Comment

At a time when most industries are reporting a decline in activities, it is worth noting that the field of abrasive blast cleaning of steel fabrications has never been busier. Ten years ago, less than 50 per cent of such fabrications produced in the U.K. were blast‐cleaned: the majority were left to weather”, so removing mill scale, wire brushed and then primed and the rest left to chance. Today, nearly 100 per cent are now blast‐cleaned. The method has become accepted as the most suitable for preparing metal surfaces prior to the application of protective coatings and many organisations have put in a lot of work to lay down precise standards.