What Aluminum oxide blasting grit to use for Stone Carving

Whether you’re removing corrosion or etching artwork, abrasive blasting is a great way to shape stone. 

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 the treatment of stone surfaces. 

Before starting any blasting project, you need to consider the grit size of the abrasive media you’re going to use. With a standard 150 grit, you can etch a design into any stone surface. This fine grit size is actually appropriate for most abrasive blasting projects. 

One of the problems with grit size is that it changes as the medium is used. Each abrasive breaks down during blasting, which causes the grit to become finer and finer after multiple uses. That 110 grit you put in your blasting cabinet becomes a 160, and eventually, even finer. 

That’s the downside of using a crystalline particle like aluminum oxide. It has a symmetrical composition which makes the particles susceptible to breakage, and ultimately, lots of dust.

There’s a perfect alternative for aluminum oxide, though, an alternative with a high resistance to particle breakage.

The Best Alternative 

The EpiX and KinetiX abrasives from 10X Engineered Materials amorphous structure resist breakage up to 120 PSI or higher. This design structure eliminates the fracture plane that is present in other abrasive media. Because of this, they produce very little dust and the ability to be reused many times.

10X products include KinetiX (high-production grades) and EpiX (precision grades), both of which perform in finer grit sizes, as well as or better than expensive, clean, ultra-high-performance media.

These abrasives are made up of polymorphous particles, meaning they can perform multiple functions at one time, removing the layers quicker and more efficiently in just one step.

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.