Providing media abrasives to improve performance for blasters

Worker removing paint by air pressure blasting with Black Beauty media in a field and wearing a suit for protection

With the abrasive media industry constantly coming out with new products, blasters need to have an abrasive they can trust. In honor of National Tradesmen Day, September 16, 2022, Reed Minerals recognizes the industry blasters who work tirelessly to ensure each project is a success.

The role of a media blaster is to combine compressed air, blasting media, and specialized equipment to prepare a surface for refinishing, painting or other purposes. Without blasters, bridges, ships, water tanks, offshore drilling rigs, oil field equipment, pipelines, marine equipment, railcars, and steel machinery would not be adequately constructed. 

Overcoming the challenges

The quality of a coating depends on how well the underlying surface is prepared. Blasters need to use the finest abrasive possible to achieve the required surface preparation and provide longevity of an infrastructure.

Media abrasives remove surface coatings such as rust, paint, and scale from various substrates, especially steel and concrete. Finding an affordable, safe, and powerful abrasive that will not damage a substrate can be difficult for blasters.

However, by using Reed Minerals’ Black Beauty and Sure/Cut abrasives, blasters can maximize profits by working faster and applying less media.

Ensuring the best performance

Reed Minerals creates high-quality media abrasives to maximize performance and project outcomes and ensures blasters know how to use the products by providing them with direction, assistance, and testing trials.

A recent Reed Minerals project involved finding suitable materials and adjustments for Fox Tank Co., a leading oil storage tank manufacturer. Reed Minerals supplied the company with Black Beauty Iron and Sure/Cut Edge for testing purposes.

“With your help (Reed Minerals), I was able to understand more about the whole process. From set up, valve control, pressure, and product,” says Alex Venegas with Fox Tank Co.

To learn more about Reed Mineral’s media abrasives, contact your local rep, distributor, or Reed Minerals at 888-733-3646 or re****@re**********.com for more information.