Sandblasting abrasive - Best to use & where to buy?

[O.D.]

I am in the process of sand blasting the frame on my TJ with a pressurized 10 Gal sandblaster. I picked up a bag of "Cheapo" sand from PA for about $10.00 and i barely got into it and ran out

So, couple of questions for those who have any experience with this:

1 - What is the best abrasive to have for sandblasting a frame with rust to bare metal?
2- Where is a really good source for sandblasting...

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[O.D.]

I got's a 60Gal set up. I ended up going to Stinsons on Bank St. South. Bought 6 bags of Black Shot # 20 and 2 bags of Black shot # 40.

I hauled the frame outside on the hoist, got all set up and began with a bag of #20.. Started jamming up at the outlet over and over and over. Even moved to the largest diameter outlet (#3.5?) and still wasn't enough. So i finally got through that bag and moved to the #40. It was much smoother and didn't clog up nowhere near as much, however I started losing pressure. I messed around with all the valves and then eventually found the problem. The moisture that was getting in the lines actually started to freeze right were the Compressor line connected!!! Suffice it to say that by that point i had had enough and started packing up. Hauled the frame back in, cleaned up the massive mess on the laneway and closed the door...

BTW, what would Bruce typically charge to blast a frame? Does he happen to do it on-site? I enjoy the hands-on, however i am going to have to wait until Spring to do this I am afraid.

 

[szabotage]

aside from moisture clogging, you also need to regulate your sand feed line. you mentioned that you went through the sand quickly. big wads of sand blowing out of the nozzle doesn't strip well and uses the media too quick. if you can get less sand to siphon through the nozzle you will get better stripping consistency, more efficient use of sand and less clogging. but this is only true if your air is moisture free.

working at donnelly's collision center I spent an entire week sandblasting the dump boxes for battlefield construction. it wasn't very fun but it helped me understand what makes it go successfully.

 

[szabotage]

we also used glass bead. it'll do the same as the blackshot except you can lower your PSI to 60-80 psi compared to 125psi. euro paints claimed you can lower it as low as 40 psi with a low feed regulation and a smaller ceramic tip but was only good for stripping paint in a small area, didn't do well with rust unless you raised the psi to round 75