Decoating, is the act of using a blast media, such as Bicarbonate of Soda to remove unwanted or contaminated materials from the surface of any item.

The results are the same as that achieved with sand blasting, but faster, environmentally safer, non-abrasive, and without the Hazards to the Operator that are associated with silica dust in sand blasting.

One media used is Bicarbonate of Soda in its industrial "food grade" format. Another is Potassium Sulfate, and even Corn Cob. All are used to "blast" away paint, graffiti, grease, rust, accumulated dirt, or other unsightly coating, without leaving behind harmful dust, chemicals or silica sand.

In the past, the only way you could remove paint or some other unsightly material from a contaminated surface was to either chip it off, sand blast it, use harsh chemicals, manually sand it until your arm fell off or your equipment failed. In most cases, after these time consuming (or hazardous methods) are discarded, the final solution was to just to paint over it and hope no one noticed.

In the 70's however, environmental issues took on new meaning. Chemicals were destroying our planet, (they still are!) the EPA came out with its warning to sandblasters on the hazards associated with breathing silica sand, and again, just painting over something no longer seemed right.

Also during this time, we started taking a renewed interest in preserving our past. This was the time when the problems of refurbishing the Statue of Liberty came to light.

The problems presented by this monumental task started with its location in New York Harbor and the sensitivity of the material being cleaned. You couldn't use silica sand, because in addition to its proximity to the worker and the hazards associated with that, it was also too abrasive. The copper plates would not stand up to sand blasting. Chemicals were also out of the question; they were too caustic, too hard to control and too close to the New York harbor to be safe.

New York engineers came up with the solution to these problems by using sodium bicarbonate as a blasting media. It was biodegradable, dissolved in water, left no after affects like chemicals and was non-toxic to the workers. They also found it was not an act of abrasion that allowed it to clean as well as sand, but rather a miniature explosion that took place as each soda particle hit the surface.

Other Benefits of Soda Blasting

Clean and De-coat on or near rotating equipment pieces without harm to seals or bearings.

Sodium, Potassium and Corn Cob are non-flammable. Decoating can be done while the plant or equipment is still in operation. No need to shut down for cleaning

Surfaces will be cleaner than most conventional methods of cleaning. No residue left behind.

Spent material is non-hazardous, can be disposed of in landfills or washed down sewer with no harm to water system. (Check your local laws governing waste disposal methods)

Issues of environmental safety and worker safety are eliminated by the use of non-toxic and non-hazardous materials.

Prime candidates for this method of contaminant removal include: any place where sanitation is a matter of public health and where there is daily cleaning of floors, loading ramps, lockers, etc.

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Who uses these materials?

The following is a partial list of trades that use an alternative media for removing coatings or contaminates.

Antique restoration specialists

Auto body paint & repair companies

Auto Parts Refurbishes

Auto Restoration firms

Boat Dealers

City or State Maintenance Agencies

Detailers

Drug Processing Companies

Equipment Rental Agencies

Equipment Rental Company

Fire Damage Restoration Firms

Food & Beverage Processing plants

Gas & Propane Repairs

Graffiti Removal Services

Handyman services

Heating & Cooling Services

Historic Reclamation Companies

Injection Mold Manufacturing

Log Home Builders

Log Home Refinishers

Machine Shops

Marine Repair

Mining

Oil and Gas Operations

Oil Field Service Companies

Painters

Paving Contractors

Petrochemical

Pipeline Contractors

Plastic Manufacturing

Plumbing contractors

Printing Industries

Pulp and Paper Companies

Recreational Vehicle Repair

Remodelers

Restaurant Cleaning Services

Restaurant Equip. & Repair

Sand Blasting companies

Sign Companies

Slaughter Houses

Steel Production

Tank Company

Textiles

Transportation

Used car dealers

Welding Services

Wood refinishing companies Woodworking equipment and supply companies

This is just a partial list. There are more sub categories under each one of the headers. Some would be small-scale users; others would be large consumers of both the media and equipment.

The bottom line is simply this: Where ever there would be a possibility that a coating, or contaminant has to be removed, and the fastest means to remove it would be to blast it, there is now a safe alternative to using silica sand, laborious machine or hand sanding, chemicals or cover ups.

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Harmon Distributing will assist you in setting up your own Decoating Business. You can choose to become a Dealer or a Contractor.

Looking for a safe way to fix up that older or historic dwelling? Contractors using Harmon Distributings equipment have the media and the equipment that can asset the Home Owner, Architect, Remodeler, or other Contractor in doing the job, safely, quickly and without leaving it’s impact on the environment.

Log Home Restoration

As Log Homes age, they develop unsightly finishes that eventually deteriorate the logs. Surface mold growth on log homes is a recognized problem in nearly every part of the world. This dark fungal discoloration destroys the natural beauty of the logs. This occurs in even kiln-dried logs, as long as the log surface is exposed to the natural elements. Often times owners, in order to "fix up" the old log, resort to painting them, totally destroying the beauty of the wood finish and devaluing the resale value of the home. Even some oils, such as boiled linseed oil eventually harden and peel.

Up until now, restoring a log home back to its original finish has been a very expensive and time-consuming proposition. Laborious sanding, chemical stripping, or destructive blasting with sand have been the only way log homes have been restored. The results are less then desirable, and unless the blast is controlled, leaves a harmful impact on the environment.

Within any state, in any community, at any given time, a building with history is being restored to its original splendor. The business aspects of being able to provide a means to restore these treasures without harm is tremendous.

You have found that once-in-a-lifetime, extremely valuable antique lamp. You want to restore it to its original luster and remove layer upon layer of old paint, rust and stains. Do you trust its value to a harsh chemical or perhaps the abrasive effect of a sand blaster?