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Abrasive Blaster

3K views 19 replies 9 participants last post by  red65mustang 
#1 ·
okay i was gonna buy a spot blaster and use it to blast some parts on my car such as the door jambs and the area between the door hinges and the from wheels and under the top of the cowl...i think u know what i mean....anyways...i got to thinking, yeah it would probably work for those areas, but i might as well spend a bit more and get a big sand blaster and just have it so i can use it for when i repaint my engine compartment too and other stuff like that.....

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=9588

do you think that would be decent?
 
#4 ·
oh is pressurized better? i heard it takes forever with pressurized tanks and doesn't work as well....i will go get a pressurized one tomorrow at HF since it was on sale...like a 30 gal one or something. i just need something that can rip some gnarly undercoating out of of crevices and the paint and crud from around the door jambs and the gunk stuff from around the window sills.....
 
#6 ·
There is a lot of good info here about blasters. If I were you I'd do a bunch of reading before you run out and spend the money. The pressurized model works better for me. I'm not sure sand blasters in general work very well on undercoating. That comment is only based on a few things I have read. Search for topics on sandblasting especially where Shine has replied as, if I remember correctly, he does it for a living.
 
#7 ·
here is the areas i want to blast since i cant get the rest of the crud out of the crevices...is it a bad idea to just prime over it since its not a panel and wouldn't ever be seen and as for the window sill area does it really matter since the gunk is going to go back in right after i clean it it out..?
 

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#8 ·
In cases like that I use 3M stripping discs,they will remove everything including that little patch of surface rust .And it works out a lot cheaper than blowing sand all over the place with an expensive to run ,not very effective ,dangerous to your lungs, machine.
Sillicosis is a very real danger when using any sort of abrasive balster with out adequte protection.Most countries have have out lawed such machines these days because of that danger.
If you really think blasting is the only way to go,consider this method which is used world wide these days,less waste ,no dangerous sand or slica contamination,no grit in hidden pockets in the body etc etc .
Dry ice blasting
 
#9 · (Edited)
shifty, unless your compressor can put out 120psi/10cfm+ minumum a "big" blaster will drain the tank in a heartbeat.....it will take you forever waiting on the pressure to build

saves us time(completion dates), saves our customers a pile of money.....for $100-$150, our local powder coat company blasts every "structural" sq in, inside and out, top and bottem and all the loose parts and hardware.....money well spent

we spend 2(?) hours of additional detail blasting to be sure critical areas like the glass sills are as perfect as can be
(in the pic'.....no the doors are not blasted, they get dipped after the qtr's are done)

"work smart not hard and $$$"......save your $$$ to buy better finishing tools .....blasting is a one time operation
 

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#10 ·
if your going to blast DO NOT use playsand!!!!!!!!!! get it :) i'm yelling as loud as i can. use startblast from dupont. it's cheap, has less than 5% quartz and is very fine. it cleans out pits and crevices really well. it will not clog up your nozzle like sand.

sand is for kids to play in and cats to crap in :D
 
#11 ·
sandblasting.

in my experience as a back yard thinks he knows a little, i have used my shop upright compressor and a small hopper setup that i got from sears for $100. i use #30 silica sand and it works well. it will take off almost anything that i have the patience to try and remove. silica is inexpensive and fairly easy to gather, sift and re-use. i erect barriers using my yankee ingenuity and light weight plastic to contain most of the abrasive. it sounds like you are particular about areas of the car that won't be seen. i am like this as well. cleaning as best as you can and painting over is my preferred method. in areas such as the window sills i use the blaster to clean it up and then i use primer and sanding to build it up to where it looks good and will provide a good surface for sealing up. takes a little more time but i feel good about it and it ends up looking good too. i think it makes the whole thing better when it's clean in the nooks and crannies.
 
#12 ·
if your caught sandblasting with silica in a town you can be hit with a huge fine + clean up. your neighbors can sue you for future health care . being checked for lung damage. the cloud of dust you create will drift over others property and is deadly. ever wonder why water towers are covered with a canvas bag while blasting? silica is not used much anymore because of all the regs about it. sand is 3 to 5 bucks a bag. starblast is 6 bucks.
 
#13 ·
sandblasting

it is not a matter of getting caught. it isn't illegal to do in the first place. i live just outside of seattle and i am a painting contractor. we keep silica in the shop and use it all the time. if i was doing a high profile project i would be containing and disposing legally. in my garage i am not breaking any regs. i contain, sift and re-use. no dust cloud either. it is all about pressure and nozzles and know how. the assumption being that if someone is considering sandblasting they know what they are doing. silica is just of a number of blasting media used as the conditions warrant. i try to avoid any high profile job or project where i might be breaking the law even when i don't know it.
at any rate, i have not heard of or used the blasting media that you speak of. perhaps that is a consequence of the distance between us?
i don't pretend to know it all but am sharing my experiences as you are. i find it interesting all the different methods people employ to do what needs done.
i recently abrasive blasted a 56 chev p.u. minus the bed. i did the complete exterior and interior of the cab, the whole front end and the exposed chassis rails. i used 5 bags of silica and have the equivalent of 3 bags left in sifted material. certainly, i recommend a respirator (not a dust mask) and eye protection. the sand in my hair and in my jeans is something i could do without though!
 
#14 ·
Here's 'how to make a mess in the snow' for ya. This was about 2 hours ago.

Definately prefer a pressure blaster. This is 110 lb unit I got from Northern Tools. Absolutely love it. I'm used 40 grit silica sand that has been treated for dust control on this 9", but I really prefer 20-40 grit coal slag. Cuts a lot faster.

Obviously, I don't recover on big stuff (axles & frames) that I can't fit in my cabinet.
 

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#16 ·
TT66' said:
derm,
You made a snowy sand beach or a sandy snow beach in the middle of winter! LOL That's a good one. :D
TT
Yeah! My hope is that the sun will hit the sand and melt a nice pit for me to blast my frame in on Monday...ummm...not holding my breath, tho. Heheheh... Hey, it's supposed to be 42 degrees tomorrow! Biggest struggle today was keeping my blasting hood from fogging constantly. It was 31.
 
#18 ·
Sorry to hear that room is an issue for ya. That's one thing I'm blessed on. Sorry about the threadjack.

The only thing I've ever found a spot blaster good for was cleaning spark plugs.

For what you're doing, a good scotchbrite pad, barrel, and wheel seem the best answer to me... Best of luck! :)
 
#19 ·
abrasive blasting

those are nice photos! the area looks beautiful too. hard to keep someone that is determined down. the nice thing is all that grit will probably blow away.
what is copper coal? same as copper slag? i have used that and it cuts anything. again, equipment and know how rule. abrasive blasting sure leaves things in nice shape for refinish though.
 
#20 ·
shifty,
after some sleep and thought.....and after reading all your different threads questions....it's time for your $3500 painter guy to visit your house and tell you what (if any) additional prep he wants you to do

it's time for him to take over, from this point forward there is no substitute for experience

it will take him 20 minutes ($20) to blast the sills and firewall sides with the car bagged =$3520

he will test the "black" on the new panels to be sure it is "e-coat", not transport primer (many are) =N/C, to determine the proper prep, scuff it or strip it and quote accorddingly

if he wants anything taped he will tell you

you've done 90%+ of what should be done at home
 
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