Glass beads are a popular abrasive media for blasting cookware, offering a smooth, peened finish that cleans and textures surfaces without being overly aggressive. Here’s what you need to know about using glass beads for cookware blasting:
Properties of Glass Beads for Cookware Blasting
Material: Made from soda-lime or borosilicate glass, they are inert, non-toxic, and recyclable.
Shape & Hardness: Spherical, smooth, and softer than aluminum oxide or silicon carbide, making them ideal for delicate surfaces.
Finish: Produces a satin/matte finish without embedding in the metal, which is critical for food safety.
Reusability: Can be reused multiple times if properly filtered and maintained.
Applications in Cookware Blasting
Cleaning: Removes oxidation, light rust, and old coatings without damaging the base metal.
Surface Prep: Creates a uniform texture for better adhesion of non-stick coatings.
Decorative Finishing: Provides a consistent, aesthetically pleasing matte finish.
Peening: Induces compressive stress, improving fatigue resistance in metal cookware.
Physical and chemical properties：
| Glass beads | |||
| Chemical Analysis | Physical Properties | ||
| SiO2 | ≥65.0% | Bulk Density | 1.5g/cm3 |
| Na2O | ≤14.0% | Real Density | 2.5g/cm3 |
| CaO | ≤8.0% | Mohs Hardness | 6-7 |
| MgO | ≥2.5% | HRC hardness | 46 |
| AL2O3 | ＞0.5-2.0% | Roundness | ≥92.5% |
| Fe2O3 | ≥0.15% | Magnetic | ≤0.1% |
| Other | 2.0% | Bubble | ＜0.1% |
| Usage | Blasting, cleaning, Grinding, Dispersing, Reflecting mark etc | ||
Prodcution Process：
