smurray

I'm having a steel frame (EAI Bareknuckle) powder coated and have a couple of shops who can do it. One of the main differences between the two are the blast media used to strip/clean the frame. One place uses aluminum oxide, while another uses sand. Would one of these be significantly better than the other for my situation? I know steel is stronger than an aluminum frame, but I'd still like to avoid removing too much steel, especially since I know the frame has been powder coated once before.

Cyclist0094

Aluminum oxide has less of a chance of altering the metal when blasting. Silca sand is ok too I used it last year to strip bilge paint out of the lobster boat I was restoring with little scoring of the fiberglass. Either product in the hands of a dumb-a$$ can ruin your frame.

tuz

I think you would want to chemically strip the paint or powder or you'll need more abrasive media. And then it also depends on who's doing the blasting and on the grit size. I've had someone ruin some fillet brazes with Al-Ox. Then recently I blasted a few frames and the grit was so gentle I could barely blast the minor rust it had accumulated. Generally sand is harsher than Al-Ox.