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Checking Abrasives in The Field
Checking Abrasives in The Field
must on all blast pots to catch large con- Bud Budzinski, Reed Minerals the correct product? Don’t rely on prod-
taminants and oversized abrasive parti- In most cases, a quick inspection of the uct labeling; visually check the material
cles, eliminating potential downtime abrasive before blasting can identify before use. Do you have enough materi-
needed to clean out a blocked pot or problems before they cause delays. al to complete the job? Inventory your
nozzle. Below are several quality checks that material and order additional material
The value of a diligent employee com- can be performed easily on abrasive before you run out.
mitted to quality verification cannot be materials before blasting. • Product certifications. If a job requires
overestimated and will go a long way in • Confirm the material type and the abrasive material to have a specific
reducing on-site abrasive problems. amount. Is the abrasive material on site certification, check the shipping paper-
work for this designation. In some cases,
additional documentation is required
and should be obtained before beginning
a job to avoid being shut down upon
inspection.
• Moisture. Did the material arrive in
good condition? Inspect the packaging
for rips or punctures that could allow
moisture to penetrate the packaging
and, ultimately, the material. Bulk bags
that have been improperly stored can
absorb moisture from the top as well as
wick moisture from the bottom. Damp
or wet material will flow poorly and
will clump in your hand when squeezed.
• Material contamination. Whenever
possible, examine the material for cont-
amination before use. Always place a
screen over your blast pot opening to
catch any oversize granules.
• Material additives (liquid). If the abra-
sive was ordered with a liquid additive
such as dust suppressant, the abrasive
should be noticeably less dusty when
handled and may even have a slight
odor. Check if the dust suppressant was
over applied by taking a handful of
abrasive and squeezing it in your hand.
If the abrasive clumps or sticks to your
hand, it may be over-oiled.
• Material additives (granular). It may
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blasted surfaces, contribute to flash Grain size distribution and moisture ture are tested in a laboratory, where the
rusting and coating failures. These salts are more difficult to test in the field. For necessary equipment is located.
are found on the surface of certain the sieve analysis, you need either a digi-
types of abrasive granules and can tal imaging particle size/shape analyzer
Jeroen Keswiel has been
leave a residue following blasting. Look or a number of test sieves with a “shak-
an Area Export Manager
at your abrasives closely; sometimes er,” which makes it more difficult to do in for EUROGRIT BV (Papen-
the salts can be seen on a granule’s sur- the field. The moisture test also requires drecht, The Netherlands)
face and appear as a white residue. equipment that is not really portable. since November 1996.
Otherwise, blast a small area and test Normally, grain distribution and mois-
the surface using a portable field chlo-
ride tester before proceeding.