Blastone has been working as a distributor of Australian GMA Garnet for over 35 years!

Over the last 20 years Australian GMA Garnet has become the primary abrasive used for sandblasting in Australia and New Zealand. BlastOne has helped contractors on different projects across Australia and the globe, and we understand the requirements that different projects bring. We trust this article helps you to understand what grade of Australian garnet we recommend for your application.

While there is no such thing as a does-all sandblasting abrasive, GMA Garnet comes closest. It has been the abrasive of choice for blasting multiple materials – steel, aluminium, stainless steel, glass. It has performed tasks as varied as frosting glass, cleaning up stainless steel after TIG welding, and removing corrosion on marine vessels.

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The Power of Australian GMA Garnet as a Blasting Abrasive

The Australian garnet, also known as the Pyrope garnet, is a versatile and durable type of garnet that is gaining popularity in the blasting industry. This garnet is known for its bright pink colour, high hardness, and ability to effectively remove surface contaminants.

Characteristics of the Australian GMA Garnet for Blasting

The Australian GMA Garnet is an ideal choice for blasting abrasives due to its unique characteristics. Some of the key advantages of using Australian garnet for blasting include:

• Hardness: With a hardness of 7.5 on the Mohs scale, the Australian garnet is able to effectively remove surface contaminants without damaging the substrate.
• Durability: The Australian garnet is highly resistant to breaking and chipping, making it an effective and efficient choice for blasting applications.
• Low Dust Generation: The Australian garnet generates very little dust during the blasting process, which makes it an ideal choice for sensitive environments where dust control is important.
• Low Profile: The angular shape of the Australian garnet creates a low profile, making it an ideal choice for surface preparation and cleaning applications where minimal surface impact is desired.

Australian GMA Garnet has provided a solution to challenges such as

• Needed as clean a surface as possible – The washing and screening process removes any contaminant from the sandblasting abrasive that would remain on the surface after impacting it.
• Needed as high a blasting rate as possible – A unique crystal structure and geology, combined with engineered blend sizing, ensures a high productivity rate.
• Needed to blast with as low as possible abrasive consumption – The same characteristics that ensure excellent productivity when using GMA Garnet also ensure low consumption of sandblasting abrasive per square foot/metre of finished blasted surface.
• Needed to change to a non free-silica containing abrasive – Many mined abrasive blasting sands contain high levels of free-silica, the substance that causes the irreversible lung condition, silicosis. GMA Garnet’s free-silica levels are well below international OHS mandated maximum levels.

When selecting an abrasive, consider the following

• What production rate do I want out of my sandblasting abrasive? While one abrasive may be cheaper than another, does the more expensive abrasive work faster? An abrasive with a slightly higher cost but a much higher removal rate will be more economical to use.
• How efficient is the sandblasting media I am considering using? While one abrasive may be cheaper than another, does the more expensive abrasive media blast the same area with less material? An abrasive with a slightly higher cost but a much lower consumption rate will be more economical to use.
• What type of surface finish do I require from my sandblasting abrasive? Am I blasting to prepare the surface prior to being coated? Or am I blasting to create a surface finish?
• What is the material being blasted? Is it soft? Or is it hard? Will my preferred abrasive media stain it?

Each abrasive has a specific advantage which will weight the purchase decision in its favor. Want a regular consistent profile with no rogue peaks? Choose Australian GMA Garnet. Want a sharp angular profile for hot metal spray to lock into? Choose aluminium oxide. Wanting to blast food processing machinery and don’t want any rust stains? Choose stainless steel shot. Got a 100% recovery blast chamber and want to recycle your abrasives many times? Choose steel grit.

Standard packaging for sandblasting media includes 25kg, 1 tonne, and 2 tonne bags. BlastOne has distribution facilities throughout Australia.

Sand Blasting Warning: Crystalline silica is a known Group 1 Carcinogen. Using Silica Sand as an abrasive blasting media has been identified by Worksafe Australia as causing Silicosis (lung condition), leading to severe illness and death. For more information please refer Silica Sand Warning