Using Garnet Blast Abrasive on Aluminum

Blasting Aluminum with Garnet Abrasive

Garnet is a common abrasive blast media that is used for treating aluminum surfaces. Abrasive blasting makes use of an air compressor to propel blast abrasive grains through a nozzle at high velocity onto your chosen project surface. It has various applications, including removing coatings, polishing surfaces and prepping surfaces for coating application.

Even though aluminum is harder, garnet is one of the most aggressive media to use for blasting. Because of this, it’s a good practice to start blasting at a lower PSI and then increase as necessary. This ensures that the surface does not become textured and warped. 

Bags of garnet sand can most likely be found at your local hardware store, or online from a specific manufacturer’s site. While garnet is a classic blast media to use, it doesn’t perform as well as superoxalloy. If you’re looking for a cost-effective, long-lasting blast media that’s compatible with aluminum surfaces, then superoxalloy is the best choice.

The Best Blast Media for Aluminum Surfaces

Superoxalloy is a rising star in the world of abrasive blast media. It has all the strengths of other blast media while eliminating many of the weaknesses. 

10X Engineered Materials has created a line of superoxalloy abrasives that are strong and durable, and won’t leave embedded particles in your aluminum surfaces. EpiX and KinetiX superoxalloy abrasives are made up of polymorphous particles that perform multiple steps of the blasting process at once, making it possible to remove coatings faster and for less.

Aluminum oxide particles are sharp and angular, making them compatible with only a limited number of jobs. Superoxalloy abrasives are made of polymorphous particles that resist breakage, can also be reused many times, and are virtually dust-free. 

Currently, KinetiX and EpiX are available from abrasive distributors around the US. If you don’t see a distributor near you, contact 10X and we will work with you to get you what you need. EpiX abrasive, which is best for precision applications such as powder coating and medical applications, is also available to purchase directly from the 10X Engineered Materials website.