> is it won't get inside hollow channels like dipping a frame does.
>
> My 2 pfennig worth
> Joe Curry
Here's my take on yours... and more... :)
1. Shoveling the media through a screen is only a tad bit more
difficult than shoveling it NOT through a screen. I don't really see
the difficulty. I've certainly been there enough times.
2. Buying 3 bags of glass beads, and recyling them to do ONE FRAME
seems reasonable to me, compared to having to deal with 800 lbs of
sand.... Some shops load glass beads into a small booth, and use it
over and over again... I'm sure brand new beads can stand up to ONE
frame! A few "broken" beads is really nothing relative to the overall
performance of the material. I would think.
3. We're talking about ONE FRAME, ONE JOB.... the sand or beads are not
going to break down THAT much!
4. While thousands of lives do not depend on the TR frame standing up
countless sorties over Bagdad... it is my understanding that GLASS
beads will STRENGTHEN the metal while the sand will weaken it... The
sand provides fracture points, whereas the beads creates little concave,
smooth divets that do not promote stress fractures... I would think it
would be worth a little bit more MONEY <<<<OR>>>> elbo grease... (as in
picking up, cleaning, and re-using, say, 3 bags of media...) to use
beads rather than sand... maybe you won't see the stress fractures that
your sandblasting will bring about... but your grandson might... and
he'll be pissed.
5. It would seem that the muscle power required to haul 800 lbs of sand
into your car... out of your car... to your site... and to your waste
site... (even if that's that big hole in your backyward...) is a bit
ridiculous to sandblast ONE TR frame... It doesn't have THAT much
surface area... BUT IF THE MONEY, THE HAULING, and the DISPOSAL of
800lbs of sand is not an issue... by all means... go for it... break a
new bag open every time, rather than sift...
SCRAPE the oily stuff off with a putty knife... clean off the grease
with a detergant, degreaser, etc... this will make filtering your media
all the easier... and make the job go faster...
WEAR A RESPIRATOR KIDS!!!!
Justin
TR 4A/TR 4A IRS
Los Angeles
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