Why Use Media Blasting? Other removal methods such as manual wire brushing, hand sanding, chemical stripping, knife scraping, and acid etching are very time consuming, labor intensive and do not produce the quality of media blasting.  Traditional sand blasting uses silica sand which is non-recyclable and hazardous to our environment.  It produces excessive dust and is a growing health concern.  Ace Stripping uses only safe medias such as Aluminum Oxide and Glass Beads.  These are recyclable, environmentally friendly and more effective than silica sand in most cases.  Media blasting can accomplish quality results quickly and easily with the sweep of a gun nozzle.  Scale, corrosion, old paint and other surface materials are removed in minutes leaving the metal surfaces free of foreign matter and contamination.