Glass Beads..what size???

[chuck hahn]

Reading the various articles it seems glass beads are the recommended media for aluminum. What grit should i get for a smooth even surface? Buddy down in Texas says they use SUGAR SAND but havent found that in any of the supply house websites.

So Harbor Freight has 80 grit. I was thinking the finer the grit the better..yes or no.

 

[60ratrod]

Depends on the thickness of the metal you are working with. You can warp sheet metal with sand blasting if you aren't cautious. But bead blasting is probably one of the best ways to prep anything for paint. Just make sure you use an adhesion promoter with the aluminum.

 

[GregT]

Where I am, there are only three grades of glass bead to choose from. No number seems to be assigned to them either, just coarse,medium and fine.
The fine gives a very flat, satin texture, the coarse gets paint off very well and leaves an almost sand cast finish.
I'd buy a minimum quantity and do some test pieces till you get the finish you want.
Air pressure variation doesn't give as big a variation in finish as you may expect either...

 

[niclpnut]

Don't get the harbor freight glass stuff. It's not true bead, just crushed up glass.

 

[chuck hahn]

Gonna be for blasting fork lowers, clutch and other engine covers. Maybe the headers on the goldwing....nothing thin or fragile to be blasted.

 

[Nessism]

I'm using Harbor Freight glass bead. Seems to work fine for cleaning aluminum. Back off on the pressure if you want a less aggressive cleaning action. Personally, I've got the pressure maxed out since the less time spent blasting the better.

 

[Fjbj40]

Bead blasting will not be good if you want to paint. It is fine for prepping the metal for the next step, which would be aluminum oxide, 120 grit at about 60-80 psi, then paint will have a great bite. If you plan on polishing then yes, glass bead is good for prepping the metal. It is also great for removing paint and corrosion. I even use it on plastic parts.

I have bead blasted many aluminum parts in the past and followed with primer and paint to end up with adhesion problems. This included using epoxy and zinc phosphate primers. Since hitting them lightly with the aluminum oxide adhesion has improved greatly.

 

[chuck hahn]

Painting perfectly polishible engine covers is akin to spitting in Gods face!!!!

 

[Fjbj40]

I do not like chrome like finishes, the brightest I would have aluminum is brushed finish.