Sandblasting & media blasting near Ogden.

Powder coating does not fix a surface. It records it. Rust left in a pit keeps growing under the film. Mill scale looks like steel, bonds like steel, and then pops off in plates, taking the finish with it. Oil in a weld seam becomes a fisheye. Blasting is the step that makes the rest of the process worth paying for.

Blasting also cuts an anchor profile, a pattern of microscopic peaks and valleys, typically 1.5 to 3 mils deep, that gives the coating mechanical grip. Smooth, clean steel is not the same as prepped steel. It is the part the coating depends on and nobody photographs.

The industry uses SSPC/NACE standards to describe how clean a blasted surface is. We quote to them because "clean" means different things to different people.

• White metal (SSPC-SP 5). Every trace of rust, scale, paint, and staining removed. For immersion, severe corrosion, and specs that call for it.
• Near-white (SSPC-SP 10). Light shadows and staining allowed on up to 5% of each area. Our default for trailers, off-road parts, and anything that will live outdoors.
• Commercial (SSPC-SP 6). Staining allowed on up to a third of the surface. Adequate for some interior parts.
• Brush-off (SSPC-SP 7). A sweep blast to remove loose material and scuff the surface. Used on hot-dip galvanized before coating, and on new material where the mill finish is sound.

We do not blast with silica sand. It shatters into respirable dust, it contaminates the surface, and there are better options for every job it used to do.

• Aluminum oxide. Hard, sharp, recyclable. Cuts a clean profile on steel and removes heavy scale and old coatings quickly.
• Steel grit. For heavy structural steel and thick scale where you want an aggressive, consistent profile.
• Glass bead. Cleans without cutting much profile. For aluminum, stainless, and parts where dimensions or a satin surface look matter.
• Garnet. Clean-cutting and low-dust. Good on thinner material where warping is a concern.

Cast iron and cast aluminum hold oil and air in their pores. In the oven, that comes out as bubbles and pinholes in the finish. We blast castings, then pre-bake them hotter than the cure temperature to outgas before any powder goes on. Hot-dip galvanized gets a brush-off blast and the same pre-bake, because zinc outgasses too.

Thin sheet metal can warp under an aggressive blast. We turn the pressure down, change the media, and blast at an angle. If a part is thin enough that we think blasting is a risk, we will tell you and suggest chemical stripping instead.

Blasting removes things. It does not add them. It will not fill weld spatter, pits, grinder gouges, or seams, and powder will not fill them either; a 3-mil film lays over a surface and shows exactly what is under it. If the part needs to look smooth, the weld cleanup has to happen before it gets to us, or we can quote it as additional prep.

If you are a fab shop, the cheapest thing you can do for your finish is knock off spatter and grind sharp edges before the parts leave your floor. Powder pulls thin on sharp edges, and sharp edges are where corrosion starts.

Yes, we blast parts that are not getting powder coated here: restoration work, parts going to a welder, steel headed for a liquid coating system. Blasted steel starts flash-rusting within hours in humid weather and within a day or two in dry Utah air, so plan to pick it up promptly or ask us to shoot a primer.

Large or awkward parts are quoted case by case. Send dimensions and a photo on the quote form.