ANNISTON ARMY DEPOT, Ala. -- Cleaning the hull of a M1 tank - weighing in at approximately 70 tons - takes special equipment in the form of two large buildings at Anniston Army Depot.

Known colloquially on the installation as the spinner hangers, these large-scale abrasive blast booths remove unwanted substances from combat vehicles using stainless steel beads known as shot, which are propelled at about 12,000 revolutions per minute.