Wet abrasive blasting is also known as wet blasting, slurry blasting, liquid honing and vapour blasting. Wet abrasive blasting uses a combination of water, abrasive blast media and compressed air to remove a range of coatings, corrosion and residues. The majority of wet abrasive blasting systems use blast media which only joins with the water at the nozzle, this method allows some blast media to leave the nozzle without water. The blast media hits the blast surface and can cause sparks which can have catastrophic consequences if used in flammable areas such as oil rigs and gas terminals. In addition the grit will embed in the surface leaving it uneven and unclean thereby affecting the longevity of future coatings. In short the method of combining blast media, water and air employed by the majority of wet abrasive systems is inefficient, ineffective and lacks any form of control.

Dry blasting involves forcing blast media along a blast hose at high pressure. Large amounts of heat and friction are produced causing the blast media to explode on impact with the blasting surface, making it less effective and causing large clouds of abrasive dust to form in the atmosphere. This dust makes visibility extremely poor and in some cases stops other works being carried out on site. The blast media remains embedded in the blast surface leaving it uneven and unclean which will affect the quality and longevity of future coatings. The heat and friction caused by this process can in some cases also warp metal blast surfaces.

The Quill Falcon Kwikblast System uses a combination of compressed air, water and blast media so only a fraction of the amount of blast media is required when compared to dry blasting. The Quill Falcon allows operatives to increase or decrease the amount of water, blast media and air which gives greater control and precision over the entire blast process. The blast media is cushioned by water along the blast hose meaning no heat, friction or dust are produced with this method and no warping of the blasted surface can occur. The presence of water allows the blast media to travel at greater speeds along the hose which means the blast media has a greater effect on impact with the blasted surface. The water micro-washes the blast media from the blasted surface leaving it clean, profiled and contaminant free ensuring the best possible bonding strength can be achieved with future surface coatings. This therefore makes the Quill Falcon Kwikblast System an extremely cost effective and environmentally sound surface preparation method.

Ultra High Pressure (UHP) jetting involves using water at extreme pressures of up to 60,000 psi to clean surfaces. Working at these high pressures can be extremely dangerous and requires skilled operatives wearing specialist metal turtle jackets. UHP jetting does not profile surfaces and lacks the precision and control of the Quill Falcon Kwikblast System. The Quill Falcon uses significantly less water than UHP jetting and operates at a maximum of 100 psi making it a lot safer and therefore a lot easier and cheaper to obtain public liability insurance.

The Quill Falcon has the ability to allow operatives to blast, wash and then air dry the surface providing the optimum clean, contaminant free and profiled surface for new coatings to be applied. Alternatively moisture tolerant paint or flash rust tolerant coatings are also readily available on the market.

The Quill Falcon Kwikblast System offers the highest level of international safety standards being Zone 1 approved, Ex rated, Baseefa accredited, TuV, ATEX and NORSOK compliant that’s why the world’s leading oil and gas suppliers choose the Quill Falcon Kwikblast System time and time again.

The Quill Falcon Kwikblast System can remove the toughest of coatings including bitumen from pipelines yet can be adjusted to clean fragile surfaces including glass, sandstone and critical weld fixtures. The Quill Falcon Kwikblast System can also remove artex, limpet residue, encapsulated asbestos debris and floor tile adhesive all without damaging polythene enclosures. From industrial coatings, rust, soot, fire damaged surfaces, flood damaged surfaces, corrosion, paint and bitumen to permanent and temporary thermo plastic paint, temporary road marking tape, surface dressing emulsions, resin based paints, anti skid surfacing and graffiti the Quill Falcon is extremely fast, flexible and versatile at removing a wide range of coatings, corrosion and residues from an even wider range of surfaces including metal and non ferrous metals, glass, stone, brick, wood, fibre glass, concrete and asphalt.

• Fast effective results
• 50% less grit required
• Blasts up to 18 metres squared per hour
• Less gingering/flash rusting than with a dry blaster/sand blaster
• Prepares, profiles and cleans to SA 2½ , HB 2½, SB 2½, NACE VIS 9, WAB 6/10
• Removes soluble salts and chlorides
• Up to 21dB less noise than with a dry blaster/sand blaster
• 50% less grit disposal costs
• Feathered edges for quality repairs
• Ex rated, Zone 1 approved, Baseef accredited, TuV, ATEX and NORSOK compliant