Sandblasting a stone wall. Sandblasting is the process of smoothing, shaping and cleaning a hard surface by forcing solid particles across that surface at high speed usually with compressed air. The work is located inside the sandblasting unit which is now securely closed. The operator's hands are fed through flaps located at the front of the machine. Inside the blasting unit a gun is directed towards the work and operated by pressing the pedal on the right front of the machine. This activates the release of the abrasive sand for sandblaster or glass beads as used in a bead blaster. A sandblaster is used the clean sand and irregularities from foundry castings, remove paint, etch or frost glass, cut through glass and form patterns having concealed some area of the material with tape and sandblasting the exposed remaining.