# Good inexpensive source for glass beads



## alloy (Feb 3, 2017)

Found this while looking for an alternative source  for glass beads.  Where I am I have to travel to an adjacent city downtown to get them.  A real pain to get there.

Home Depot has 50lb pails for $24.67 and free shipping on orders over $45.   My local supplier is $36 for the same thing.  The pails are useful for other things also 

http://www.homedepot.com/p/BLACK-BULL-Blast-Media-80-Grit-Glass-Beads-SBGLAS/203494098


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## chips&more (Feb 3, 2017)

Thanks for the tip! Have you actually tried the stuff? Reviews are mixed. Some say it turns to dust as soon as you use it once? Some say it’s crushed glass and not glass beads? HF sells a 50lb of reported glass beads for about 45 bucks. My blast cabinet recycles the media, wouldn’t be much good if it just recycled and blasted dust...Dave


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## alloy (Feb 3, 2017)

I've been using them for about 2 weeks now.  No problems at all. I do transmission housings with them.

If you shoot glass beads at too high of a pressure they shatter.  40 psi seems perfect to me.  I have my bead blaster set up for pressure blasting using a foot control valve.

You can see my setup here.

http://www.hobby-machinist.com/thre...et-to-pressure-blast-with-foot-control.54615/


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## chips&more (Feb 3, 2017)

Thanks again! Sometimes (maybe more than you/I would like) reviews are from folks without one ounce of actual knowledge of the subject. They just like to whine, bash the product, clueless,  just love to type and want to be heard on the net or something along those lines. It’s good to hear from you that has a knowledgeable background and with first hand use of the stuff…Thanks Again, Dave


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## woodchucker (Feb 3, 2017)

Those might also be available at Tractor supply as some other black bull stuff is there.


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## alloy (Feb 3, 2017)

The main problem with people using glass beads is that they don't know they will shatter at too high a pressure.  I had the same problem at first and talked to the rep at the industrial supply and he told me what pressure to use.  Made a world of difference.  I go several months before having to add more.

I don't believe there is any info on how to use them on the Home Depot site, or on the package. At work we literally "Blast" with them.  Go through a pallet a month.  I told them to lower the pressure and they don't seem to care.  They work faster that way granted, but they are emptying the dust collector every week.  We have 2 recycling cabinets and they work so much faster than a suction blaster.  Comparing that to my suction at home is what prompted me to switch mine over to pressure.  Yes I have to empty the cabinet and put the beads back in the tank, but that doesn't take long at all.  I do a housing in 5 minutes with pressure, and it took 45 minutes with suction.   

I would like to run across a recycling cabinet .  They are kinda spendy though. Been looking on CL but nothing yet.

Woochucker:  I don't have a tractor supply close to me. It's an hour away and I'd rather have them delivered for free


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## alloy (Feb 3, 2017)

Tractor supply does have them.  Same product $9.00 more.

http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/pr...-abrasive-glass-beads-50-lb-drum?cm_vc=-10005


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