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(Surface Prep) Don’t Let Your Eyes Deceive You

A steel surface has been properly prepared to a white metal blast and it looks great … to the naked eye at least. But is it? Why is a surface that has the correct profile and appears to be perfectly clean typically not good enough? A standard abrasive blast will give you the profile and visible cleanliness, but how clean is it? Testing is the only way to determine. That is testing for conductivity, chlorides, and any other contaminants.

Product Number: 67-COAT_DEC21
Author: Kenneth E. Rossy / Alexander J. Petkas,
Publication Date: 2021
Industry: Coatings
$0.00
$20.00
$20.00

A steel surface has been properly prepared to a white metal blast and it looks great … to the naked eye at least. But is it? Why is a surface that has the correct profile and appears to be perfectly clean typically not good enough? A standard abrasive blast will give you the profile and visible cleanliness, but how clean is it? Testing is the only way to determine. That is testing for conductivity, chlorides, and any other contaminants. And to be sure that the blasting is not leaving new contaminants, the abrasive and water may need to be tested too. These are testing steps are typically not taken unless specifically called for in a job scope. But best practices require that they should be as they eliminate potential failure that leads to redoes and contractor reputation damage.
How do you remove the salts and contaminants that testing revealed? Either with wet abrasive blasting or pressure washing after dry abrasive blasting with the addition of a chemical rinse aid in the water to fully clean the surface. Test again and prove to yourself that the surface is now much cleaner than previously thought. This provides the owner a better coating job, improves corrosion protection and allows the contractor to look like a hero.

A steel surface has been properly prepared to a white metal blast and it looks great … to the naked eye at least. But is it? Why is a surface that has the correct profile and appears to be perfectly clean typically not good enough? A standard abrasive blast will give you the profile and visible cleanliness, but how clean is it? Testing is the only way to determine. That is testing for conductivity, chlorides, and any other contaminants. And to be sure that the blasting is not leaving new contaminants, the abrasive and water may need to be tested too. These are testing steps are typically not taken unless specifically called for in a job scope. But best practices require that they should be as they eliminate potential failure that leads to redoes and contractor reputation damage.
How do you remove the salts and contaminants that testing revealed? Either with wet abrasive blasting or pressure washing after dry abrasive blasting with the addition of a chemical rinse aid in the water to fully clean the surface. Test again and prove to yourself that the surface is now much cleaner than previously thought. This provides the owner a better coating job, improves corrosion protection and allows the contractor to look like a hero.

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