# Sandblast Damascus Steel / grain size / material



## da_mich* (Mar 26, 2020)

Hello,

does anybody know how to sandblast damascus steel instead of etch it with acid? For example Kai Shun use this sandblast method for their export knives. Andybody here know witch type of sandblast material and grain size is suitable for this method? I like restore old damascus knives with this method. Thanks for answers.

Best Regards,
Michael


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## da_mich* (Mar 27, 2020)

I found out, that Kai uses glass beads but i don´t know the grain size.

https://www.kai-group.com/global/en/kai-factory/process/kitchen-knives/


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## Noah Cowan (Apr 14, 2020)

da_mich* said:


> I found out, that Kai uses glass beads but i don´t know the grain size.
> 
> https://www.kai-group.com/global/en/kai-factory/process/kitchen-knives/


If it's glass beads it's probably milspec No.13. 
You have to be careful not to recirculate the beads much if you're doing this yourself. Bead breakage leads to finger printing.


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## da_mich* (Apr 14, 2020)

Noah Cowan said:


> If it's glass beads it's probably milspec No.13.
> You have to be careful not to recirculate the beads much if you're doing this yourself. Bead breakage leads to finger printing.



Thanks for your answer. What do you mean with recirculate..... ?


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## Noah Cowan (Apr 14, 2020)

da_mich* said:


> Thanks for your answer. What do you mean with recirculate..... ?


If you're using a hobby blasting booth, there won't be a powerful suction filter to strain out any glass beads that explode on impact. Re-blasting those broken beads can leave a surface that's fuzzy and shows finger prints. Ceramic beads work better in my opinion, they tend to be heavier. You'll want to keep the PSI low to avoid adding stress. I would blast at 40psi, don't exceed 80psi or you'll have warping issues, especially on thin blades.


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