Blast Cleaning
Our business started primarily as a mobile blast cleaning operation in 1983. In that time, we have worked on just about every type of project that blast cleaning can be used on.
We now work from our fixed premises, within a 40ft purpose built blasting container, with reinforced flooring and strengthened steel ceiling beam, that we can use to move the heaviest of work projects in and out with.

What is blast cleaning and the process?
Blast cleaning, or Media Blasting are broad terms that are used to describe the process of using an abrasive material, combined, with compressed air, to remove contaminants from a surface. These contaminants can include paint, rust, grease, algae & millscale.
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There are many types of abrasive/media that can be used in different ways, for different purposes.
Most types of material can be blast cleaned in some way - but dependant on the material, or its application, different types of media/abrasive might be used.
What type of material do we use, and why?
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We use a medium/fine grade of glass grit, that is made from recycled bottle bank glass. This material essentially replaced traditional 'sand' once it was made illegal to use in the UK - but it is still commonly referred to as sandblasting, due to it being a very similar product.
We find it is the most versatile blasting media, that can be used on all of the work that we typically do. It is coarse enough for the heavier duty steel cleaning jobs we have, but when combined with our experienced operators, can be used on softer, 'higher risk' surfaces like car panels, aluminium pieces and some wood.
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Why do we use blast cleaning?
Blast cleaning is an essential stage in preparing surfaces for a sound coating. For example, a newly fabricated piece of machinery will be covered in contaminants, grease and oil on the surface, which will be detrimental for how well any coatings adhere to the chassis. Another example would be a classic car chassis that has been in use for several years. This will have a lot of surface rust and potentially multiple coats of paint applied through it's use,
The process of blast cleaning, removes all of these contaminants from the surface, meaning that the surface is 'clean' and ready for coating. It also removes surface imperfections often made during the fabrication process from grinders, cutting and welding.
One of the other main advantages, of sandblasting is that once complete, it leaves the metal with a 'rough' feel to the touch. This is often referred to as a 'key' in painting, and it essentially helps the paint grip better, to the substrate and form a much stronger bond.
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