18 Mar Shot Blasting Survival Guide: Keeping the Party Clean

If quality shot blasting is part of your reasons to celebrate, you know the party only keeps going when everything’s running as smooth as possible. One little hiccup can turn into a full-blown buzzkill: downtime, lost productivity, or worse, a total mess. But don’t stress — The Metal Guru is here to keep the good times (and the abrasive) flowing with this ultimate blasting survival guide!

1. Air Separator: Full Curtain or Bust!

The air separator is like the bouncer at your blasting party. Its job? To kick out the fines and dust while keeping the good stuff – your reusable abrasive – in the mix. But it can’t do its job if your “curtain” isn’t up to scratch.

• Make sure you’re getting a proper full curtain of falling abrasive across the separator.
• Dial in that air speed just right—not too slow (you’ll miss the junk) and not too fast (you’ll toss out the good stuff).
• Give it a peek now and then; a clogged separator is a productivity killer.

2. Balanced Operating Mix = Blasting Bliss

Think of your operating mix like your favourite band: It’s all about balance. You need both the high-energy impactful larger material, and the steady, finer particles to keep things rolling smoothly.

• Keep your mix in harmony by screening out the worn-out bits.
• Toss in fresh abrasive before things start looking out of tune. “Little and often”, please.  A balanced mix means fewer wear issues and a cleaner blast.
• Quick Tip: Use an Ervin Spot Check Kit to do a quick “sound check” of your operating mix and make sure everything’s hitting the right notes.

3. Discards: Don’t Let ‘Em Drain Your Wallet

Discards are the freeloaders of your blasting operation – usable bits of abrasive sneaking into your waste pile. Cut ‘em off at the source.

• Keep an eye on your air separator and screen system to make sure they’re not letting the good abrasive slip away.
• Got a leak? Patch it up before it drains your budget.
• Pro Move: Invest in quality abrasives that don’t break down too fast – it’s worth it in the long run.

4. On-Load Amps: The Sweet Spot for Your Wheels

Your blast wheel motors have a sweet spot when it comes to amps. Too low? You’re wasting potential. Too high? You’re burning things out and throwing money straight into the pocket of your energy supplier – which no one likes to do.

• Check your amps against the manufacturer’s recommendations (pro tip: those folks know their stuff).
• Adjust the abrasive feed rate to keep things in that Goldilocks zone—not too little, not too much, but just right.
• If things feel sluggish, take a look at your wheels—they might need a little TLC.
• Pro Move: Consider a change of abrasive to get the optimised cleaning power you deserve!

5. Oil and Grease: The Party Crashers

Oil or grease in your operating mix or on your workpieces is like taking my six year old to a free ice cream shop — at some point it’s just going to get messy.  Clean those workpieces before they hit the blasting chamber. A little prep goes a long way. If that’s not possible, or quite often just too expensive, then you will need some Amapure to fix it before you get the following problems:

• Clumping in the Mix: When oil or grease sneaks into your abrasive mix, it binds particles together. This clumping disrupts the flow of abrasive through the machine, reducing efficiency and causing uneven blasting.
• Surface Contamination: Oil residue left on workpieces can interfere with surface preparation, leading to poor adhesion for coatings, paint, or finishes.
• Machine Damage: Grease buildup can clog critical machine components like separators, filters, and blast wheels, increasing wear and tear and leading to expensive repairs or downtime.

If grease sneaks into the mix, it’s time to take action to save the day. Oil and grease don’t just mess with the abrasive mix; they can clog up your machine and ruin your surface finish. Nobody wants clumps of abrasive or streaky workpieces.

• Quick Tip: Check for oily residues on your machine components during routine maintenance. A little prevention saves a lot of headaches!
• Pro Move: Invest in the degreasing additive Amapure to clear out the party crashers and keep the blasting going strong.

Conclusion: Keeping the Shot Blasting Party Going

Shot blasting is the life of the surface preparation party, but like any epic event, it needs the right planning and a little TLC to keep the energy high. From dialling in your air separator to maintaining a balanced operating mix, every element plays a role in keeping things clean, consistent, and cost-effective.

Remember, the best parties (and blasting setups) thrive on attention to detail:

• Keep your mix in rhythm to ensure balance, efficiency, and top-tier surface quality.
• Don’t let good abrasive go to waste—watch those discards and keep the valuable stuff in play.
• Stay in the groove with your amps to hit that performance sweet spot.
• Kick oil and grease to the curb before they crash the party with clogs, uneven finishes, or costly repairs.

Shot blasting isn’t just about brute force—it’s about keeping the right vibe with balance, maintenance, and proactive care. Show your equipment some care, fine-tune the details, and your system will keep delivering flawless results, no hiccups, no hangovers.

So, grab your spot-check kit, keep those abrasives flowing, and let the blasting party roll on. And if you ever need a blasting expert (or even a DJ!) to keep things spinning smoothly, The Metal Guru and his crew have got your back!