My first experience with Sandblasting was taking all my sheetmetal and frame to a professional company. It came back with lots of different levels of paint but the company assured me that this is how it needs to be to get a good substrate for painting. So much for that.
I then went to the local concrete plant. They have a diesel powered air compressor with a firehose and they use regular sandbox sand but at very very high velocity. I actually blew a piece of the frame that was already compromised clear off!
After asking several hobbyists and reading several forums, I got a bucket and siphon gun and a single 60 gallon 1 stage 6 horse compressor and spent several days blasting an entire frame. Decided there had to be a better way and got the 80 pound pressurized HF unit. My exploits are described in detail on my site. After adding another compressor the same as the other one, and doing a lot of beefing up the blaster, I am very satisfied and have no need to use anything else.
Most of the really professional restorers out there are very finicky about using sand of any grade. If your blasting material equates to 85 grit sandpaper in its ability to remove metal and scratch texture, its way too aggressive for them. If you are one of those people who use 35 grit on a DA sander to start removing paint, you wont have any qualms about using normal sand. Its really all what you are comfortable with. Once I found #1 silica sand, I stopped looking and have no interest in using anything else that's more expensive. No chance of warping, a texture level of about 150 grit, and $5 an 80 pound bag. I would use the same respirator safety devices with anything else so see no need to get my panties in a wad over silicosis, mesothelioma, black lung, or anything which is caused my small particulates getting into your lungs. Too much baby powder will do the same thing. Be safe, be responsible. My Quikcrete bags of #1 silica sand *all sand is silica sand* must be pre-Obama because they have no warnings on the bag.. has to do with personal responsibility being the order of the day way back when. I know its a new age and all, but I am like Clint in Grand Torino.. with all that crap.. GET OFF MY LAWN!!
In these forums you will always get 'experts' wafting on about using or doing this or that. Its really incumbent on YOU to do your research and do things YOUR way after educating yourself. You can do it! If I can do it, anyone can!
