For Christmas, I received a sand blaster (enclosure type) and haven't had a chance until now to get it installed and the airline hooked up. I was wondering if anyone can share some wisdom on what type of abrasive to use on stainless steel, 154 flavours in particular. I am looking for a matte silver finish. So far it looks like aluminum oxide, glass bead, steel shot and walnut shell is readily available. Also, what sort of blade prep is required before blasting. I have one ready to try blasting that is sanded up to 400 grit. Do I need to take it to near mirror finish before blasting? Thanks as always for your expertise. Dan
The only abrasive I have any experience with is aluminum oxide, 180 grit, and it gives a matte gray finish, not really silver. Although it might be different with a higher grit. As for the finish prior to blasting, I think 400 should be good, but really I don't think it makes a difference because you are completely refinishing the surface with the sandblasting medium. Before you use an actual blade, though I would take a few little pieces of scrap with different finishes to see if it does make a difference, but my hunch would be no, but it's always best to test before you potentially ruin a finished blade. I would think that very fine steel shot and very fine Aluminum oxide would be your best starting points. Sorry can't be any more help than a few suggestions. Joel
Thanks Joel. I've found that some makers claim to use a mix of aluminum oxide and glass. Perhaps the glass has the effect of fining up the grit(?) I hear ya. I'll certainly try my techniques on some test pieces before ripping into my hard work. Dan
