Originally Posted by
Tank
Hate to throw a spanner in the works, but most types of sandblasting can cause damage or premature failure of the sand blasted part, e.g.
A mate sandblasted his HQ Holden Panelvan, hired professional equipment, the blasting media stretched the metal panels so much that when he drove his van the side walls of the van and the side body panels used to flap like a flag in a gale.
Another more serious incident a bloke had his Norton Feather bed frame and Triple Clamps sand blasted, during the next race the fork steering head along with the triple clamp snapped at speed, he lost a leg in that crash.
Sand Blasting changes the surface of the metal being blasted, it peens the metal which can cause case hardening, esp. on already high tensile metals
it can also change the structure of case hardened metals and change their characteristics.
A lot of Pro sandblasters use much softer blast media like Bicarbonate soda powder or nut shells to prevent metal change and damage, so check out whether it is safe to sand (Hard) blast a particular item, Regards Frank.