B&Q glass grit for blasting.

[stormin]

I was having a shufty around B&Q last night and noticed they now sell crushed glass grit as a bedding for block paving.

Just wondering if anyone has tried it for blasting use. Quite cheap at £1.64 for a 25kg bag but some bits looked quite coarse >3mm. Obviously not for the smaller balst nozzles unless you're prepared to seive it and I'm not sure what the moisture content is like, may be too damp and clog the pot.

If no-one else has tried it I may trial a bag this weekend, got a fair pile of bits to do now tractor and truck parts.

 

[Shox Dr]

At £1.64 it's worth a punt, I 'll pick some up next time I'm by one,

 

[stormin]

At £1.64 it's worth a punt, I 'll pick some up next time I'm by one,

Be careful though like I said some bits seemed rather large! More like a grit sand as should be used for bedding pavings than the stuff for in-filling.

I'm running a 5/16" nozzle so shouldn't be too much of a problem, I'm just worried about the outlet from the pot and clogging if it's at all damp.

 

[rtbcomp]

I use glass grit for blasting, but it's more the consistancy of sand. I pay almost £7.00 per 25 kilos.

Very aggresive so you can turn the pressure down and you need to be careful that it doesn't embed itself into soft metal like aluminium.

If you sieve it and throw half of it away it's still dirt cheap.

 

[Shox Dr]

If you sieve it and throw half of it away it's still dirt cheap.

One step ahead of you fella

 

[rtbcomp]

Or better still re-bag it and take it back for a refund, or put it on ebay as "specially selected" grit for laying paving stones.

 

[bigbadbugga]

Or just keep the coarse stuff for heavy duty jobs or where you need to put a good rough surface on for coating.

I will be paying the local B&Q a visit this weekend, what dept' was it in? was it the outdoor bit where they have the paving and timber?

 

[rtbcomp]

I had a look in my B&Q and they've only just started stocking kiln-dried sand. Maybe it's just the larger B&Q Depot stores that stock the glass?

Or just keep the coarse stuff for heavy duty jobs or where you need to put a good rough surface on for coating

That's OK if you can get it through the nozzle &c.

 

[stormin]

I use glass grit for blasting, but it's more the consistancy of sand. I pay almost £7.00 per 25 kilos.

Very aggresive so you can turn the pressure down and you need to be careful that it doesn't embed itself into soft metal like aluminium.

If you sieve it and throw half of it away it's still dirt cheap.

Well throwing half away might still be cheap but it's then as dear as kiln dried sand, (I know we shouldn't really be using it). Also I still don't know if it's dry enough to use, so the jury is still out.

If you have to throw half and dry it out it becomes expensive. There must be other sources of glass grit. A place in Chorley (TMD rendering) advertised on Ebay a while back £65 a tonne bagged, or £60 tonne bulk. Can't seem to get hold of them again though.

 

[rtbcomp]

Glass grit lasts better than kiln dried sand.

I suspect the glass grit B&Q sell will be dry, it needs to be dry for laying flags and the process of crushing it dries it out.

 

[SC_BK]

At £1.60 for a 25kg bag thats a cheap way to lay a few slabs

 

[Normsthename]

What materials would be suitable for blasting with crushed glass?

Andy

 

[rtbcomp]

Stone & steel.

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=15735

 

[inchpincher]

My local pro-sandblaster has won a contract with TFL to blast the engine mounts on all their tube train engines (electric motors) so they can be properly checked for cracks (ultrasound?). Anyway, he's using glass for its obvious non-ferrous properties, what with such wopper magnets envolved.

It's an 18 month contract and the engine mounts need checking every two years, wish my business was that recession proof

 

[stormin]

My local pro-sandblaster has won a contract with TFL to blast the engine mounts on all their tube train engines (electric motors) so they can be properly checked for cracks (ultrasound?). Anyway, he's using glass for its obvious non-ferrous properties, what with such wopper magnets envolved.

It's an 18 month contract and the engine mounts need checking every two years, wish my business was that recession proof

I thought permanent magnet motors were reserved for the small Direct Current ones, not in large Alternating Current motors which tend to have field windings.

 

[stormin]

Well popped along to B&Q again tonight. Well two B&Q's actually. My nearest one Rochdale didn't have the glass grit or indeed block paving sand. Rochdale seems to be the most useless branch of B&Q warehouse and I nearly always end up going elsewhere.

So back to the Oldham branch were I first saw the glass grit the other day. There just happened to be a bag partly open so i could get a look and unfortunately the grit is far too damp to use without drying.

Shame as it would've been a great cheap source. The other problem is I couldn't find an appropriate fine seive (1/8th") at any of the local garden centres so that would've made it difficult.

Not looking like blasting weather this weekend anyway.

 

[rtbcomp]

I'm using a kitchen seive at the moment, takes about an hour to do 100 litres! I spend more time seiving than I do blasting.

That said there is a screening machine in the projects pipeline, I've nearly finished a dust extraction system for my blast room, just waiting for the filter sleeves and then I'll write it up in the projects section. There are some pics of work in progress in my albums.

Next project will be some decent lights for the blastroom, then the screening machine and then glass-crusher MkIII.

 

[stormin]

Looking around most garden sieves seem to be 14" dia, perfect for sitting on the top of my converted propane cylinder. Only place I can find one fine enough 1/8" is on Epay.

 

[brightspark]

Looking around most garden sieves seem to be 14" dia, perfect for sitting on the top of my converted propane cylinder. Only place I can find one fine enough 1/8" is on Epay.

what i did was buy the gardening sieve went to local wireworkers got the right mesh and cut it to fit it in the garden sieve

 

[Robotstar5]

That said there is a screening machine in the projects pipeline,

Is it going to be washing machine or lawnmower based?