What is sandblasting

Sandblasting, or abrasive blasting, is the act of spraying a surface will small abrasive particles that are launched at very high speed and interact with the surface in a way similar to sanding.

Why sandblasting

Sand blasting can have several reasons to be used, to quickly remove a layer, to create a matte effect, to remove oxidation or corrosion, to speed up the process of sanding an objects, to get into small places and crevices and to save on manual labor.
Sandblasting has the benefit that the pallets used to blast the surface with are often re-usable for several times. Depending on the company, it can also be used for several different purposes: sanding a metal part, creating patterns on glass, turning normal glass into matte glass, removing paint from a surface etc. Since there are no liquids used, there is virtually no residue left behind on the surface except for dust. This will safe on time cleaning the surface and prepping it for the next step.

Sandblasting in the world of detailing

Sand blasting is not very common in the world of detailing, but it can be seen during restoration of certain parts or when re-painting a panel/object. When painting an engine, it is important to have a perfectly clean surface. Free of corrosion or oxidation. When painting a panel, it might be necessary to completely remove the old paint and to start from scratch with a metal body panel. In some rare cases, sandblasting can be used to create matte patterns in a specific surface. Due to the many different grades of sand that can be used, it is possible to choose between sand that will blast off the paint completely, or sand that will only dull it slightly.
Sandblasting can also be used when re-painting wheels. The old paintwork is blasted off to prepare the wheels for his new coat of paint.

Wrong terminology

Although “sandblasting” the most common term is, it is not technically correct. There are only a few situations in which real sand is used during sand blasting. In many different cases other particles are used such as: glass, soda, metal plastic, walnut shells, corncobs and even (dry-)ice. Although most applications of sandblasting are done with a dry medium, it is also possible to combine water with a abrasive material to get “wet sandblasting”.