What Aluminum Oxide blasting grit to use for Wood

When you want to treat wood surfaces, abrasive blasting is a useful method. 

Aluminum oxide 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 wood surfaces. 

Aluminum oxide is a very hard and sharp abrasive. For wood, it’s best to use a softer media such as walnut shells, corn cob, or baking soda. Aluminum oxide can damage the wood, cause unevenness, or leave particles embedded in the surface. 

Whenever you’re dealing with a relatively soft surface like wood, it’s best to use an abrasive media with a high grit number. The higher the grit number, the finer the abrasive is, which creates a smooth surface finish. Lower grit numbers mean the abrasives are more coarse, which could severely damage the wood.

The Best Option for your Next Wood Blasting Project 

With the EpiX and KinetiX superoxalloy abrasives from 10X Engineered Materials, however, there’s less to worry about. 

While they are harder abrasives, these superoxalloys are still usable when blasted at a lower PSI. They may not work as quickly or efficiently as they do when used to their full potential when blasted at a lower pressure, but some projects—like wood projects—require a gentler approach to achieve the desired outcome, and the superoxalloy abrasives should still achieve the desired effect. 

Additionally, these abrasives are durable and can be reused many times, so they can be used for future wood projects or even other industrial abrasive blasting projects. 

These abrasives are made up of polymorphous particles, meaning that they can perform more than one job in a blasting job in just one step, so they get the job done faster than the alternatives. They’re also safer for both blasters and the environment with no free silica, no beryllium, no heavy metals, and no crystalline structures. 

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.