# Will sandblasting cast-aluminum cause corrosion later?



## Harvey (May 22, 2017)

I've got a couple of very large cast aluminum pieces that need a thorough surface cleaning and roughing up for painting.  Normally, I would use my glass bead blaster but these pieces are much too large for my cabinet.  (They're about 24 x 24 x 24 inches each.)  There's an industrial sand blaster nearby that normally does my steel jobs but I'm wondering if the high-powered sand will impregnate the cast aluminum and cause corrosion problems down the road?

Thanks,

Harvey


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## Tony Wells (May 22, 2017)

No, not in itself, but if the media has been used before on ferrous materials, it likely is contaminated and there is a risk of embedding foreign material in the relatively soft aluminum. If new media is used there should not be a problem. As I'm sure you know, aluminum starts to oxidize virtually instantly, so try to keep the interval short between blasting and priming, and it goes without saying that a proper primer should be used.


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## Harvey (May 23, 2017)

Thanks for your reply, Tony.  I contacted a local (industrial) "metal prep" shop after I posted my question here yesterday and they reminded me that "soda" blasting is an economical, effective, and safe way to do cast-aluminum nowadays.

Harvey


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