Understanding Glass Media As A Blasting Abrasive

Glass Is An Environmentally Sound Media Effective At Blasting Multiple Surfaces Including Wood

The two forms of glass media most popular with blasters who use them are crushed glass and glass beads.

Crushed Glass

Crushed glass abrasive blasting media is effective due to its angled, irregular shape – and being made from 100% recycled bottle glass it helps reduce landfill waste.

Crushed glass abrasive is also inert, contains no free silica, no heavy metals and is a great substitute for slag.  It’s often used for removing very thick or elastometric coatings.

Glass Beads

Glass beads remove light coatings and are far less aggressive than crushed glass on the substrate.  They are usually employed in the blasting of softer metals such as brass, aluminum, plastic, or die-cast surfaces.

Like crushed glass, glass beads are also void of free silica and impart no toxic residue upon the blasted surface.

Glass bead media are spherical and leaves a dimpled pattern with what can best be described as a “dull shininess”.  Although it leaves even and spherical impressions, glass beads will not cause dimensional change to the substrate.

Glass beads are best suited for blast pot set between 40psi and 80psi max pressure.