Wet blasting is a process used to remove dirt, paint and other materials from hard surfaces. It involves the use of abrasive mixed with water and specialized equipment, such as a modified pressure washer unit. Wet blasting is safer than dry blasting, but can cause flash rust on metal surfaces.
Wet blasting is a similar process to power scrubbing. It is used to remove dirt, paint, and other hard-to-remove materials from hard surfaces, such as concrete or metal, in a process known as abrasive blasting. This process is also used for industrial cleaning.
The wet sandblasting process involves the use of abrasive mixed with water. This wet abrasive, or wet sand, is expelled from the nozzle by air supplied from a pressurized hose and air compressor unit. Moisture clogs dry blasting equipment, so specialized equipment is required for this process.
In most cases, this specialized equipment is a modified pressure washer unit. Using abrasives, such as silica sand or garnet for heavier deposits or baking soda for industrial cleaning, these wet blasting units can provide a cold water cleaning capable of removing lodged debris and paint from most hard surfaces . This abrasive liquid is supplied using a kit that includes a specially designed abrasive collection line and nozzle to mix the abrasive and water as they leave the spray unit.
Common applications for wet blasting include working on bridges, road surfaces and repainting sidewalks. Road workers and painters often use wet blasting equipment to remove paint or other substances before making repairs or repainting surfaces. In many cases, water-based abrasives are the preferred method for this type of job because these substances do not gouge into the ground structure as dry abrasives often do.
Wet blasting does not create the dust and environmental hazards of dry blasting, so this process can be used in many places where dry blasting has not been a viable option. Dust and environmental hazards from airborne abrasives have made dry blasting unsafe for many environments. Wet blasting removes dust and airborne contaminants, making it a safer option in locations where dust and contamination are undesirable.
While the wet blasting process is considered to be much safer than the dry blasting process, it is not without its drawbacks. One of the major problems associated with the process is flash rust; the rapid appearance of surface rust or staining with iron oxide particles on freshly cleaned or polished metal. Wet blasting uses moisture as part of the sanding process and then exposes the metal to an environment where flash rust begins to set in almost immediately if the metal isn’t protected by a primer or sealer of some sort.
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