- Does this work with any sandbasting gun and will it work to take rust off a pick up frame and take the paint off with out hurting the truck?
- GlassBlast works in all sandblasting equipment. For dry systems recommend fine for the auto body panels. You can use Medium or fine for the frame for light rust but if you need to remove a undercoating coarse could also be used. If you are using a vapor abrasive system (water) fine for the body panels and frame or medium for the frame with a undercoating.
- Where would you use GlassBlast in sandblasting?
- GlassBlast is a great blast media to use to remove paint, rust, mil scale and other coatings from concrete, wood and steel. Depending on your profile requirements, GlassBlast could be a good substitute for coal slag, copper slag, glass bead and garnet.
- I own a Dustless Blasting machine by MMLJ, will GlassBlast work in it?
- GlassBlast works great in all wet sandblasting applications. GlassBlast is one of the cleanest recycled glass products on the market. We go to great lengths to make sure to remove the chlorides, paper, biologicals and metal with optical lasers and multiple washing and heating cycles. For wet blasting, the fine size works the best and gives you the most particles per pound.
- I own a Vapor Abrasive System by EcoQuip, will GlassBlast work in it?
- EcoQuip recommends GlassBlast fine and medium grits for use in their machines. GlassBlast works great in all wet sandblasting applications. GlassBlast is one of the cleanest recycled glass products on the market. We go to great lengths to make sure to remove the chlorides, paper, biologicals and metal with optical lasers and multiple washing and heating cycles. For wet blasting the fine size works the best and gives you the most particles per pound.
- How can GlassBlast create no free silica in the blasting process?
- Recycled bottle glass is chemically known as Amorphous Silica, which means it contains less than 1% free-silica. Free-silica is commonly found in traditional blasting sand and other hard abrasive sandblasting media. Silica-sand dust in its natural state has an “open” crystalline structure that has the capability of sticking to lung tissues. When this happens, the likelihood of developing a serious respiratory disease called Silicosis increases. Because GlassBlast™ is amorphous, its crystalline structure is “closed”, which makes it impossible to physically stick to human lung tissue. When a person is exposed to amorphous glass fines or dust, the body will expel the dust as it would any other type of natural dirt.
- What size of GlassBlast do you recommend for wet sandblasting blasting?
- GlassBlast fine and medium both work good for wet sandblasting. Fine gives you more particles per pound and production should be the same as medium. Medium is preferred to remove heavy coatings.
- How much GlassBlast will I need to do a sandblast project?
- It is always hard to estimate the coverage of GlassBlast. A rule of thumb for sand blasting is one pound per square foot. As always your air supply, condition of the sandblasting equipment and nozzle will affect performance of any blast media.
- How does GlassBlast compare in price to other blast media.
- GlassBlast is cheaper than Garnet but more expensive that slags. What you need to take into consideration when pricing GlassBlast vs Slags is the disposal cost. In most cases GlassBlast spent media is non-hazardous and can be left on the site. You should always have your spent media tested and follow local guidelines when it comes to disposal.
- Can GlassBlast be used for dry sandblasting?
- GlassBlast medium and course is great products to use in dry blasting operations. Fine GlassBlast has been used on numerous projects like removing paint from a concrete building, efflorescence from bricks but beware fine can be a little dusty in dry applications. Fine GlassBlast is CARB approved for outdoor sandblasting as are all GlassBlast sizes.
- What is CARB approval?
- CARB stands for California Air Resources Board. All GlassBlast products are tested and approved by CARB. The CARB approval means the product complies with the standards regulated for allowable release of dust into the environment while sandblasting outdoors.
- Can GlassBlast be used in place of glass bead?
- GlassBlast is a more aggressive blast media but also more economical. Glass Bead is approximately three times the cost of GlassBlast. If Glass Bead is not critical to your blasting operation, GlassBlast may be a viable option that can save you money.
- Is then any special disposal required with GlassBlast?
- Disposal requirements have a lot to do with what substrate or coating you are sandblasting. In most cases no special handling of the spent glass abrasive is required. GlassBlast is environmentally inert and in most cases can be left on site. It is always recommended to test the spent media to see what disposal methods should be considered.
- What other uses are there for GlassBlast?
- GlassBlast can be used as a non-slip additive to concrete surfaces and a filler for expoxy and other caulking operations. Recycled glass is also used as a filler in block, concrete and masonary products when LEED points are trying to be accumulated.
- What size bags does GlassBlast come in?
- GlassBlast comes in 50 pound, 3000 pound sacks and 20 pound buckets. There are 40 bags that weight 50 pounds each per pallet. GlassBlast is also available in bulk and can be package to meet most shipping requirements.
- What is GlassBlast made from?
- GlassBlast is made from recycled bottle glass also known as three mix; Brown, green and clear. Recycled bottle glass is harder than plate glass which is why GlassBlast is one of the better glass products on the market for sandblasting. There is no recycled light bulb glass in GlassBlast.
- Will GlassBlast work as a substitute for Garnet in a water jet cutting machine?
- GlassBlast is softer than garnet and is not the optimum product to use in a water jet.
- Where can I buy GlassBlast for sandblasting?
- GlassBlast is available in most cities overnight from different shipping locations. Phone 855.291.6996 to find the closet warehouse to your location.
- FAQ’s on FREE SILICA HEALTH ISSUES
- Sandblasting with silica sand can create a lot of free silica. GlassBlast creates no free silica. You can get more information on this at (click here) (https://www.glassblast.com/how-can-glassblast-be-silica-free/ ) Below we will answer the most frequently asked questions concerning free silica or crystalline silica.
