OUR PROCESS

What is vapor honing?

Vapor honing (also referred to as vapor blasting or wet blasting)  is a surface refinishing process used to clean and restore surfaces.  Instead of dry abrasive media (used in sandblasting), it uses a combination of water, compressed air, detergents with finer and gentler media to remove oxidized metal and corrosion. The process also seals the pores of the aluminum making it look better longer, leaving it with a much shinier and smoother surface. 

how does it work

The key to vapor blasting is that the finish is produced through flow of water borne abrasive, giving a finer finish due to the flushing action of the water. No media is impregnated into the component, nor is there any dust created by the break-up of media, unlike dry blasting where the finish is produced by sheer force of media impact.  A specially designed glandless polyurethane pump agitates water and media into a slurry, and pumps it to the blast gun. At the same time this slurry is pumped at approximately 2 bar to the nozzle, and air is introduced at the blast gun to accelerate the slurry and its cleaning effect on impact, albeit cushioned.

The illustrations above show the different natures of grit, bead, and vapor blasting. The aggressiveness of dry grit and bead blasting are shown in the first two illustrations which demonstrate the severe 80 degree ricochet that occurs when using these methods. The third illustration shows the gentler, but just as effective, vapor blasting method. The ricochet of media is reduced due to the cushioning from the water: the angle of the media is changed producing a lapping effect traveling across the surface, giving an even satin/polished finish.

Ready to get started?