If anyone has ever seen those huge tanks, which seem to be situated on the edge of towns and cities all over the world, they must have wondered at what is actually stored in them. Built to sink into the ground when they are full, these tanks hold flammable liquids and gases that are used in industry and domestic situations all over the place. What is not know is that these have internal glazes which protect the metal from being eaten away or corroded by whatever is being stored there. For those who want to find out how this is done, try looking up ‘coatings’ or ‘sandblasting’ to see what is on offer.

Now these glazes are put there to allow the tank to last much longer. However, every now and then this glaze will have to be taken off and another put in its place. This entails men and machines to be lowered into the tank so that the glaze can be lifted off cleanly.

This is done in several ways. A machine which pushes out a medium under high pressure literally blasts off the glaze or covering. The medium can be anything from sand to metal pellets depending on how thick the glaze or finish is.

Sand is a very corrosive material and once this is blasted under pressure, it can literally take the skin off right down to the bone. The pellets are similarly tough on anyone who gets in the way. But the pellets are used in a slightly different way since they are collected after they have been blasted and recycled through the machine to make it a continual operation.

Once this work has been done, the tank is repaired and then another thick glaze is put on to start the process all over again. The same procedure is done on bridges and girders too since they will all be at the mercy of the weather. When they are reapplying the glaze or finish, this can be done with a spray machine which melts metal and puts in back onto the girders in very thin coatings before being painted with special paint which shuns the rain. Of course, in any situation, rain and damp will make any metal corrode so it is vital to stay on top of the process all the time, otherwise the structure could be weakened by rust.

There are specialist companies around the country which undertake this work. Indeed, some companies even send out employees to Arab states to do this very same work since they are absolutely the best at what they do. Nearer to home though, these companies are normally contracted out by the large oil and gas importers to work on their tanks on a regular basis;

Try taking a browse around the internet to get some idea of where these companies are and what services they offer. On top of these blasting services they also do a lot more industrial style work which could just fit in to what any company needs.

Author Bio: Stewart Wrighter recently worked with a San Antonio coatings firm as new developments occur regularly in this field. He worked with a San Antonio sandblasting firm as he sought quotes for an abatement project.

Category: Business
Keywords: San Antonio coatings,San Antonio sandblasting