In brief: MontiPower®, in cooperation with Brendan Fitzsimons and the Corrodere Academy (UK), presents its surface preparation book, Surface Preparation & Coating Application. It covers grinding, chipping, sanding, scraping, grit blasting, water jetting and bristle blasting, and is available on request. Fitzsimons is also known as the author of Fitz’s Atlas of Coating Defects.
Surface Preparation & Coating Application
In cooperation with Brendan Fitzsimons and the Corrodere Academy in the UK, we are proud to present our surface preparation book, Surface Preparation & Coating Application. The book is available on request and is a practical reference for anyone who prepares, specifies or inspects steel before coating. Grinding, chipping, sanding, scraping, grit blasting, water jetting and bristle blasting are all covered. Mr. Fitzsimons is also well known for his coating atlas, Fitz’s Atlas of Coating Defects.
About Brendan Fitzsimons and the Corrodere Academy
The Corrodere Academy is a UK-based provider of accredited training for the protective coatings industry. According to Corrodere, Brendan Fitzsimons spent more than thirty years in protective coatings, working as a divisional and technical director, and was instrumental in establishing the academy; its accredited training material draws on his knowledge. He is a NACE Lead Peer Reviewer and a Fellow of the Institute of Corrosion (FICorr). Besides Fitz’s Atlas of Coating Defects, his published works include an inspectors’ visual comparison manual.
Why a surface preparation reference matters
Most premature coating failures trace back to the surface beneath the coating rather than to the coating itself: residual rust or mill scale, soluble salts, oil, or an anchor profile that is too shallow or uneven. Coating data sheets state the preparation grade and profile they need, and those grades are defined in standards such as SSPC and ISO 8501-1. A reference that explains each preparation method side by side helps crews, supervisors and inspectors choose a method that can actually reach the specified grade, and recognise when it has not. For the standards themselves, see our complete guide to surface preparation standards.
The methods covered
- Hand and power tool methods: grinding, chipping, sanding and scraping, which remove loose material and, depending on the tool, may or may not leave an anchor profile.
- Grit blasting: the reference method for new steel, producing the blast-cleaning grades (Sa 2, Sa 2½, Sa 3) with containment and abrasive handling. Related media such as glass beads are compared in our bead blasting article.
- Water jetting: removes coatings, rust and soluble salts but does not create a new anchor profile; see the WJ-1 to WJ-4 water jetting standards.
- Bristle blasting: the grit-free method behind the Bristle Blaster®, in which rotating bristle tips strike and rebound to clean and profile in one action. Documented tests show cleanliness comparable to ISO 8501-1 Sa 2½ and a 65–85 µm Rz anchor profile on standard steel; results vary with steel grade, rust grade, belt and technique. The principle is explained in the NACE paper on bristle blasting fundamentals.
Where to learn more
To request the book, contact MontiPower® or your regional distributor. For hands-on and online training in technique and ISO 8501 / SSPC standards, see the Dr. Prepper® Academy, and for a free field reference on inspection, download The Coating Inspector’s Handbook.
Frequently asked questions
How can I get the MontiPower surface preparation book?
The book is available on request from MontiPower®. Use the contact page to reach the MontiPower® team or your regional distributor and ask for a copy, mentioning your company and the type of surface preparation or coating work you are involved in.
Which surface preparation methods does the book cover?
It covers the main mechanical and blasting methods used before coating: grinding, chipping, sanding, scraping, grit blasting, water jetting and bristle blasting. Together these span hand and power tool cleaning, abrasive blast cleaning and water jetting, the families that surface preparation standards such as SSPC and ISO 8501-1 are written around.
Who is Brendan Fitzsimons?
Brendan Fitzsimons spent more than thirty years in the protective coatings industry, was instrumental in establishing the Corrodere Academy and authored Fitz’s Atlas of Coating Defects. He is a NACE Lead Peer Reviewer and a Fellow of the Institute of Corrosion, according to the Corrodere Academy.
Sources
- Corrodere Academy, Brendan Fitzsimons (team profile). corrodere.com
- KTA-Tator, Industry Standards for Surface Preparation. kta.com
- MontiPower, Bristle Blaster® technical data sheets (cleanliness comparable to ISO 8501-1 Sa 2½; 65–85 µm Rz on API 5L steel in documented tests).
