Frequently Asked Questions

Dustless Blasting is a form of wet abrasive media blasting technique used in the removal of surface material (ie. rust, paint, calcium, cement etc..). However the word ‘Dustless’ is actually a very clever term used when describing this form of wet media blasting.

There is no such thing as ‘dustless’ or ‘dust-free’ blasting in the surface preparation industry. All abrasive blasting equipment operating under normal conditions produces dust. Air quality studies have shown that the most effective vapour abrasive blasting machines suppress no more than 92% of dust produced by dry blasting.

Dustless Blasting can use just about any abrasive that sinks in water and doesn’t dissolve. Our favourite is recycled bottle glass because it’s clean, cheap, good for a wide range of jobs and eco-friendly. If you choose to use another blast media you need to make sure it has minimal trash and a consistent particle size. Lots of trash or dirt will turn into mud inside the machine.

We use a rust inhibitor called HoldTight 102 Rust Inhibitor to prevent flash rusting for up to 72 hours. This extremely effective rust inhibitor is added to the blast water to prevent flash rust during blasting, and then used to rinse  the item after blasting process is complete. To completely eliminate any rust flashing we recommend that a primer is applied immediately after the blasting process when the item is dry preferably within 24hrs.

Glass and chrome can be damaged by any kind of abrasive blasting. You should always mask off the chrome and glass prior to blasting.

Warping occurs when the metal heats up due to friction from dry abrasive. Dustless Blasting will not cause warping from heat, because friction and heat are reduced by the water. In fact the temperature of the metal being blasted usually comes down about 10 degrees from ambient.

This however does not mean that stretching will not occur because it depends on how thin the metal is that is being blasted and how much bracing the item has behind it. Because pressure can cause warping we do not blast thin metals such as car roofs, bonnets and boot lids. We suggest that this is done by hand using paint strippers however we can do every other part of the car with no problems.

The abrasive will settle on the ground beneath or very near to whatever we’re blasting. If you’re in a place where you need to dispose of this media, the easiest way is to spread out some plastic before you begin blasting, and roll it up after blasting. We take care of cleaning up after every job is complete.

Dustless Blasting can most definitely remove rust.

Once we have blasted your project we rinse it down with Holdtight 102 which will give you up to 72hours to prime before flash rusting can occur.

Yes we can come to you. Our Blasting System is completely mobile making it possible for us to blast in any location.

We will travel to most places in the northern part of southeast Queensland. Our main service area runs from Redcliffe in North Brisbane and covering all of the Sunshine Coast as far up as Gympie. We also travel inland as far as Kingaroy down to Sommerset.

In saying that we do travel outside of these areas from time to time completing various larger projects so don’t hesitate to call us and make an enquiry because we could be able to fit you in with another job in that location.

We do not charge a travel fee as it is usually built into every quote. The quote you receive is the quote we charge with no travel fees.

This can however change depending on your project requirements and your location which we will discuss with you during your initial quote.

Extra fees that could be included such as equipment hire or out of scope work will be included in all quotes so you know where you stand right from the beginning.

The Dustless Blasting system has the following advantages over the old, outdated dry blasting method:

• Faster – Dustless Blasting can strip a car in under 2 hours.
• Minimal Dust- The abrasive gets trapped in water and grounded, eliminating the plume of dust.
• Lower Abrasive Consumption – Dustless Blasting uses less media to do more work.
• Abrasive Flexibility – Dustless Blasting can use almost any abrasive that sinks in water.
• No Warping – The water prevents friction and won’t warp thin metal like sandblasting will.
• Safe for Workers – Recycled bottle glass contains no free silica, the leading cause of silicosis.
• Less Containment Needed – In most cases, expensive, time consuming containment doesn’t need to be set up.
• Doesn’t Affect Nearby Workers – Never sacrifice productivity, other workers can work nearby unaffected.
• Leaves a Paint Ready Surface – The rust inhibitor decontaminates the metal leaving a clean, chloride free paint ready surface.