On Jun 12, 12:56*pm, Michael Horowitz wrote:

As an example, I can take off an 1/8" strip of paint at about
1"/second, but have no idea what should be happening - Mike
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Basic test was to paint a 10" x 2" coupon then cure the paint to spec.

Once th paint was cured you masked-off the surface in strips 2"
wide,giving you four square inches of 'sample surface'.

The coupon was then rigged to a rack at a hight & angle convenient for
the blaster, who got thirty seconds before the flag came down,
indicating the next 2" wide 'surface' was being exposed. Flag goes
up, blaster goes back to work, which is trying to remove ALL of the
paint from ALL of the surface.

The blaster is all suited up, inside a helmet or mask. He's as much a
part of the procedure as the rack or the flag or whatever.

What are they testing? Usually they're comparing one paint against
another, or one abrasive against another, or one nozzle against
another. If they were comparing hobby-type sand-blasting rigs, they
probably run the FULL procedure then take a break, roll in a new rack
of samples AND a new compressor, sand bucket, hose, nozzle & so
forth... and do it all over again.

Guy restoring/repairing an airplane? He'd probably RENT the biggest
rig he could afford, hire someone to keep the hopper filled, use lotsa
pressure, a 'sharp' abbrasive, no grit recovery, etc. -- get the job
done as fast as possible EVEN IF IT DAMAGES SOME JOINTS.

Otherwise, there's lotsa good books on abrasive surface treatment,
most with excellent photographs showing what happens when you go after
small diameter mild-steel tubing when you're armed with a 25hp air
compressor.

-R.S.Hoover