Jeff Elster

American Dry Stripping in Milford, Connecticut uses PLASTI-GRIT® Plastic Blast Media to strip paint and coatings from cars, including exotic and classic car restoration. This interview with Roger Van Brussel, owner of American Dry Stripping, reviews the unique advantages of stripping paint and coatings with plastic blast media. Question: American Dry Stripping uses PLASTI-GRIT® Plastic Blast Media from Composition Materials. How long has your company been using plastic blast media? Roger: We’ve been using plastic media for about 25 years. Question: What blast jobs do you use Plastic Blast Media for? Roger: Plastic Media, when compared to other abrasive medias, […]

The history of Plastic Sandblasting, or Plastic Media Blasting, dates to 1870 when a patent (pictured below), was awarded for a process using silica sand and compressed air to clean surfaces. Sandblasting was the most common coatings removal method until just after WWII when chemical paint strippers quickly became popularized and offered an alternative to sandblasting, which carried silicosis health risks. In 1947, DuPont received a patent for using synthetic resins to blast clean aluminum and magnesium aircraft engine parts. Then, in 1981, the U.S. Navy put out an RFP for less hazardous paint stripping methods, at which point Plastic

Plastic Media Blasting, or plastic sandblasting, utilizes ground plastic abrasives projected through specialized equipment to remove paint and coatings from a variety of surfaces and substrates, as well as for surface preparation. Blasting with plastic media has a significant number of applications, such as removing coatings like paints and primers from aircraft and automobile bodies; removing contaminants such as carbon buildup from engines; cleaning industrial equipment; deburring and deflashing surfaces; and even removing old finishes as part of furniture restoration. Plastic Media Blasting History Plastic media was first researched and implemented by the United States military in the 1980’s as

Since 1923 Composition Materials has been a leading innovator of sustainable and recycled products made from post-agricultural and post-industrial sources. These eco-friendly products have been at the core of the company’s product offerings from the beginning, with new products and applications in development. The company started in the 1920’s repurposing birchwood sawdust for use as a filler in various manufactured products. From there, the company founders evaluated various by-products from agriculture and industry. Along the way cherry pits, peach pits, peanut shells, and leather scrap from the shoe industry were milled and classified into abrasives, fillers, and powders. Over the