Firearm Sandblasting

Media blasting — also called bead blasting or sandblasting — is a surface preparation technique beneficial for various applications in the firearm industry. Manufacturers and refurbishers use these methods for treating the surfaces of firearm parts and accessories, including the frame, barrel, chamber, bolts, pins, and fasteners. 

Media blasting works well to achieve the final finish or prepare a surface for specialized coatings like Ceratoke. Blasting techniques are also helpful for surface treatment and coating removal during firearm restoration.

Blasting Media for Firearms

Choosing the optimal blasting media for firearm components can be challenging because the strongest materials can cause permanent damage to the finish. Processes using aluminum oxide blasting materials often leave a sub-optimal surface finish with high particle embedment, while glass-bead blasting can take significantly longer to achieve the desired look and does not produce the high adhesion values essential to a durable coating. 

At 10X Engineered Materials, we offer a superoxalloy product line that maximizes process efficiency while delivering an ideal, clean finish. These products are more technologically advanced than other abrasive blasting medias available. Our manufacturing techniques feature a controlled process that uses byproducts from mineral wool manufacturing, helping minimize fracture and breakage when applied at high speeds. 

Because our superoxalloys are polymorphous, they produce superior finishes than conventional abrasive blasting media, such as sand or aluminum oxide. The tempering process our products have been through creates particles with amorphous structures and unique shapes, allowing the blasting media to complete multiple steps in one pass. Minimal particle breakage translates to more work performed across a surface with less dust and minimal waste.

Aluminum Oxide vs 10X Superoxalloy Abrasives

Benefits of Choosing 10X Engineered Materials for Firearm Blasting Media

10X Engineered Materials manufactures several superoxalloy products for firearm finishing applications, from delivering a final surface finish to preparing a part for a secondary coating. Our superoxalloys offer several advantages compared to traditional abrasive blasting materials, including:

• Environmental and safety benefits: Our superoxalloys contain particles that promote safety for workers and a cleaner environment. These abrasives produce minimal dust during blasting, providing equipment operators with a clearer view while decreasing exposure to inhalable materials. Because our abrasives consist of 100% recycled mineral wool manufacturing byproducts, they’re much more sustainable than conventional products.
• Superior surface quality: Our abrasives leave significantly less embedment behind than other products, resulting in a much higher-quality finish. The molecular structure and ultra clean surfaces developed by blasting with superoxalloys also ensure improved coating adhesion. Our quality control parameters throughout each manufacturing step provide superior quality products that produce higher quality finishes and unmatched profile consistency.
• Low consumption: Since each particle delivers increased surface work, applications need less material for a blasting project. Because our superoxalloys resist fracturing and breakage, applications can use them several times, depending on the grit size. Lower consumption also helps minimize cleanup times and reduce the need for frequent pot refills.
• Higher speeds: Less breakage also enables each blasting particle to deliver more work across a surface. Because each particle can perform several blasting tasks, our materials often eliminate the need for multiple passes or separate blasting processes. In addition, our superoxalloys improve efficiency because they do not require scraping, burning, or chemically treating a surface to remove stubborn residue. 
• Safety: The only abrasive material in the world with an IARC monograph concluding that it is biosoluble in the lungs and is not classifiable as carcinogenic to humans. No regulating body in the world considers it a possible human carcinogen.

Contact 10X Engineered For Your Firearm Sandblasting Needs

If your operation needs an advanced firearm sandblasting solution that enhances product quality, increases blasting efficiency, and improves workplace safety, superoxalloys from 10X Engineered Materials are an excellent choice. Professionals from various firearm applications — including gunsmiths, refurbishers, and do-it-yourself enthusiasts — choose our abrasive products because they deliver superior results.