Best Blast Abrasive for Marine or Ship Maintenance
Removing marine growth or corrosion from the hull of a ship must be done with care. It’s important to not damage the boat’s protective resin coating during the cleaning process. The hull of a boat is subject to a lot of harsh conditions and requires more attention than other parts to ensure the whole vessel stays ship-shape.
There are several different types of blast media you can use to clean a boat hull without damaging the underlying material. Each option has its own list of strengths and weaknesses. One of the best options you could use is a superoxalloy abrasive blasting media. Keep reading to learn more about your options for marine and ship abrasive blasting.
Types of Marine Blast Abrasives
Something to consider when choosing an abrasive is the thickness of the marine growth, antifouling paint, or corrosion you need to remove. When removing a thick coat of marine growth, for example, harder abrasives like aluminum oxide work well.
Garnet abrasives are also commonly used in shipyards for new construction as well as refit and repair to remove coatings, mill scale, and rust. Some of the benefits of garnet include better speed, lower dust and cleaner surfaces than coal and copper slags — which means quicker removal of contaminants.
When removing antifouling, a more gentle abrasive like glass beads may be a better option. Note that the closer you get to the resin coating, the more gentle you should be. This coating provides a solid barrier between the external elements and the boat’s structure itself and is arguably the most important layer of coating on the hull.
Why Superoxalloy Abrasives Are the Best Option
Superoxalloy abrasives offer advantages over aluminum oxide, garnet, and glass beads. This type of abrasive media is strong and durable, and it can effectively remove marine growth or antifouling paint from a boat’s hull without leaving any embedded particles in the surface.
Once cleaned, marine vessels will be ready for a new coating — or to continue using their old one, provided it is in good condition underneath the marine growth. Because superoxalloys are so low in embedment, they can also help protect your ship’s hull from short-term rust bloom until it can be repainted if necessary.
Choose 10X Engineered Materials for Marine Abrasive Media
10X Engineered Materials has developed three lines of superoxalloy abrasive blast media, EpiX, DynamiX, and KinetiX. EpiX is a precision-grade media, while KinetiX is a high-production-grade media, and DynamiX is a heavy duty grade. All of our products can be used on aluminum, steel, and stainless steel.
These abrasives are made up of tempered particles, meaning they can remove layers quickly and more efficiently in just one step. Additionally, these abrasives will leave the underlying surface unharmed and virtually free from particle embedment. 10X Superoxalloy is produced from the by-product of mineral wool insulation, making it the industry’s most safety-tested abrasive material. No other blasting abrasive has achieved 10X superoxalloy’s validated high level of safety for people, air, water, and wildlife. None. To learn more about the safety advantages of 10X products, click here.
To find out more about these options, call us at 260-253-2278 or fill out our online form!
