[Jewelry making - Article 00144] - Re: [Orchid] Sandblasting set up

[john]

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>         What is the minimum size compressor that's effective? 

    Depends on what size blaster you get and how long you are going to
    blasting (how much air are you going to be needing). 

>         What sort of work enclosure is best? 

    Something that is totally enclosed with a vacuum system to draw off
    the dust so you can see what your doing.  Harbor Freight does have a
    few small table top units of different sizes. 

>             What kinds of media and equipment (brand names) have you
>     found effective? 

    1. Sands, garnets, silica carbide, metal shot, etc. = metal removal 

    2. Glass beads (about 20 different sizes down to very fine glass
    bead dust = very little metal removal, a matt/flat finish with small
    sized beads to definite peen texture with large beads 

    3. Walnut shell, ground corn cob, special plastic particles, baking
    soda/water or CO2 particles (these are special units but each has
    some very interesting applications) = essentially no metal loss and
    not much texture. 

    The above (except for the baking soda and CO2 units) are assuming
    that you are talking about air blast units.  There are other types
    but all are much too costly for any of us mortals!!! 

>         I'll probably be working mainly with small pieces of karat
>     gold, Sterling and perhaps platinum -- as well as cleaning rust
>     from my jewelry tools (just moved from a beach location). 

    You might do well to change the blasting media if you take off much
    rust from the tools before going to you jewelry or wax, to keep from
    imbedding the rust into the jewelry. 

>         Also, for our Master Model Maker, or anyone else, has anyone
>     experimented with sandblasted textures on Ferris hard wax? It may
>     be a really dumb idea, and there may be better ways to achieve
>     interesting textures without embedding sand or silicon carbide in
>     your wax model.   But I've worked with lots of it and, with the
>     right medium, it just might work....

    The walnut shells or plastic particles (balls, squares, triangles,
    rods etc.) might be blast mediums that should work with the Ferris
    wax and anything that gets imbedded would burn out. 

Hope this helps a bit
John Dach

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