Be aware... be very aware...

They're here, and they're growing in popularity. But, are you aware of the consequences of their use?

What we are talking about is abrasive media, particularly Glass Beads, supplied by off-shore manufacturers. They can be very enticing, promising limitless supplies at very attractive prices.

But, be advised that off-shore manufacturers are not subject to the same health and safety standards as domestic sources. Hence, the raw materials used to make up their products and the processes employed can, and have been proven to, introduce some serious risks that can adversely affect the health of workers, the environment, and even our domestic economy.

The raw feedstock for making Glass Beads is recycled Soda Lime Glass. So, whatever is in the 'Glass' winds up in the 'Glass' Beads. At the heart of the matter are what are known as "heavy metals," such as lead, chromium, antimony, mercury, and arsenic. These "heavy metals" have been widely used for many years in the manufacture of glass, and are still used today by many glass producers, with one notable exception... the United States. Since the 1970s, the U.S. has restricted the use of these materials in domestic glass manufacturing to what the EPA regards as safe levels to include the worker, the consumer, and the environment. Off-shore supplies of Glass Beads have been shown to have almost 200X the amount of lead, 600X the amount of antimony, and 900X the amount of arsenic as domestic sources, among others.

Why all the fuss about "heavy metals"?....

Because in higher concentrations they are toxic, and the most toxic form is airborne contamination, which affects respiration, such as would be found in any abrasive blasting operation. Using off-shore media can expose the worker and the environment to these toxic, airborne, elements during abrasive blasting operations, and then compound the matter when the spent abrasive is disposed, now putting these toxic substances into the ground where they will remain for many, many years with the added risk of eventually leaching into groundwater supplies and soil.

Also, as mentioned above, domestic Glass Beads are made from "recycled" Soda Lime Glass, which reduces the total amount of glass that winds up in landfills, and hence, promotes a 'greener' planet, which is good for everyone.

Be assured that all of the Glass Beads provided by Dawson-Macdonald Co. have always been, and will continue to be, from domestic sources.

New Uses for Abrasive Blasting Products

It's always exciting when a new use is found for a "tried and true" process or product; particularly one that greatly expands its applicability and opens new opportunities for solving some old problems. Such is the case for two traditional abrasive blasting products... glass beads and dry ice. Both of these have established themselves as well-regarded, time-tested, solutions for solving specific, recognized, problems. Glass beads are very popular for stripping applications where minimal disruption to the substrate is required, for peening, and for cosmetic finishing to provide a smooth, matte, finish. Dry Ice, on the other hand, is very popular for plastic and rubber mold cleaning, cleaning of electrical devices, and general dirt/grime removal, all taking advantage of Dry Ice's unique property of disappearing (actually converting to CO2 gas) on impact. Recently, two new applications have been developed for these two abrasive products.

Glass Beads
In a process we call "wet bead blasting" traditional glass beads have proven to be very effective in removing dirt, grime, discoloration, ground-in contaminants, and environmental effects from a variety of stone and other porous substrates. Typically, a 120 grit glass bead is used in a conventional wet blast pot at low pressure (i.e. 20-30 psi) with low volume water (less then 1 gallon per minute) introduced at the nozzle exit to create a mild slurry that gently scours the substrate. The process has been particularly effective on materials such as granite, sandstone, flagstone, bluestone, concrete and brick, all with no damage to the substrate or any architectural detail. Because of the low blast pressure and low water volume, there is minimal rebound to minimize encroachment on adjacent areas, and minimal encapsulation is required. A Wet Vac is all that is needed to clean up spent media and water. The "wet bead blasting" process was successfully used most recently for the interior restoration at the historic Boston Public Library where a variety of different stone surfaces were cleaned of over 20 years of accumulated staining and discoloration.