Garnet Sea Sand: Formed naturally, eroded by waves, resulting in a rounded and smooth surface.
Garnet Rock Sand: Artificially crushed and sieved from ore, resulting in sharp edges.
Below is a detailed comparison:
1. Garnet Sea Sand (Garnet Sand / Beach Garnet)
Formation Process: Garnet-rich rocks (such as gneiss and serpentinite) weather naturally over millions of years. The garnet particles within them are preserved due to their high hardness and chemical stability. These particles are then transported by rivers to estuaries, where they are repeatedly eroded and sorted by waves, ultimately forming mineral deposits on beaches or coastal areas.
Advantages:
Less Wear on Equipment: The rounded particles make them particularly popular in high-pressure water jet cutting, significantly reducing wear on high-pressure pipes, fittings, and cutting nozzles, thereby extending equipment life.
Genterer Surface Finish: During sandblasting, they provide a more uniform and smoother surface finish, avoiding sharp stress concentration points.
Cost-effective: Mining and processing costs are low.
Disadvantages:
Lower cutting efficiency: Due to its rounded shape, it’s less effective than rock sand in blasting operations requiring rapid cleaning.
May be slightly less pure: It may contain very small amounts of other minerals.
2. Garnet Rock Abrasive / Crushed Garnet
Processing: Large chunks of garnet ore are mined from hard rock deposits and crushed into smaller pieces using equipment such as jaw crushers and cone crushers. These pieces then undergo magnetic separation (to remove iron impurities), screening (to classify the particles by size), washing, and drying to produce sharp, fine particles of varying sizes.
Advantages:
High cutting efficiency: It’s the gold standard in the blasting industry. Its sharp, multi-angled shape acts like countless knives, quickly and efficiently removing rust, old paint, and dirt, while creating an ideally roughened surface (anchor grain) that greatly improves coating adhesion.
Extremely Pure: Through multiple purification steps, its chemical composition is stable and virtually free of dust and other impurities.
Reusable: It can be reused multiple times in demanding abrasive blasting recovery systems.
Disadvantages:
High Equipment Wear: Sharp particles can rapidly wear out the nozzle, hose, and liner in the blasting equipment.
High Cost: The complex processing and high energy consumption result in a price that is generally higher than sea sand.
How to Choose?
For waterjet cutting: Garnet sea sand is preferred. It is crucial for equipment protection.
For heavy-duty blasting (such as rust removal on ships, bridges, and storage tanks): Garnet rock sand is preferred. Its high efficiency and adhesion are unmatched by sea sand.
For precision cleaning or sensitive surfaces (such as automotive restoration and delicate workpieces): Consider using garnet sea sand for a softer, more uniform surface.