Projects How about a visual I hate sandblasting thread

This photo is 14 years old and I still HATE sandblasting ~ I used 3,300 lbs of sand and blasted every single piece of metal on the car. HRP

 

Don't know Danny....who was really under that sandblasting hood??


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Well I can't say I hate sand blasting but it sure can be hot and dirty job.

 

I paid someone a reasonable fee to do it for me on a friends acreage with spray booth. He knew exactly what he was doing and did a brilliant job with no warps whatsoever. Like you I had a mountain of work ahead, scotch briting it down with a discer before etch priming and commencing the panel work. I did 2 x previous cars this way and both times the operators were very competent and not fly by nighters who had no knowledge or technique. A damn PITA blowing all the sand out of all the nooks, crannies and crevices. Unfortunately there is no one around here to chemically dip the entire body and panels.
Look how good the wagon turned out, I'd be happy it have it my garage, all the hard work has been done.

 

Its nasty, hot and takes forever to clean up afterwards....but I kind of like it. I like to see the changes it makes quickly. Sure beats the old wire wheel discs and sandpaper I used to use 40 years ago.

 

A little hint for those with no experience but want to DIY to save some money.
Sandblasting creates heat, heat warps sheetmetal, owner gets reeeel unhappy.
Ask me how I know.
Many years ago I had an old guy do my Nova hood and he DESTROYED it. And this guy had been blasting old cars around here for years.
It was warped so bad that you could make out the X brace on the underside from where it pushed the hood in. Just think angular spray, not straight on.

 

Not to show what I did, but what could happen........ So got all the sand, the pot from work, and went for it..... A hot summer day in sunny CA. Things were going great, until I felt a lil off kilter, which is normal, but not this time..... Damn near fell over with all my PPE on, actually did drop to the ground. Had to crawl to the garden hose and soak myself, and kick for at least an hour before I could get back into the house. That's sitting in the driveway..... I got what I wanted done, but HEAT STROKE was setting in...... So glad I made it because it was a scary deal, and one that should be thought of very wisely....... Just a precaution to those who do, and you know how hot it gets, and you just ignore it........ Heed advise to save yourself. It will happen sooner than you think. I snapped the pic before I fell over, and things were going black.........

 

Man, that visual doesn't leave anything left for thought. Scary crap there ! ^^^^^^

 

I have considered going into the dustless blasting business. Looks like a slick setup.


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I love blasting. When somebody else does it.

 

I love sandblasting. I drop my parts off at the sandblaster, and pick them up when done.

 

I really enjoy cleaning up old junk.
Watching paint or rust disappear is awesome.
Breathing the dust not so much. Even with a mask, it gets in.

Never used a big commercial blaster though, just my buddy's shop one he brought back from the States.

 

I always seem to do 99% of my sandblasting during the summer months when it's hotter than a 4 balled tom cat!

Sweat stinging your eyes and sand in your drawers,it's miserable,hot,slow and time consuming work but extremely gratifying~when it's done!

I still hate doing it. HRP

 

My sandblast tank,mask and hood have been idle at my place for several years,,NO plans to use it ever again...Think about that ,Danny.LOL

 

I hate sandblasting, hired it out now for years.
This new dustless blasting is crap IMHO. It's bad enough cleaning up a normal sandblast mess, let's add water to it so it's clumped up mud instead of dry sand. Spent 3 hours blowing out a Mustang body, still had a clump blow out while painting the engine compartment, now I get to resand and repaint. I also have a problem with water and fresh blasted metal, yeah, they add a rust preventer to it but it still gets surface rust in places, usually in the hard to get to places. Got a pair of 42 Willys doors in this week to reskin, a dustless blaster warped them so bad it's easier to reskin. Dustless does not mean warp free, that depends on the operator. I'll stick to conventional sand blasting.

 

I wised up, and take anything I can carry to "Consolidated Stripping and Derusting" in Plaianwell MI. I can stand at one of their huge cabinets and blast of hours and never spend more than $20. They have a booth for big stuff, it's cheaper than buying my own media.

 

Danny, I think you've got PTSD over this sandbalsting issue.

