sandblasting Archives - McCahill Painting Company

Exterior Projects in the Late Summer

Summertime in Chicagoland means Cubs/Sox baseball and family time with kids out of school for a few months, but that is not all that should come to mind. Summer is the season for painting, specifically exterior painting! Although summertime is now winding down with kids going back to school and the Bears already in exhibition games, we still do have a good number of summer days left! While we can perform interior painting services throughout the seasons, we see late summer as the best time of the year for exterior painting.

For the painting industry, summer is high time for some main reasons. Exterior painting requires a certain minimum temperature for paint to properly adhere to surfaces. The extensive number of sunlight hours allows projects to be completed in a shorter span of days. Consistent summer weather has fewer instances of weather, including rain, that could disrupt projects. These days we still have daylight that stretches until 8:30 in the evening!

Our customers also notice benefits to this time of year. From a financial viewpoint, this time of the year still allows budget to be utilized. An organization’s outside appearance gives first-time visitors an immediate impression of the firm. As people spend more time outside in summer, the traffic and visual impressions of an organization’s physical presence increase substantially. Therefore, from a branding perspective, maintaining a firm’s positive image in all aspects includes keeping up a firm’s quality exterior appearance.

We would be happy to discuss your project with you! Now would be a great time to see a valuable difference in your assets! Please give us a call today at (888) 521-0973!

Versatility of McCahill Painting Vapor Blasting Equipment

McCahill Painting Company is proud of its state-of-the-art vapor blasting equipment! Mobile and powerful, our gear can be used for a variety of projects. This video showcases two different uses: stripping metal and removing paint lines from a parking lot. These are just two of many vapor blasting use-cases. To see more uses, please explore our website! You can also call us at (815) 886-5544 to discover how vapor blasting can revitalize your assets!

A Brief History of Early Sandblasting

Sandblasting has a longer history than you might expect. The absolute furthest it can be traced back is 1870, when Benjamin Tilghman invented a machine for paint and rust removal. Of course, this was primitive and rudimentary, but it set the framework for future improvements. Then, Thomas Pangborn took Tilghman’s initial idea and ran with it, adding compressed air in 1904. Another substantial innovation took place in 1918, when the first enclosure was built. This enclosure contained a clear screen for sandblasters to surround the worksite and prevent dust from hitting workers’ faces.

By the 1930s, sandblasting was well-known in manufacturing fields. However, despite plant managers’ knowledge of the process, the majority felt the method was too messy. A change in attitude about sandblasting occurred when the U.S. Navy needed more efficient ways to prolong the service life of their coating systems. After simple scraping and sanding did not bring about satisfactory results, the Navy attempted sandblasting. Upon completion, the Navy realized that sandblasting was necessary for proper adhesion and performance of the coating system they would apply. Hence, this successful project set the foundation for the protective coating industry and numerous future success stories.

Sandblasting has evolved significantly, becoming safer and causing fewer cases of the lung disease silicosis. As sandblasting has emerged, so has blasting, in general, as a restoration practice for a variety of surfaces. More sustainable processes such as sodablasting and vapor blasting have become available as potential options and better substitutes.

Contact us today to see whether your project would be a good fit for sandblasting, sodablasting or vapor blasting!

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?A-History-of-Sandblasting,-1870—Present&id=5546355

Differentiating Sandblasting and Sodablasting

Sandblasting and Sodablasting Services in Chicagoland and Northwestern Indiana

In addition to the revolutionary, green method of vapor blasting that McCahill Painting offers its clients, there are two classic methods that may also be the most suitable option for many projects. These methods, sandblasting and sodablasting, are mentioned elsewhere on our website. To minimize any confusion about the similarities and differences of sandblasting and sodablasting, we decided to post a blog about this.

What is sandblasting?

Sandblasting, sometimes spelled ‘sand blasting,’ is a blasting method that oftentimes uses sand, or another dry material, at high pressure toward a surface. Sandblasting is the common term for different types of abrasive blasting, including dry blasting. In addition to sand, other dry abrasives can include glass beads, coconut shells, and walnut shells. A well-known utilizer of sandblasting techniques was the U.S. Navy.

What is sodablasting?

While sandblasting is considered ‘abrasive blasting,’ sodablasting is thought of by many to be non-abrasive. Sodablasting uses sodium bicarbonate, more commonly known as baking soda, to remove contaminants and/or to smooth the surface. Whereas sandblasting uses extremely dry abrasives, sodablasting incorporates baking soda for both gentle and extreme effectiveness. A well-known project that incorporated sodablasting was the restoration of the Statue of Liberty.

Sandblasting and Sodablasting: Side-by-Side

Sandblasting	Sodablasting
Preferred for institutional blasting	Preferred for industrial blasting
Effective at removing rust	Effective on plastic, wood, and chrome
Less environmentally friendly	More environmentally friendly
Quick cleaning	Gentle cleaning
Lower cost	Higher cost
Simply blasts	Deodorizes and sanitizes
Materials can be reused	Materials can only be used once
Wide areas	Condense areas
Requires more safety precautions	Requires fewer safety precautions
Often used for metal and machinery	Often used for mold, smoke and other damage

We hope that this information is helpful! Please feel free to call us or e-mail us at info@mccahillpainting.com with any questions!

Source: https://turbofuture.com/industrial/What-is-the-Difference-Between-Sand-Blasting-Soda-Blasting

The Green Factor of Vapor Blasting

blog3 Although the popularity of sandblasting is known, the positive environmental effects of vapor blasting are still being uncovered and gaining acceptance by the mainstream. As the importance of becoming greener is increasing, vapor blasting may be the more suitable option for your project.

The clear, positive effects of choosing vapor blasting over dry blasting should be made evident. For one thing, vapor blasting equates to a 92% reduction in dust over sandblasting. The large volume of dust makes sandblasting a dirty job. Operators and workers on sandblasting projects must wear the proper and necessary protective gear to guard themselves against a mini sandstorm. On a project where we sandblasted a metal staircase, some people from a distance thought there was a fire in the building because of all the smoke elevating in the air! Because of the dust factor and other reasons, vapor blasting is a more sustainable process to restore surfaces to their original youth.

Furthermore, blasting is becoming a legal issue in certain parts of the country, and will surely make its way to the Midwest. California and New York City are the early adopters in becoming environmentally friendly because of their legal implementation of blasting projects being performed only by Tier 4 Compressors, which are the most eco-friendly. McCahill Painting uses the very latest technology in the form of Graco EcoQuip 2 Vapor Abrasive Blast Equipment. Graco is a leading manufacturer of such equipment, giving us the best tools for the best results. Please see below to visualize what the equipment looks like.

Choosing McCahill Painting to perform your vapor blasting work will be the most eco-friendly choice in Chicagoland! Please contact us to discuss your blasting project in more detail!