What media to use for sand blasting

at my previous employer we used fine sand in a large engine powered compressor and blaster, unless blasting thin sheet metal we went to the small pressurized blaster fed off the shop air.  sand is easiest and cheapest media im aware of.  just be sure to wear a mask so you don't breath the silica.  people will say don't use sand but If your not breathing it youll be fine. 

Edited by CAL(KS) - 08 Jan 2018 at 2:06pm

Pics will be sent for sure. Thank you for the advice.

I do Not have a sand blaster that works with my pressure washer but I think that such a water blaster would be far superior to using air and sand. The water plus sand will have higher striking inertia than air and sand. Please comment

I agree but have not had the chance to try it yet. Its a siphon set up so not pressurized in that respect but at 4k psi, and almost 5gph it really puts out. Looking forward to some spring weather to try it. Also have a local guy whom is highly regarded that has a traveling sand blasting outfit and will come to my place to sand blast if needed.

I am taking the floor plates, exhaust manifold, battery boxes and any other parts that come off to them for a cleaning. They can do soda, glass, walnut, sand or silica blasting. Still would like to do myself as I enjoy the time spent on my old girl.

Use a respirator with good filters, still loads the sinus and lungs with tiny particles.

When Cooke Sales and Service was here in Fulton they cleaned dozers with high pressure hot water and it did a good job.

I second the Black Beauty recommendation. It is coal sl*g. The coarse grade works best.

Edited by Dave (Mid-MI) - 26 Mar 2018 at 11:10am

Use to process the Black Beauty / Back Diamond blast media as well as silica sand about 2 miles from here - 
 The black media was COAL sl*g - coal is ground into fine powder / chunks then blown into power plant boiler to make electricity. The result is the black pellets left over after combustion, the ash is separated as posolone for concrete additive and the rest is graded to size for blasting . 
 The silica sand was mined , washed , graded , dried and used for sand blasting as well as molding sand for foundry casting of metals . 
  All was well until power plant switched to natural gas - then next the silica sand was found to be good for frack sand  - 4 years of 24/7 mining and hauling and hill they were mining is mostly reduced to waist piles - area ready to be turned into houses or apartment buildings - as suburb creeps out this way . 
  Soda blasting does work good and soda comes in different grades and types also baking soda texture is one but there are other grades that have sharp crystal form that would work good also  

All these years on here, never realized why the site censors the word sl*g... sl ag, s lag, sla g!