Blog

Lighthouses are subject to Mother Nature’s harshest conditions: wind, rain, and constant exposure to salt water from the pounding waves of the ocean. It comes as no surprise that these structures and their various components require routine rehabilitation and restoration.

Imagine a 50 year old municipal water tank. It’s only been five years since it was last coated, but for some reason the paint is already starting to fail. Rust can be seen spotting all over the tank’s exterior. If we were to do a forensic style analysis on the surface of the tank and the flaking paint chips, we’d most likely see that poor surface preparation is to blame for the failure.

When the interiors of five jet fuel tanks at Portsmouth International Airport at Pease needed to be blasted and recoated, contractor L. A. Mangum & Son, Inc.'s confined space blasting and painting experience made them the best choice for the job.

Nuclear decommissioning is the process of permanently shutting down the operations of a nuclear power plant. This process must be done safely, and is strictly regulated by government agencies. For example, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is the U.S. agency responsible for making and enforcing the rules, regulations, and procedures that govern nuclear power plant decommissioning. In the United Kingdom, it is the Office of Nuclear Regulation that oversees, regulates and monitors nuclear decommissioning.

Many advanced Certified Rebuild Centers (CRCs) and Heavy Equipment Refurbishment facilities are turning away from regular abrasive blasting and/or high pressure washing during their re-manufacturing process. Increasingly, these centers are focusing on cleaning the equipment using Sponge-Jet blasting prior to disassembly.

Building production capacity at Russia's largest steel and steel-related mining companies doesn’t happen without planning, staging, careful product selection and execution. PAO Severstal announced their plans to add a third blast furnace to the company’s Cherepovets Steel Mill in the Vologda Region, Russia. Corresponding with the install was construction of a wet cleaning scrubber and demister.

Now more than ever, Contractors are looking for ways to save money, increase worker safety, and reduce waste. For abrasive blasting projects like cleaning tanks, prepping pipe internals, or blasting walls and floors, robotic abrasive blasting is often a better choice than manual blasting.

When paint starts to peel and bubble, it’s extremely important for the integrity of the asset to remove the old coating and apply a new one. As protective coatings fail, substrate corrosion can accelerate, leading to long term asset damage. If failed coatings and corrosion are not addressed, the damage may not be repairable and the asset may need to be replaced, ultimately costing the owner substantially more money.

Abrasive blasters who have properly sized air compressors have the best chance for maximizing productivity and efficiency. Contractors and others who blast with mismatched air volume can suffer lost productivity and profits.

In this challenging and unprecedented time, Sponge-Jet is taking measures to ensure the health and safety of our employees as well as the continuation of business. Due to Sponge-Jet’s support of essential industry, especially corrosion prevention in defense, shipbuilding, power generation, oil and gas production, and the critical maintenance of buildings and infrastructure, we remain operational.