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Ran out of ballast yesterday (bought a bag 10 years ago, finally done with it! lol.)

so was trying to find a free or near free way to base the rest of all these god dang models.



then I ran across a bunch of 5 gallon buckets full of sandblasting sand at work, boss said I was free to snag a coffee can full If I want.

Believe it has silica in it, lots of coarse sand, some has look of salt.


This cool to use or am I setting myself up for failure? I figure don't crush the stuff and inhale, but aside from that.... Paint isn't going to react poorly to this stuff will it? Or am I good to go/

Thanks.

Sand generally is sand, lol.

Sandblasting sand is just a certain grade of sand, the stuff in it is the same as any sand. It will only be a problem if its too course/too fine to match up to what you already have.

I was worried because I'm pretty sure this has silica in it, and was anxious about how something might react to it so figured I would put it up here

Try some on a spare base and glue/paint it like you normally do. You'll see if it reacts to the paints negatively.

Also, I'm not a sciency guy but I'm pretty sure that sand IS silica.

A quick googling confirmed my thoughts.
http://minerals.er.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/silica/

Be more worried if your sand is silica free.

Edit:
Avoid SODIUM silicate aka silica gel. That's the stuff in the little packet they package with beef jerky that absorbs moisture. That stuff will muck up your paint.

Silica is just regular pure sand - the good stuff...not to be confused with silica gel, which you sometimes find in the bottoms of bags and what not when you purchase new products. That is a bit of a different animal in that it is a open lattice crystal of something like silica dioxide to trap moisture (sort of the different between graphite and a diamond...both are carbon, but the diamond is a much tighter crystal).

The issue that I would be somewhat concerned with is whether or not the blast media had been used or if it is brand new. If it has been used, it might have all sorts of contaminants in it depending on what they might have blasted with it (anything from rust to asbestos). If you know what it was used for, and it isn't anything which might have associated problems...good to go. If it has been used, and you are not sure what it might have been used on - you might consider spending the $2 on a bag of playsand instead (also silica sand in most cases).

If the sand is clean and unused - then you have a different concern that might be a problem... Media blasting sand is generally what is referred to as a "sharp" sand. The crystals are very square - and it can be off putting when you look at it closely - especially if the size is larger. Play sand tends to have been either naturally or artificially tumbled (either harvested from river washes or tumbled in giant industrial tumblers). This gives it a more rounded and natural look when viewed in scale.

You might also want to make sure it is actually silica sand too. Blast media comes in a lot of different flavors - and while sand is probably the most common by a long shot...you also have various metals and even organics like ground up walnut shells.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Forgot the most important bit...

All of that out of the way...yes, you can use it just like regular sand.

I actually use my waste sand from my bead blaster and air erasers for basing different things - as well as in scenery and what not. After it has been blown around a few times and looses the sharp edges - it needs to be replaced, so I take the old stuff and recycle it back into new products. Depending on the grade of the sand and what I had been using it for...it works quite well on a variety of different projects. Keep in mind though, if you magnetize and blasted any ferrous materials - the little particles of rust and what not may well be drawn to any magnets on your miniatures. Not a huge deal, but a deal to be dealt with.

Thanks! We use it to blast rust off of structural steel. So probably does have rust! Will do a little more readin before I try, and will do a test base!

Depending on the steel you were blasting, if it has any iron in it you could just run a large magnet over the top of the sand in a small tray before you go to base it and pull out the steel.

Asbestos is a slight concern, but only if you are inhaling it. If there is even a small chance of it being in the material you are using I would scoop, not pour it and I may consider a N95 respirator (small dust mask, it will be marked N95, you can pick them up at any DIY store) Due to the small quantity you are likely to have it's not a huge concern but I would avoid trying to make it airborne.

the steel we blast does contain iron, although I didn't see any shavings or anything. I'll ask someone today. this stuff might not have even been used yet.

if it has, will try the magnet.


thanks!

I say try it on a test mini and prime, wash, drybrush to your hearts content to see how that all works.

Sandblaster Sand, Sand from the yard, .Dryed used coffee Grounds ..bits of ground lava rock from the bottom of an old grill..used corncob and walnut from cleaning brass for reloading ..yep all recycled all work well with PVA glue and a minimum of a clear coat ..some get primed and painted others just glued down and a clear matte applied..