Sand/Bead Blasting help...

[David-K]

I want to go for the raw look and need to have my stripped upper and lower sand or bead blasted.

Questions:

Any issue with doing this?

What method would be best to avoid any media being left behind where a detent belongs?

Anyone in the San Diego area that you guys can recommend?

And finally, what should I expect someone to charge for this?

Thanks!

[ar15barrels]

If you fully strip the upper and lower of all hardware before blasting and degrease it of all the oil, it is very easy to remove all the blasting media with pressurized air after blasting.

Do NOT blast the inside of the upper receiver.
The anodizing and the dry lube are there for a reason.
I suggest installing a sacrificial ejection port cover during blasting.

I would charge about $40 to sand or glass bead blast an upper and a lower if you brought them over to me for the job.

[hellayella]

whose offering blast work? Randall are u? pm me

[couch]

I'll have my new (replacing old one) cabinet setup today. I'm in Orange.

[ar15barrels]

whose offering blast work? Randall are u? pm me

I am not "offering" it, but I do it upon request.
I have 180 grit aluminum oxide or glass beads.

[hellayella]

pm'd

[David-K]

Thanks Randall and couch. Randall, I may give you shout in the next week or two to set something up.

[toddh]

I want to go for the raw look and need to have my stripped upper and lower sand or bead blasted.

Questions:

Any issue with doing this?

What method would be best to avoid any media being left behind where a detent belongs?

Anyone in the San Diego area that you guys can recommend?

And finally, what should I expect someone to charge for this?

Thanks!

A to Z metal finishing off Marimar rd on Cabot st.
Ask for Anthony or Kent.
Nice people, fair prices, good work.

[Broken Arms]

I highly recommend asking them to plug the holes

Takedown pin holes .251 +/- .001
Trigger, and hammer pin holes .157 +/- .001
Safety selector hole .376 +/- .001

The other holes won't matter because they aren't tight tolerances. It is important to NOT remove the anodize in those holes for 2 reasons.
1) stripping the anodize will open all those holes around .005 or more. this will make your gun sloppy.
2) bare aluminum is soft. The anodize is protecting them.

To also like the "raw" look. But sand, bead, or alumina blasting will put a pretty texture. The downfall is that you will see scratches everywhere.

I'd recommend having them plug the important holes. Then strip it. And if you like the stripped look, cool!! If not, then polish, or scotch brite it.

Good luck

[David-K]

Broken - Thanks for the tip as I too was wondering about some of the media getting stuck in some of those tight places.

[Broken Arms]

Broken - Thanks for the tip as I too was wondering about some of the media getting stuck in some of those tight places.

Air gun fixes that easily.

[ar15barrels]

1) stripping the anodize will open all those holes around .005 or more. this will make your gun sloppy.

I'm calling BS on the 0.005" spec.
Talk to your plater and he can control the etching process WAY better than that.

Also, they can purposely etch before hard anodizing to open up the dimensions that the hard anodizing closes up.
You drill the holes larger to accommodate type III than you do for type II unless you have them etch to accommodate the plating thickness.

[Broken Arms]

I'm calling BS on the 0.005" spec.
Talk to your plater and he can control the etching process WAY better than that.

Also, they can purposely etch before hard anodizing to open up the dimensions that the hard anodizing closes up.
You drill the holes larger to accommodate type III than you do for type II unless you have them etch to accommodate the plating thickness.

.251+.002+.002 = .255

It's simple math.

Maybe you misunderstood that he has anodized parts, and wants to remove the anodize.

[Broken Arms]

Or maybe I misunderstood? David, are your parts already anodized?

[ar15barrels]

Type II anodizing is 0.0002" thick.
Type III is 0.002" thick.
The pre-anodized 80% receivers are almost all type II anodizing.
If its type III anodizing, that means the holes will get etched open and then re-anodizing type III again will bring them back down to spec they started at.

If the receiver is type II now and he etched that off, the new type II plating will fix that too.