GARNET

A TRUE Multi-Purpose Blast Media

Traditionally, Garnet blast media has been seen as the industry standard for use in Water Jetting and UHP equipment.  Over the last several years, it has also gained popularity for other abrasive blasting operations – both indoor and outdoor blasting.  Today we supply clients who use it in various ways, including their blast rooms, blast cabinets, vapor blasters, and dry blast machines. 

Is Garnet cost-effective?

In our opinion, this Garnet blast media offers advantages for indoor blasting operations where reclamation is possible.  It’s very dense and can get reused up to 6x depending on a few factors.  For this very same reason, we have found it may not be the best choice for outdoor work, field projects, and vapor / dustless blasting machines.  Reusing Garnet in these situations can be difficult if not impossible, and price-wise it’s not as economical as other “less dense” abrasives that offer the same performance characteristics.  We carry one in particular that costs 45% less:  JETMAG!

Garnet and Historic Preservation work

When used at a low pressure in ESCA equipment, Garnet blast media can be used successfully for many types of preservation work. It was used at the Eiffel Tower in Paris to remove a layer of wax from the granite base. Because of its density, minimal dust gets produced even when not using water.  At the Eiffel Tower, they dry blasted while using only simple containment measures and did not have to close down any of the sidewalks or other pedestrian routes.

It’s used extensively by the National Park Service at Gettysburg for cleaning and restoring many of the monuments and statues found there. The shape of the grain – it’s somewhat rounded – enables this media to also be used on very delicate substrates, including wood and certain kinds of stone and masonry. At a low pressure, the grains bounce off the surface rather than cutting into it. This bouncing action removes dirt, crusts and other contaminants, but will not harm the material’s surface itself in most cases.  We strongly recommend testing and sampling when approaching a sensitive or historical project. 

We have years of experience in this field and would love the opportunity to discuss your project in more detail, so please contact us with any and all questions.