- What is crystalline silica?
- Crystalline silica is a basic component of soil, sand, granite, and many other minerals. Quartz is the most common form of crystalline silica. Cristobalite and tridymite are two other forms of crystalline silica. All three forms may become respirable size particles when workers chip, cut, drill, or grind objects that contain crystalline silica
- What are the hazards of crystalline silica?
- Silica exposure remains a serious threat to nearly 2 million U.S. workers, including more than 100,000 workers in high risk jobs such as abrasive blasting, foundry work, stonecutting, rock drilling, quarry work and tunneling. The seriousness of the health hazards associated with silica exposure is demonstrated by the fatalities and disabling illnesses that continue to occur in sandblasters and rockdrillers. Crystalline silica has been classified as a human lung carcinogen. Additionally, breathing crystalline silica dust can cause silicosis, which in severe cases can be disabling, or even fatal. The respirable silica dust enters the lungs and causes the formation of scar tissue, thus reducing the lungs’ ability to take in oxygen. There is no cure for silicosis. Since silicosis affects lung function, it makes one more susceptible to lung infections like tuberculosis. In addition, smoking causes lung damage and adds to the damage caused by breathing silica dust.
- What are the symptoms of silicosis?
- Chronic/classic silicosis, the most common, occurs after 15–20 years of moderate to low exposures to respirable crystalline silica. Symptoms associated with chronic silicosis may or may not be obvious; therefore, workers need to have a chest x-ray to determine if there is lung damage. As the disease progresses, the worker may experience shortness of breath upon exercising and have clinical signs of poor oxygen/carbon dioxide exchange. In the later stages, the worker may experience fatigue, extreme shortness of breath, chest pain, or respiratory failure. Accelerated silicosis can occur after 5–10 years of high exposures to respirable crystalline silica. Symptoms include severe shortness of breath, weakness, and weight loss. The onset of symptoms takes longer than in acute silicosis.
Acute silicosis occurs after a few months or as long as 2 years following exposures to extremely high concentrations of respirable crystalline silica. Symptoms of acute silicosis include severe disabling shortness of breath, weakness, and weight loss, which often leads to death. - Where are construction workers exposed to crystalline silica?
- Exposure occurs during many different construction activities. The most severe exposures generally occur during abrasive blasting with sand to remove paint and rust from bridges, tanks, concrete structures, and other surfaces. Other construction activities that may result in severe exposure include: jack hammering, rock/well drilling, concrete mixing, concrete drilling, brick and concrete block cutting and sawing, tuck pointing, tunneling operations.
- Where are general industry employees exposed to crystalline silica dust?
- The most severe exposures to crystalline silica result from abrasive blasting, which is done to clean and smooth irregularities from molds, jewelry, and foundry castings, finish tombstones, etch or frost glass, or remove paint, oils, rust, or dirt form objects needing to be repainted or treated. Other exposures to silica dust occur in cement and brick manufacturing, asphalt pavement manufacturing, china and ceramic manufacturing and the tool and die, steel and foundry industries. Crystalline silica is used in manufacturing, household abrasives, adhesives, paints, soaps, and glass. Additionally, crystalline silica exposures occur in the maintenance, repair and replacement of refractory brick furnace linings. In the maritime industry, shipyard employees are exposed to silica primarily in abrasive blasting operations to remove paint and clean and prepare steel hulls, bulkheads, decks, and tanks for paints and coatings
- How is OSHA addressing exposure to crystalline silica?
- OSHA has an established Permissible Exposure Limit, or PEL, which is the maximum amount of crystalline silica to which workers may be exposed during an 8-hour work shift (29 CFR 1926.55, 1910.1000). OSHA also requires hazard communication training for workers exposed to crystalline silica, and requires a respirator protection program until engineering controls are implemented. Additionally, OSHA has a National Emphasis Program (NEP) for Crystalline Silica exposure to identify, reduce, and eliminate health hazards associated with occupational exposures.
- What can employers/employees do to protect against exposures to crystalline silica?
- ■ Replace crystalline silica materials with safer substitutes, whenever possible.
■ Provide engineering or administrative controls, where feasible, such as local exhaust ventilation, and blasting cabinets. Where necessary to reduce exposures below the PEL, use protective equipment or other protective measures.
■ Use all available work practices to control dust exposures, such as water sprays.
■ Wear only a N95 NIOSH certified respirator, if respirator protection is required. Do not alter the respirator. Do not wear a tight-fitting respirator with a beard or mustache that prevents a good seal between the respirator and the face.
■ Wear only a Type CE abrasive-blast supplied-air respirator for abrasive blasting.
■ Wear disposable or washable work clothes and shower if facilities are available. Vacuum the dust from your clothes or change into clean clothing before leaving the work site.
■ Participate in training, exposure monitoring, and health screening and surveillance programs to monitor any adverse health effects caused by crystalline silica exposures.
■ Be aware of the operations and job tasks creating crystalline silica exposures in your workplace environment and know how to protect yourself.
■ Be aware of the health hazards related to exposures to crystalline silica. Smoking adds to the lung damage caused by silica exposures.
■ Do not eat, drink, smoke, or apply cosmetics in areas where crystalline silica dust is present. Wash your hands and face outside of dusty areas before performing any of these activities.
■ Remember: If it’s silica, it’s not just dust.
EcoQuip Machines
Graco Vapor Blast
Dustless Blasting
MMLJ
Greener Blast
Clemco Wetblast
Clemco Wetblast Flex
Clemco Wetblast Injector System
GeoBlast