Bead blasted finishes??

I just noticed Orb is offering a few custom Raw NS lights with a bead blasted finish and they really look very nice in my opinion. This got me to thinking that every light I have seen with bead blasted finishes has always been very smooth and consistent in appearance.

How does bead blasting work exactly? Do you start with an anodized light and then bead blast that finish to improve it or do you simply bead blast plain unfinished aluminum? Do all blasted finishes have the same texture and feel or does it depend on the type of material the light is made of?

I am wondering this because I am curious as to why this is not a more common finish procedure for lights. With so many being picky with the ano process and many makers having trouble with consistent ano it seems bead blasting would be a better choice.

Is a bead blasted finish more costly or maybe weaker than true anodizing? And also does bead blasting a light always ensure a uniform appearance or can it also be dependant on the shop doing the work? I tried a search online and mostly got videos of actual blasting. It seems like it would be hard to mess this process up and seemed pretty simple and effective....so is it as tough as HAIII and if so why is it not used more often?

Beadblasting is a surface preparation. I don't know if hard anodizing will grow well on a beadblasted surface, but if they can anodize knurling.

I imagine Anno would grow better on a BB surface.
:twothumbs

Bead blasting is just a method of prepping the surface as said above.

Commonly it's just blasting glass beads at a plain metal surface, like the above I think HA would stick better to a bead blasted surface.

It's not stronger than HA that's for sure. HA has a rockwell rating while a rating for a BB surface would be what ever metal it is.

Robocop said:

I just noticed Orb is offering a few custom Raw NS lights with a bead blasted finish and they really look very nice in my opinion. This got me to thinking that every light I have seen with bead blasted finishes has always been very smooth and consistent in appearance.

Click to expand...

Having had a bead blasting cabinet for over 30yrs, I feel at least a little qualified to answer some of your questions. Yes it leaves a very nice finish and feel. MrBulk's Chameleon is a great example.

How does bead blasting work exactly? Do you start with an anodized light and then bead blast that finish to improve it or do you simply bead blast plain unfinished aluminum? Do all blasted finishes have the same texture and feel or does it depend on the type of material the light is made of?

Click to expand...

It is very similar to sandblasting except silica sand and other mediums used for sand blasting are sharp and remove paint, rust, ano etc. very fast. They also leave the surface open so to speak, and on steel or iron for example will form rust within minutes if not kept dry and primed or finished quickly. Where as bead blasting articles are normally glass beads of very small size which tap the surface rather than cutting it. I have sand & bead, blasted 2 nails for example and left out in the humid Houston air and by the net morning the sand blasted nail would be red with rust already forming vs the bead blasted nail which looked the same as when removed from the cabinet.

I am wondering this because I am curious as to why this is not a more common finish procedure for lights. With so many being picky with the ano process and many makers having trouble with consistent ano it seems bead blasting would be a better choice.

Click to expand...

Unlike ano it is not an applied coating but rather a process applied to the item in question. Like sanding or polishing except bead blasting leaves a very fine textured finish. As an example, when I am doing some engine repair work I throw all the nuts bolts etc in the safety kleen machine to remove the grease & oil, then I take to the bead blasting cabinet and blast emm all. Now when it's time to put it all back together I can assemble most things with my fingers because the BB has removed an rust, sealer, and even smooths most tiny eregularities in threads.

Is a bead blasted finish more costly or maybe weaker than true anodizing? And also does bead blasting a light always ensure a uniform appearance or can it also be dependent on the shop doing the work? I tried a search online and mostly got videos of actual blasting. It seems like it would be hard to mess this process up and seemed pretty simple and effective....so is it as tough as HAIII and if so why is it not used more often?

Click to expand...

Again it is not a coating but a process to the metal in question. I personally don't care much for ano because it eventually gets scratched and shows wear on edges and tops of deep knurling. I have some that will come of with a pencil eraser and on the other hand the newer HAIII when applied properly to a properly prepped surface is very hard to remove. I am very aware of this because if I can't buy a light in bare aluminum I normally bb the ano off then sand with very fine 800-2000 grit paper before polishing it. I guess the reason I prefer polished aluminum is that when it becomes scuffed I can easily re-polish it to a like new condition. This also applies to a bb finish but if you don't have a bb cabinet you can also scuff up any shiny spots with some scotch brite pad.

I hope that helped to answer your questions and I am about to build a second bead blasting cabinet just for using different very fine medium on some parts. I'll try to post some pics of any differences I find.

