Glass bead is not for rust removal Jimmy, it is usually used for shot blasting, peening, honing, cleaning and light deburring it and it leaves the surface with a nice even color. We used to bead blast connecting rods when reconditioning them, which made them look like a new forging and served to relieve minor surface stresses. When working as a high vacuum technician I used glass bead to prepare the insides of vacuum apparatus.
To effectively remove paint or rust you need something more aggressive, i.e., an angular grit blast media. The best media would be Silicon Carbide; it’s hard, lasts a long time and is very aggressive, to a commercial user this saves a lot of time, which translates into money. Next step down the ladder is Aluminum Oxide, it is an excellent blast media, sharp and long lived but like Silicon Carbide is more expensive than sand or ash and is typically used in a closed cabinet.
A little more expensive than sand but much cheaper that Silicon Carbide or Aluminum Oxide is Amorphous Glassy Coal Slag, aka Black Magic®, generally very aggressive but breaks down fast, commonly available in several grades, not hazardous to your health.
The most common blast media for open blasting is sand, and of course where the generic name “sandblasting” was drawn from. Some sand is better than others and this has been discussed often here and on many other forums. Playground sand for instance is usually beach sand, which is smooth from being tumbled by the waves so the edges are not sharp. It will work but is not very aggressive, fractures easily and can only be recycled a couple of times before it is turned to dust. Silica sand is very good as a blast media but it has serious health issues when it becomes air born, i.e., silicosis. Common sand that is used for concrete mix is about the cheapest way to go and will probably give you the best bang for your buck if your open blasting out behind the barn.
At the bottom of my list is Soda. Removes paint, not very aggressive useless against rust.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL
