Gunsmithing recommended glass bead grit and psi?

[300sniper]

i know this has been asked and answered here in the past but i can't find it anywhere.

i want to blast some stainless barrels and end up with a finish similar to a remington 5r. i have always sprayed a finish so my blast cabinet has always had ao in it and i have not messed with glass beads.

what grit glass beads and pressure should i be using to achieve the desired finish?

 

[338RUM runner]

Re: recommended glass bead grit and psi?

I use the 80-120 (#9) .007-.005 Dia. seems to be about the same as Rem is. I reblasted my 300 Ultra LSS and gives the same fine finish not like the rough SPS

 

[RADcustom]

Re: recommended glass bead grit and psi?

No.6 glass beads at 60 to 70 psi. will give a dull shine similar to what you describe.

Apparently there are several ways to classify the size.

http://www.mediablast.com/glass-bead-conversions.php

This looks like the stuff.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GLASS-BEAD-50-70-BLAST-CABINET-MEDIA-ABRASIVE-BLASTING-/280755216349

 

[hero's machine]

Re: recommended glass bead grit and psi?

call tacoma company and talk to him. the guy is a guru of blasting. he has crushed glass that can be used to alter the finish w/o etching....lots of bead, ao, garnet....I thought I was pretty sharp on blasting when I walked in there and I realized I was just a 7th grade jv fat kid playing in the nfl....even if you don't buy a thing from him, he will share his knowledge.

 

[300sniper]

Re: recommended glass bead grit and psi?

since i had an order to place at msc, i got the medium grade glass beads. it has a minimum grit of 60 and a maximum of 120.

this finish was at 80-90 psi with a worn out nozzle on the gun. i think i could get by with a much lower pressure if i knew the nozzle was as worn as it was before i started.

 

[LRI]

Re: recommended glass bead grit and psi?

Robert,

Try a bag of cheap mortar mix at 80-100psi.

Pennies on the buck compared to beads and the finish might just surprise you.

Good luck,

C.

 

[hero's machine]

Re: recommended glass bead grit and psi?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: C. Dixon</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Robert,

Try a bag of cheap mortar mix at 80-100psi.

Pennies on the buck compared to beads and the finish might just surprise you.

Good luck,

C. </div></div>

Good lord you do have a date with lung cancer don't ya?

 

[LRI]

Re: recommended glass bead grit and psi?

Respirators and vacuum/sealed blast cabinets make it a relatively low risk ordeal. Ol Robert is a perty smert feller so I'm guessing he won't be cutting lines and snortin the chit.

C.

 

[hero's machine]

Re: recommended glass bead grit and psi?

I was only kidding.....kind of. Airborne silicates be some bad chit.

 

[300sniper]

Re: recommended glass bead grit and psi?

when i was operating an excavator, i'd always roll my eyes when our safety officer would come out and measure my ditch to make sure it was vee'd out properly and totally ignore the guys cutting concrete pipe dry with a demo saw without any type of mask.

now if the economy would just pick up so i could go back to doing that for a living...

 

[hero's machine]

Re: recommended glass bead grit and psi?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 300sniper</div><div class="ubbcode-body">when i was operating an excavator, i'd always roll my eyes when our safety officer would come out and measure my ditch to make sure it was vee'd out properly and totally ignore the guys cutting concrete pipe dry with a demo saw without any type of mask.

now if the economy would just pick up so i could go back to doing that for a living... </div></div>

Your safety guy will be retired before they get lung cancer. A cave in only takes a second. Seen it.

 

[300sniper]

Re: recommended glass bead grit and psi?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: hero's machine</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
Your safety guy will be retired before they get lung cancer. A cave in only takes a second. Seen it. </div></div>

actually, i heard that safety officer died of cancer shortly after i left that company. i have no idea what kind of cancer it was though.

i was just going through some old pictures on my computer and saw this one. you can see the dust from the guys cutting the rcp. i'm glad i wasn't breathing it. several times i suggested the safety officer look into the risks of silica exposure but nothing was ever enforced. he was more worried about a ditch being an tenth over the max allowed depth before benching/shoring was required.