Frequently Asked Questions

Hard Abrasive FAQs

Crushed glass sounds like it could hurt me…..

Crushed glass is actually the friendliest hard abrasive on the market. It contains no free silica or toxic metals. The recycled bottled glass is manufactured in such a way that it is not sharp on your skin. For instance you can place your hand in the bag, move it around and it will never cut you.

I currently use Black Beauty, how does it compare?

Recycled crushed glass is a direct replacement for Black Beauty (coal slag).

I use my abrasive in bulk, how is it packaged?

50 lb bags, super sacks, and bulk trailers.

Is crushed glass dusty?

All abrasives are dusty. However, because most of the glass is clear the dust is actually translucent, allowing for far greater visibility than traditional abrasives.

I do slurry blasting with a Farrow System — can this replace Olivine?

Yes, not only is glass less expensive, but Olivine also contains a vast array of toxic metals. Using Crushed Glass eliminates the respiratory risk associated with Olivine and other traditional abrasives such as Silica-sand.

How can glass be silica-free?

Recycled bottle glass is chemically known as Amorphous Silica, which means it contains less than 1% free-silica. Free-silica is commonly found in traditional blasting sand and other hard abrasive sandblasting medias. Silica-sand dust in its natural state has an “open”crystalline structure that has the capability of sticking to lung tissues. When this happens, the likelihood of developing a serious respiratory disease called Silicosis increases. Because our recycled glass blast media is amorphous, its crystalline structure is “closed”, which makes it impossible to physically stick to human lung tissue. When a person is exposed to amorphous glass fines or dust, the body will expel the dust as it would any other type of natural dirt.