Affordable Options for Wet/ Vapor Blasting

Wet blasting also called vapor blasting has become a popular option for a variety of blast applications. There are a lot of reasons for its growing popularity including the potential to keep dust down and the ability to quickly clean the surface after it has been blasted. You can also learn more about the Pros and Cons of Wet blasting here. One of the downsides is the higher expense that can be associated with vapor blasting. However, this guide will provide helpful ways to be able to do wet blasting affordably.

Option 1 for Affordable Wet/Vapor Blasting

If you already have a blast pot that is bigger than 2 cubic feet in size you can add just a water blast system that will let you feed water into your blast line by the nozzle creating a wet blast system. The system uses pressurized water and mixes with the media at the nozzle. The benefit to this type of system is that it prevents you from having to worry about the media and water packing out and blocking your blast pot from operating. The system comes with a 10:1` pump and nozzle adapter that allows for the introduction of water into the blast media stream. It also can be incorporated with blast pots that offer you the ability to blast down the product with just air, providing even faster cleaning. The system is a Clemco Wet blast Injector System. It is $3,545.00 for a single operator making it quite reasonable compared to a full wet blast system, which can cost $15,000 or more. It can also be modified to allow for two blast operators to operate off the single unit, making it a great option for higher production needs.

Option 2 for Affordable Wet /Vapor Blasting

The other option for affordable wet blasting consists of a basic ring that releases water into the media which keeps the dust down. This solution is not quite as efficient to the Wet Blast Injector System but for those who are truly looking for the lowest cost option for wet blasting, this can be a solution to consider. It is called the Clemco Wetblast ring attachment and functions as a ring that surrounds the blast nozzle.  This solution is $144.00 and is effective at knocking down about 80% of the dust that is created with abrasive blasting. This solution is suitable for a single blast operator.

Important Considerations

Remember if you will be wetblasting or vapor blasting you will typically need to use a rust inhibitor in the water you use with either of the solutions mentioned or immediately apply rust inhibitor when you finish blasting the surface. Failure to do so could cause flash rust effectively erasing all the effected blast preparation work.

Ultimately wet or vapor blasting has a lot of benefits from keeping dust down to potentially using less media. If you have determined that wet blasting is the right type of blasting for your needs next you will have to evaluate how to start wet blasting. While there are complete systems with a blast pot and the water controller integrated these systems can cost from $15000 up to $60,000.  However if keeping your costs reasonable is important considering the two options we have discussed may allow you to reap the benefits of wet blasting at a reasonable cost. They are also cheaper or similar in cost to many rental costs for vapor blasting units which can run in the 1000 – 3000  or more dollar range for a rental of a vapor blast unit. If you have questions about wet blasting and the differences between the two options we discussed feel free to contact us for additional help.