Know the Pros & Cons of Soda Blasting and Sand Blasting

Soda Blasting vs Sand Blasting

Soda and sand blasting are very popular, these days it is being used in various industries due to their speed and efficiency in cleaning, smoothing, or removing surface finishes. Both of them consist of blasting a surface with media to remove any kind if dirt, paint or other undesirable surface contaminants. In this article you will get to know the difference between sandblasting and soda blasting along with their pros and cons.

Pros of Soda Blasting

Eco-Friendly — This kind of blasting is eco-friendly; this is generally used when soda blasting is bi-carbonate of soda.
Rust Inhibitor — It also efficiently inhibits rust because the powdery film that remains after soda blasting inhibits ‘flash rust’ and also eliminate the requirement of an immediate coating.
Non-Abrasive — Bicarbonate of soda is quite soft that contains only 2.4 on the Mohs scale of hardness. During the soda blasting, the soda crystals explodes after coming in contact with substrate, and this reaction helps in removing the surface contaminant effectively without damaging the substrate.
Non-Toxic — It is also non-toxic in nature; sodium bicarbonate is a major component of human body. It is being endorsed many bigger authorities due to its safe use.
Doesn’t Produce Heat — Soda blasting doesn’t generate any kind of heat that means it will not distort or warp the object that is being treated.

Cons of Soda Blasting

Alkaline Properties — Soda is known to be slightly alkaline and it can harm the nearby plants and vegetation, if it is not properly rinsed off after the treatment.
May Collect inside Crevices — You need to pay special attention to rinse out the corners and crevices of the items treated before you apply the finish.
Surface Profile — Sometimes during the manufacturing of a metal object, the surface needs to be profiled properly in order to adhere the finished coating. Soda basting fails to create a surface profile due to its nonabrasive hardness.
Limited Storage Time — Extra care needs to be taken when storing the soda blasting media because it can readily absorb clumps and moisture together and if this happens then it will not flow through the blasting pot, hence can’t be used.

Pros of Sand Blasting

Profiling Of Surface — Sometimes during the manufacturing of metal objects, the surface needs to be profiled, so that the finished coating stick to the surface and mobile sandblasting Sydney is often used for this purpose.
Abrasion Action — It also allows quick removal of surface contaminants.

Cons of Sand Blasting

Abrasive — Sand blasting removes the surface contaminants by actually wearing the surface. The substrate can be easily damaged if proper care isn’t taken.
Contains Silica — Sand contains Silica also that can have serious health hazards that may also lead to fatal lung disorders, hence special safety precautions must be taken during the treatment.
Generates Heat — This usually generates the heat after the action of propelling the abrasive sand particles against a substrate. This also raise the need of enhanced safety precautions.
Activates Metal — The heat that is generated during the treatment also activates the iron and its components that causes immediate oxidation.
High Efforts — The sand blasting requires high effort depending on the size.