shot blasting

[stars1]

Thanks for the input.

[Q-stripe]

In general, removal rates may range from about hundred feet or so to a few thousand feet per hour.  Individual job conditions vary greatly.  So, does the equipment. 

Are you removing roadway lines, factory lines or parking lines?  Thermoplastic, epoxy, floor paint or traffic paint?  Gas or electric machine?  Engine / motor size (HP)?  Self contained machine or separate vacuum?  Ride-on or walk behind machine or blast head unit on tractor?  Removing from concrete?   Condition of machine?  Old, new, reconditioned, well maintained ot not?  Also, degree of removal; ie 70 percent obliteration vs. 100 percent.  Concrete "hardness" or  density is another variable. 

Mechanical shot blasting with steel shot does not work well on asphalt.  Asphalt generally gums up on the steel shot, makes a mess inside the machine and ends up shutting down the process. 

Also be aware of customer expectations.  Some expect no evidence while others are very practical.   Meeting that expectation will also vary greatly and will be affected in big part by the condition / structure / integrity of the surface as well as the equipment and experience of the operator.   
 
Randy V and wally both posted while I was composing this post, (got sidetracked with some phone calls).   I fully agree with both of them.

[wally]

I agree with Randy, this question is nearly impossible to answer.  The only effective gauge we have is literally how long did it take us to do it the last time on that job with that machine.  Sometimes it practically flies off the pavement, other times it's multiple passes and how much aggregate do you want exposed vs. how well do you want it removed.

[RandyV]

That question is almost impossible to answer due to varying conditions, number of people doing the operation, exactly what you are shot blasting to achieve, ie shot blasting to profile the surface, shot blasting to clean the surface, removal of existing paint, epoxy or mastics (and their thickness). The existing surface profile and concrete hardness also affects the lft/min you can move. We have shot blasted concrete which was so hard that we had to cut our lft/min by at least 2/3 to acheive even a slight profile prior to applying epoxy lines. The size of shot, efficiency of the shot blaster, how worn the blast wheel is and how well the vacuum system is working all play a roll. If you are leaving a lot of shot, there can be more clean-up with a magnetic broom required.

Sorry this is not much help but as you can see, everything affects your operational efficiency. I don't believe that even a manufacturer can confidently tell you how many lft/min you can actually get but they can give you a ball park number from which to start your estimates.

[straightline]

Most don't do the shot blasting themselves, they just hire it out.

[stars1]

for  those of you who have used a 8in blaster, how many ln ft of 4in line can you do in an hour