I have some to do today, I figure 200 lbs worth so just a little bit !

 

I'll be having to deal with a body sometime soon or this year at least.
I wondered if any of you guys can make recommendations for a sandblaster near Los Angeles, will travel too like Pomona or the valley.
Also is it better to have the body on a frame to attach to a rotisserie?

 

Yea Danny I thought it got hot up here in the summer.I have been thru where you live in the summer a couple of times and I don't know how you do it. You all get hotter than Flordia! Bruce.

 

I used a ton of sand on this old girl.Bruce.

 

To jump on this band wagon...
Heat injuries are no joke! Once you become a heat casualty, you will be a heat casualty for the rest of your life. This means that you will be susceptible to heat injuries for the rest of your life. Under a blasting hood, in the snow, in the rain, in the cold air, in the garage, in the shade, in the sun, you can and will become dehydrated. It is very important to take your "WATER BREAKS". As we say in the U.S. Army, "DRINK WATER!" When we do it, it's not request, it's an order. There is a reason for it.

 

Your probably right unless your sitting in the HOTTER THAN HELL parking lot at SPLASH MOUNTAIN in PIGEON FORGE for the SHADES OF THE PAST show! HRP

 

Got off the plane in Louisville in August or September years ago.
Felt like someone threw a hot wet quilt over my head.

 

Sandblasting all the rusty areas on my '40, back in 1988. Nasty job...
I dumped the home-made blaster I used last year so no more of that.

 

I passed out on a roof in Tucson doing A/C in the summer.
I looked like one of those Coppertone ads from the 70's.
Sand blasting is a ball. I suit up and use duct tape, it still gets in.
.

 

I always hate it when you get all suited up and you pull the trigger and nothing comes out! Then there's junk in the line, then there's moisture in the line. Then there's sand in your teeth, then there's sand in your ears, then there's sand in your crack and sand between your toes.

Then your goggles fog up, then you run out of sand, then you have to go get more, and on and on and on. Then it takes two days before it all washes out. I don't do it any more!

 

Gonna tell you a story....... when I get done, I suspect you're going to say thank you. I've have been a "I hate sandblasting" kind of guy myself for nearly four decades. Hot..... sweaty...... sand gets stuck in the craziest parts of your body...... but having had a genius ruin some parts for me years ago, I was resigned to the fact that I would just blast things myself every so often as the need arose. Well, one very hot day last summer I had enough rusty parts laid out in front of my shop to consume 3 to 4 50lb bags of sand and probably an hour of my day. An hour of sandblasting can be the end of day's work, because you feel like you've put in a full day by the time you're done. I had my big tarp down to catch a good portion of the sand for screening and re-use. Air line was stretched out. Water traps were drained/cleaned. As I readied my PPE, I had a flash of inspiration. One of the worst aspects of sandblasting is how hot your head becomes, sweat falls in your eyes and if you're wise enough to wear a respirator, you feel like breathing is an effort. I looked at my fresh air system that I use for priming and painting. If you don't have one yet, you should.... your lungs will thank you. I disconnected the mask from the unit and just put a loose air fitting into the coupling. I zap strapped (wire tie) the fresh air system air delivery hose to the top of my head gear, but under the protective head cover. The flow of air was blowing from the top of my head down over my face. The little compressor was back inside the coolness of my shop so the air was a comfortable temperature. Eureka!!!! Could sand blasting be this enjoyable? With the constant flow of air pressurizing my head cover there was no need for a respirator. Sand blasting is comfortable when you are comfortable.

You may say Thank you ............ now

 

I sandblasted for about a 1/2 hour one day, probably 30 years ago! That was enough of that crap for me. I do own one of those little spot blaster kits, I needed it to do a job 5 or 6 years ago. The kit came with a small jar of sand, I believe its still 1/2 full.
I don't do sandblasting. Gene

 

As soon as my current project is finished, my sandblaster is being sold, so I'll never be tempted to use it again ! One of the filthiest jobs I've ever done - ranks right up there with cleaning the grease pit at Fort Dix 50-years ago...........

 

Try downtown Nashville in the middle of August.