the.com/sandblasting
Erasing history at supersonic speed, one satisfying blast at a time.
means To strip paint, rust, or grime from a hard surface by blasting it with high-pressure sand (or another abrasive) shot through compressed air or steam.
from A straightforward industrial compound — 'sand' plus 'blasting' — coined when engineers realized that firing sand at speed through a pressurized nozzle could scour surfaces clean. The technique traces back to the late 1800s, credited to American inventor Benjamin Chew Tilghman, who noticed how windblown desert sand etched glass and metal, and reasoned that the same abrasion could be done on purpose, under control, and a lot faster.
- actual medium
- often garnet or glass beads, not sand anymore
- lung danger
- silica dust causes silicosis, now heavily regulated
- invented
- 1870 by Benjamin Tilghman, patented
- speed
- particles hit surfaces near the speed of sound