Abrasive Blasting Media

Shop for sandblasting media online now at Cromwell. We stock virgin fused alumina sand to suit a wide range of applications from the reliable brand Spilkleen®.

Why alumina blasting sand?

While there are plenty of different blasting media available on the market, we at Cromwell swear by alumina grit blasting sand. An aggressive material, it can be purchased in various grain sizes for different applications and can be reused until it eventually degrades. It stores well and can be used on a variety of metals for tasks like surface preparation, lapping, paint removal and etching to name a few.

Blasting sand types

While our preference of blasting media is clear, there are still plenty of other materials including organic, plastic and even metal which have their own various shapes, densities, and advantages...

• Black Beauty®   -   Made from calcium iron silicate, this coarse blasting media is typically used for stripping paint and rust and is widely used in automotive applications.

• Corn cobs   -   Ground down and used to remove grease, grime and excess water, corn cobs are another reusable medium that is incredibly absorbent.

• Glass   -   Supplied as glass beads, this reusable blasting medium is ideal for shining up surfaces

• Plastic   -   Supplied as grit or beads, this media is regularly used to remove paint and mould and burrs on materials like metal and rubber.

• Sand   -   Typically made from silica sand, this low-cost material is reusable, but features less in sandblasting applications due to the corrosive nature of the silica and the dangers posed to operators when the dust is inhaled.

• Silicon carbide   -   An extremely hard material, silicon carbide isn't the ideal choice for every job, but it makes quick work of polishing harder materials like granite and lapping metals.

• Staurolite   -   This mineral sand abrasive is of a medium hardness and does a great job of removing rust, coatings, and paint. It is a dusty abrasive though and cannot be reused.

• Walnut shells   -   Naturally occurring and easy to source, walnut shells make a great job of polishing and deburring metals and cleaning.

FAQs

What PSI do I need for sandblasting using an air compressor?

Larger industrial-sized air compressors would need a higher PSI of between 100 to 120 for sandblasting, while smaller compressors work best at 90 PSI, but produce slower results.

What's the best type of sandblasting media for rust removal?

There are quite a few abrasive sands that you can choose from for this project as we've suggested above. We recommend alumina blasting sand or silicon carbide to do the job quickly and efficiently on harder materials. An alternative is staurolite which is of medium hardness and does a good job of removing rust and scale on a range of materials.