Dustless Blasting
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What Is Dustless Blasting?
Dustless blasting, also known as wet blasting or slurry blasting, is a blasting method that uses a mix of water and abrasives in the blast pot. This mix of media and water makes for a more precise blast; this is because when water is added, the energy and mass the machine produces are increased while also eliminating dust. Dustless blasting can use any media that isn’t water-soluble. However, the most common media used in dustless blasting is crushed glass because it is cost-effective, clean, economically friendly, and can be used for various jobs.
Dustless Blasting and Metal
Metal surfaces can be particularly sensitive to some blasting practices. Often, metal heats up due to friction from blasting and warps as a result. However, dustless blasting prevents this from happening. When water is added to the abrasive, the friction and heat are reduced, protecting the metal from any kind of warping. In fact, in most cases, the temperature of the surface being blasted is reduced by about 10 degrees. When using dustless blasting on metal, however, a rust inhibitor must be added in order to avoid flash rusting after the surface is blasted with a wet abrasive. For example, HoldTight 102 is an additive that is combined with the water in the dustless blaster; this additive not only prevents flash rusting but also removes chlorides and other salts and contaminants very effectively.
Uses and Benefits of Dustless Blasting
Dustless blasting has many uses and benefits. Dustless blasting is faster, produces 90% less dust, does not warp metal, is safe for workers, requires minimal containment, and leaves a paint-ready surface. Beyond this, dustless blasting uses fewer media to do more work. Dustless blasting is very beneficial when blasting on job sites where other workers are present. Due to low dust, other trades can stay on task without being disturbed by open-air dust. However, dustless blasting cannot be used in temperatures below 32 degrees and is not recommended for indoor use, such as mold remediation or fire restoration.