Thanks
X/BillyD..

Hello Robocop,

The bead blasted finish is nice to look at, but I have issues with keeping it clean.

It seems to pick up greasy or muddy fingerprints, and they don't just wipe off. You have to work at it a little.

The same goes for knurling, but if the knurling is anodized, the dirt seems easier to get off.

I tend to view bead blasting as a surface prep, rather than a finished product, however I have seen some very nice bead blasted finishes that look really sharp... until used.

Tom

X Marine thanks much for the detailed reply and yes it did help out with my questions. There is one part that still puzzles me however and it is that I never knew there was a difference between sand and bead blasting.

It seems easy to understand that sand blasting would promote rust as it cuts the surfaces. The bead blasting as you explained is resistant to rust and as such it seems this would be a better choice for finishes on lights. I thought up until you explained it that the only negative to bead blasting was that it was easier to rust but your nail example shows otherwise.

I can only guess that a hard ano coating is done to protect the finish however as you say it shows wear none the less in most cases after hard daily carry or usage.

I now see that most would use bead blasting as a type of primer before painting or applying other finishes. I happen to like the flat dull look of a blasted finish however have no lights that have a blasted finish to sample how the long term durability holds up.

I have a knife that has a "stonewashed" finish and it has seen hard use. When I look at it closely under magnification it appears to simply be a bunch of small scratches that are buffed smooth and uniform. It hides scratches and hard use marks very well and got me to thinking this would be a very nice looking finish for a light.

Anyway thanks for all the information....

Stonewashed finishes are really cool, some people think it looks like cheap tin but I like it. They basically tumble the blades using relatively large ceramic abrasive media, because of the fine grade of the abrasive it leaves a random but very smooth finish on the blade. From my experience with knives I would rate corrosion resistance in this order, Rough Sandblasted> coarse grinding belt> 240 grit satin> bead blasted(depends alot on the blasting media here)/400 grit satin>stonewash> Mirror polished. Abrasion wise it's not such a big deal to leave steel in a bare metal finish, but aluminum is pretty soft so unless you're okay with scratches or polishing often it needs some kind of hard coating.

bead blasting does not hold up well over time, it scratches and shows scratches very easily. i happen to like it though, gives it character, and when done right bead blasting can make metal/Ti feel like velvet...

Like the guys have said different metals will look diff and wear diff as well. Bead blasting does not prevent rust but rather deters it quite well and if treated with oil or wax will hold up much better.

If you have a few parts that you would like bb just pm me and I'll give u my addy. Even an old clip or any small parts just so you have a better idea of what it looks and wears like.

As mentioned it does have a nice silky smooth feel and different medium looks quite different. I think the harder aluminums look the best like MrBulks Chammie. I have several lighters that I bead blast after the ano or plating starts wearing off, and the always feel so nice after.

I have a small video I have been wanting to post of when I was bbing some ti and as I did I was seeing sparks, tiny but sparks none the less. So I had a friend video it for me. I'm not sure if that's normal or not and could be from other particles in my cabinet.

Thanks
X..
Let me know about doing a few samples for you.

I always got white sparks when I blasted Ti in the past.

~Chip

wvaltakis2 said:

I always got white sparks when I blasted Ti in the past.

~Chip

Click to expand...

Ok, so I'm not crazy.. lol
Were you glass bead blasting? I'm guessing yes, but have you ever noticed it on any other metals. I'm thinking it must be something a little peculiar about Ti but then I have never blasted in the dark before just to see.

Was thinking the next time I clean and put fresh bead in my cabinet I would grab some diff samples and hit them all with 200psi and the light off just to see the effect.

It's prolly the same "hard as H$ll" factor that we love, making the particles get that hot with only a minute moment of contact with such a unique material.. :thinking:

Thanks Chip
X/BillyD..

My limited experience with bead blasted Al that was then EN plated is that it eventually got kinda of smooth. The EN got dark quickly from, I think, fingerprint oil.

Unused McLux head on the left. Much hand handled McLux on the right. I Flitzed the head on the old one to give it luster but it was flatted out, meaning lost some of the texture before I used the nonabrasive polish. The out of focus photo doesn't do it justice. The unused one is kind of glittery looking but not pimp at all.




XMarine -

I bet a brass Zippo would look really nice bead blasted with larger media.

