Black Beauty Coal Slag VS Copper Slag
Often publicized as the safest material to apply in rough or dirty surfaces that need an abrasive blasting, Black Beauty products are usually the first choice for this and many other projects where sandblasting media is necessary. However, today cleaning, repairing or performing a maintenance job on such surfaces is much easier using copper slag, which is considered a great replacement for slag coal based on its superior quality.
Problem with coal slag abrasives is that it is necessary to select the grade of the material in accordance with the project in order to obtain the desired results. As an example, a medium grade coal slag is good for general purpose repairs, but to perform bridge maintenance where mill scale has to be removed, the black slag chosen has to be at least of fine grade. However, there are also extra fine grade, elite grade and military specification grade black beauty sand that serves for different purposes.
With copper slag, the risk to choose the wrong sandblasting media is reduced and although it can also be found in varied grades to meet the requirements of specific applications, for general purpose blasting, removal, repair and maintenance, all copper slag serves well. Naturally, black beauty slag is generally cheaper than copper slag, but you need to evaluate the cost of a byproduct versus the quality of the same, having copper slag as the winner when it comes to outlining a comparison chart.
Despite a black beauty abrasive with elite grade is a good option for projects that require a superior blending capability, there is no Black Diamond sand with the properties of copper slag, which is also an excellent fine agent that can bind lose particles in concrete regardless of its grade.
When it comes to slag abrasives with military grade, it is necessary that the product of your choice complies with MIL-A-22262B(SH) specification and that such product is military QPL approved, so be aware of this requirement whatever is your choice for an abrasive byproduct needing such high standard specifications.
However, most of the time you will need a standard sandblasting media, that being of good quality to do an efficient job. Thus, selecting copper slag for your project is often a wise decision, and it is not as costly as you might think. On the other hand, many professionals recommend wearing a mask to avoid possible silica in the product and using a dust collector when working with coal slag, precautions that are rarely necessary when using copper slag. Although many times safety measures are more connected to the equipment used for blasting rather than being related to the abrasive products by themselves, whether you use a full-size compressor, or a small portable blasting tank.
