Painting contractors across Michigan subcontract their blast work to Blasting Jack for straightforward reasons: proper equipment, experienced operators, and surface prep done to spec so coatings perform and warranties hold.
The Cost of Running Your Own Blast Operation
A blast pot, compressor, and supporting equipment runs $15,000 to $80,000 to purchase. Add trailer mounting, air dryer systems, blast hose, abrasive media, PPE, and spare parts on top of that.
Then there are the ongoing costs:
- Equipment maintenance and downtime — blast equipment wears hard. A pot failure mid-job stops everything.
- Media management — sourcing the right abrasive for each substrate, storage, and spent media disposal.
- OSHA compliance — crystalline silica regulations (OSHA 1910.1053) require engineering controls, air monitoring, medical surveillance, and recordkeeping.
- Operator qualification — blasters with documented SSPC surface prep competency take time and money to develop.
For painting contractors whose core business is coatings, not blasting, the equipment rarely generates enough throughput to justify the overhead.
Equipment and Capabilities
We’ve operated in Michigan since the 1980s. Every mobilization includes a complete, self-sufficient operation.
BlastOne MistBlaster
Our primary blast system is the BlastOne MistBlaster — a 4-in-1 platform running dry blast, vapor blast, wet blast, and vacuum blast from one machine.
Water is introduced after the metering valve, not at the blast pot. Abrasive flows without clumping, dust is suppressed, and there’s no sludge waste to deal with on your job site. Water consumption runs 0.5 to 1 pint per minute versus gallons per minute on conventional wet blast systems. Less water means faster cleanup and simpler containment.
Air Dryers
Moisture in the compressed air supply causes flash rust on freshly blasted steel — sometimes within minutes in Michigan’s humid summers. Our compressor setups run integrated deliquescent desiccant dryers that strip moisture from the air stream before it reaches the nozzle. The blasted profile stays clean until your crew is ready to coat.
Full Job Site Package
- Blast operators — trained, safety-compliant, experienced on industrial work
- Industrial air compressors — sized for the job
- Gas sweepers — mechanical abrasive cleanup on large horizontal surfaces
- Skid steer — for cleanup where volume makes hand labor impractical
- Containment — wind screens through full enclosure systems for bridges, near-water work, and environmentally sensitive sites
One call covers the blast scope. Your crew follows behind on a surface that’s ready.
Surface Prep Standards
Coating manufacturers specify surface prep standards because inadequate preparation is the leading cause of premature coating failure — widely cited at 80% across industry training and technical data sheets. When a coating fails early, the surface prep is the first thing examined.
Blasting Jack produces SSPC-compliant profiles to the standard your coating spec requires:
| Standard | Description | Common Application |
|---|---|---|
| SSPC-SP 5 / NACE 1 | White Metal | Tank interiors, immersion service |
| SSPC-SP 10 / NACE 2 | Near-White Metal | Structural steel, industrial equipment |
| SSPC-SP 6 / NACE 3 | Commercial Blast | General steel structures |
| SSPC-SP 7 / NACE 4 | Brush-Off Blast | Maintenance recoating, light rust |
We prep to your spec, not to whatever moves fastest.
What Subcontracting Covers for Your Business
Bid coverage. Painting contractors who can quote surface prep alongside the coating work present a complete scope to the client. Many competitors quote paint only and leave surface prep as an open question.
Warranty protection. Coating manufacturer warranties are contingent on surface prep meeting spec. Documentation from a qualified blast contractor supports that warranty if it’s ever questioned.
Crew focus. Blasting is equipment-intensive, physically demanding work that requires its own trained operators. Your painting crew does what it’s built to do.
Capital flexibility. Structural steel, bridge work, water towers, industrial facilities — you can take on larger blast-and-paint projects without owning equipment that sits between jobs.
Compliance offload. OSHA silica requirements, respiratory protection programs, air monitoring — that compliance burden stays with us.
Coverage Area
We work with painting and coatings contractors across Metro Detroit, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Flint, Kalamazoo, Saginaw, and statewide throughout Michigan. Mobile operation — we come to the job site.
Painting and industrial coatings contractors in Michigan can contact Blasting Jack directly for project estimates. We’ll review your coating spec, assess scope, and provide pricing you can work into your proposal.