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What do you guys/gals recommend for media in your blast cabinets?
I’ve previously used 80 Mesh Glass Abrasive media from Tractor Supply. It worked well but pretty slow.

60 grit Red Garnet

I use this from T/S. They have fine and medium. I use med.

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Depends on what you're blasting. the finer grit glass is better for sheet metal, but the coarser (coal slag that bartamos linked) is faster for heavier metal pieces.

I guess I’ll try the coal slag in a medium grit. Most of the pieces I want to blast are heavy steel brackets. I do like the finish the glass media gives but it is pricey and it takes too long.

Thanks!

I have used Coal Slag with mixed results, it seems to take awhile to remove heavy rust. Alvin swears by #45 sand, I haven't been able to find locally.

The red garnet I've mention has done any part off the Suburban I can fit in to the cabinet. The complete Model A Roadster because, when broken down, all panels fit in the cabinet, and now I'm starting in on the Tudor. No heat, no warping and perfect grip for paint. Even the worst rust is no match for it and it works quickly. It will wear blaster cabinet parts so it helps to have some of the tubes and hoses in stock. And some of the protective covers for the window. Some before blasting, after blasting and after paint of the axle I did recently.

I have glass beads, black diamond, plastic in my shop with skat blast cabinet
........but always prefer #45 fine sand. It does a good job and a nice finish for most stuff.
I get mine at the local brick and block place for $5 per 50lb bag......i also dump only 1/2 bag in at a time and change often to have nice clean sand.

Nicer finish than my "wire wheel and rattle can" approach.

Weird.

Gets in those pits a little better and quicker than those wire wheels. I can't remember the last time I used a wire wheel, even one mounted on a grinder stand. Nuts, bolts, everything goes in that blast cabinet.

How can that possibly replace the satisfaction of covering oneself, and everything in sight, in dusty grime? And then stepping back and admiring your 75% rust-free metallic object?

I got tired of those little wires fighting back every once in a while!

That is a distinct downside of the wire wheel approach.

Sure is. I've had to extract a few wires from my legs. The little buggers can go right thru a pair of jeans.

Just picked up 50 lbs of medium grit black diamond coal slag to give it a try tomorrow. I also picked up two twisted wire wheels for my side grinder on sale at TS for half price. Although they do spit wires, some of the pieces I need to strip, won't fit in my desktop blaster!

Medium grit black coal slag from TSC gave me good results on this bracket. I used the fine grit for the interior of this 1934 Chevy Master coupe.

A blast material should get into the pits and clean them out.

After blasting, I use phosphoric acid treatment on the metal. It coats and prevents any further rusting. Particularly good if you aren't going to paint right away.

I use Ospho on parts which I don't plan on epoxy priming. Epoxy primer does not get along with Ospho unless the part is meticulously cleaned of all of the byproduct of the chemical conversion done by the Ospho. I don't risk it for body panels which I have to pay a painter thousands and thousands of dollars to apply.

I recently changed my cabinet media to fine grit instead of medium grit. Efficiency improved at least 50%. I think I'll stay with fine grit for most everything.

Years ago when we were restoring North American T-28 Trojans we used crushed walnut shell medium to paint strip the insid of the fuselages.