Trade name turned shop slang for coal slag abrasive, the angular black grit made from power station boiler slag. It cuts fast, costs little and leaves a sharp anchor profile, so it is common for field blasting of tanks, bridges and ships, and crews use the name for almost any black slag media. Its free silica is very low, but the slag carries trace beryllium and other metals.
Heard on the job
Load the pot with black beauty, 20/40, we need a 3 mil profile on the tank shell.
Also heard as
- coal slag
- slag abrasive
- slag
Related terms
Sandblasting
Everyday word for abrasive blast cleaning, used even when no sand is involved.
Anchor profile
Peak-to-valley roughness that blasting cuts into steel so a coating can grip, given in mils or microns.
Blast pot
Pressurized tank that meters abrasive into the air stream for blasting, controlled from the nozzle.