Sandblasting is one of the most commonly used practices in building. Generally, it refers to the use of an abrasive propelled at high speed over a surface in order to clean and smoothen it out or to etch a design into it. Considering that sand is one of the most used materials in building, sandblasting is named after sand in reference to sand which is usually used as the abrasive. However, other materials such as copper slag, powdered abrasives and steel grits can be used as abrasives. Actually, use of other abrasives is encouraged as sand causes respiratory problems.
If you live in Los Angeles, do not sit around sand papering your surfaces the whole day. Sandblasting professionals in Los Angeles, CA can offer you a more efficient solution. Sand blasting was actually introduced to improve efficiency and convenience in building. Previously, smoothening of surfaces would be done using sand paper. For large surfaces, this work was very cumbersome and hard to complete especially at corners. This prompted the introduction of a machine that could make this work easier.
The sandblasting machine
The machine used by sandblasting companies in Los Angeles, CA is quite simple. It consists of compressed air, a blaster nozzle and the abrasive. The compressed air propels the abrasive while the blaster nozzle directs the abrasive to the surface to be smoothened. There is also a collector where the excess dust settles. Since the nozzle can also be prone to being scraped if it is not strong enough, it is made of boron cabide which is abrasive resistant. Generally, there are two different types of sandblasting machines which include:
* Wet blast cabinet: This apparatus uses liquid surrey. It is useful in areas where the kind of heat produced during dry blasting can be harmful to the surface being blasted.
* Pressure blast system: This apparatus is for carrying out dry blasting on surfaces that cannot be damaged by heat.
Sandblasting uses
Sandblasting is very helpful in building and construction. Some of the uses of sandblasting include:
* It is used to smoothen out surfaces in preparation for a new coat of paint. This is usually on metal surfaces such as metal doors and even on surfaces of automobiles. In most cases your chosen sandblasting professional will also carry out the painting job.
* It is used to carve out artwork on glass surfaces. This can be done by placing a stencil on the areas that do not need to be worked on. Varying sandblasting speeds at varying angles are then employed to create a lighting effect which brings out a pattern
* It is used to etch three dimension designs on surfaces
* It is used on buildings to clean wooden and concrete surfaces in preparation for paints or vanish
* It is used for engraving grave monuments
Ideally, sandblasting services in Los Angeles, CA can help you accomplish a lot in building from cleaning out surfaces for paint to decorating them with designs.