Metal finishing Q&As since 1989
-----
Glass bead blasting leaves surface fingerprint prone
Q. We are glass bead blasting stainless steel(304)parts with bead of 100 microns. We are facing problems with the surface after the blasting. Finger print and other dirt marks stand out if the surface is touched. Is there a way to avoid this?
Anthony Joseph PrakashSartorius India - Bangalore, India
2005
A. Don't touch it !
If you cannot wash the finger prints, then touching hands must be really dirty/greasey. Anyway, it is a good practice to use gloves and not touch the surface.
- Fort Collins, Colorado
2005
Q. I'm having the same issue. And sometimes not touching is not an option. Also hard to prevent contamination getting on the surface, and although it can be removed, the bead blasted surface becomes darker afterwards if only dry wiped.
I've heard that ceramic balls might reduce this disadvantageous effect, however I've tried 100 micron CeraPeen beads and the same issue happens.
I'm using Al 6061 which I bead blast and EN plate. Is there an extra coating that I could apply to prevent this issue? What about using some kind of wax?
Annoyingly I have some cheap key chain holders that apparently have a bead blasted metal piece attached and that attracts no fingerprints at all. How do they do that?
Help me with some ideas please :)
- Salatiga, Indonesia
August 21, 2013
A. This may not answer your question directly; however, good finishing practices after processing must be thought about before surface modification. Any process will expose a new surface to oxidation and sensitive to any reaction. Meaning you need to think about protection before you process. Coatings are usually needed and preferred to preserve new surface even if they have to be removed before the needed operation
AF Kenton
retired business owner - Hatboro, Pennsylvania
August 28, 2013
Q, A, or Comment on THIS thread -or- Start a NEW Thread