Satin, or lightly tumbled in marine environments, bead blasted, or sandblasted (with judicious applications of oil) otherwise .

I bet a brass Zippo would look really nice bead blasted with larger media.

Click to expand...

Nice lights Icebreak,
Brass does look pretty nice blasted but it is also soft so would loose some of the effect after a while. And of course tarnish but in some cases that just adds character. You might be amazed at how long a good coat of carnuba? paste wax will last and even on polished aluminum it helps to prevent finger prints etc..

I'll try to find a few pieces of Ti other than my lights and when I go to the place I get sand and bead I'll see if they will do a few samples with some of their other products. I think walnut shell is a popular medium and might leave a little more lustrous finish.

Hope all had a great 4th..
X..

wvaltakis2 said:

I always got white sparks when I blasted Ti in the past.

~Chip

Click to expand...

Yes, I get white sparks as well. It is one way to test if it's Ti. I believe what is happening is the Ti being removed by the media is also oxidizing rapidly (burning) and this gives you the bright white. Ti on a grinding wheel can also give you the white sparks.

I was contacted by a guy a number of years back wanting Ti plates for his motorcycle boots. I guess on the pavement if you drag the boot you get a bright white spark. I also heard tell of a company in Russia getting a really big order for Ti horse shoes. Someone thought they would be a great idea because of the light weight. I heard that the shoes were made but the customer backed out. Something about the shoes not being accepted by horse racing and I think there was also some concern about sparks. :shrug:

If you bead blast prior to anodizing, make sure you are using virgin media!! If you have any contaminants in the media, it can screw up the anodizing big time! (speaking from experience here )

Here's a little Ti and bead blast for ya... oh ya the sparks are half the fun!



Link: https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/2544491

McGizmo said:

Yes, I get white sparks as well. It is one way to test if it's Ti. I believe what is happening is the Ti being removed by the media is also oxidizing rapidly (burning) and this gives you the bright white. Ti on a grinding wheel can also give you the white sparks.

I was contacted by a guy a number of years back wanting Ti plates for his motorcycle boots. I guess on the pavement if you drag the boot you get a bright white spark. I also heard tell of a company in Russia getting a really big order for Ti horse shoes. Someone thought they would be a great idea because of the light weight. I heard that the shoes were made but the customer backed out. Something about the shoes not being accepted by horse racing and I think there was also some concern about sparks. :shrug:

If you bead blast prior to anodizing, make sure you are using virgin media!! If you have any contaminants in the media, it can screw up the anodizing big time! (speaking from experience here )

Click to expand...

Well I think that answers a question I had, knowing my media wasn't clean even though I always keep a vacuum going while in use I thought I may of had small particles reacting with the Ti. Hmm must try other media for possible varying effects.

Nice job on the masking RPM.
I'm lucky enough to have a friend and client within a mile that has several large cutting plotters and a 10x10 Ft. router table with I believe a 5hp motor.

Last job I did a while back was vectorizing a lion head and creating zebra like stripes for blasting the side and rear windows on a blinged out Hummer. Actually came out very nice, but sure glad I didn't have to free hand mask that thing.

Thanks all
X/BillyD..

X_Marine said:

Like the guys have said different metals will look diff and wear diff as well. Bead blasting does not prevent rust but rather deters it quite well and if treated with oil or wax will hold up much better.

Click to expand...

I don't know about flashlight but the knife guys seem to hate it because it promote rust by trapping moisture compare to polished finish.

It doesn't hold up well either, even on blade with HRC near 60 it scratches easily (and shows scratches well), I ended up polishing the whole thing to mirror shine and haven't had any scratches yet.

Kind of along the bead blasted topic is the satin or what I think is the same as a "stonewashed" finish....Is there a difference between stonewashed and Beadblasted?

Reason I ask is I have a knife made by Darrel Ralph....well actually it is his design marketed by Edge-Tech. This knife is one of my favorites and has survived years of abuse and the blade still looks incredible. It has a stonewashed finish and I am wondering if this could be a good option for finishes other than HAIII. Doug Ritter also makes some slick knives with the same stonewash finish and they also hold up very well....see the links below for a few pics of the design I am asking about.

http://www.knifeforums.com/uploads/1177513046-paragee.jpg

http://www.dougritter.com/pp/pic11351.htm

I realize blade material has much to do with rust as well as strength however if using something such as aluminum like most makers would this not be a better option for a more consistent finish on lights?