What's up? I'm looking for some more information on media blasting. I've been looking at old blast posts and have a few questions based on that. Give me some true/false answers (with elaboration) on these to make sure I'm on the right track please! - Coal Slag (black beauty) is used to remove paint but not rust, and will not warp metal. It's used the same way as plastic but less of a health risk. - (baking) Soda blasting is used for really light work such as really minor surface rust or rust stains on paint/metal. This is just for cleaning up an area, and will not remove paint. What else can baking soda blasting be used for? Why do some use coal slag? Is it the price or the hazard? I'd really appreciate the help! Thanks 'Bucket.
I just read something that says soda blasting can remove paint while not harming the environment. Why don't blasters use this instead of plastic?
Black beauty will chew you 75 yr old metal to shreds... I prefer aluminum oxide.... does NOT, heat metal to warpage, removes rust, paint, dumdum, tar, adheisives, undercoating, schmutz, roadgook.... the best all around media I have used...just my opinion
I agree with Hillbilly. Save the sand and coal slag for heavy frame pieces, railroad ties, and super-tankers. I had my Venus body (fiberglass) soda blasted, and it powered through 2 or 3 layers of paint...it's partly a matter of how much force is behind the nozzle. Photos of soda blasting are here; scroll half-way down: http://www.mcload.com/Personal%20Site/the_venus_restoration.htm Cost was $800...a little high if you ask me. But it got the job done and was done outside without any environmental concerns. I would have considered the plastic pellets route, but no one here in Houston does that (though there used to be). The cost of the media might be slightly higher; the down side is that on a wet day (or if the bags have not been stored properly) the soda media can clump up and not flow properly in the hopper...but that shouldn'd be your problem. Good luck.
I had my 40 plymouth soda blasted. it removes paint without heat which means no warping. The soda will not remove rust. It takes something more abrasive to get the rust, plastic media, sand, ect..... It works great for the paint!
Chemical Dip is the way to go, you don't lose any metal, and it gets all the rust out of the crevices. Just make sure it's washed really good when done and then immediately put a rust proff primer on it.
Too many EPA problems with dipping here in Michigan and the crap drips out of nooks and crannys for years to come.
Research dry ice blasting. My friend did his rims and it took off all the paint, rust and grease while leaving the metal as smooth and clean as a babies ass. Plus the dry ice evaporates leaving nothing but paint dust to clean up.
I haven't used black beauty, but I'm about to get some because my supplier is suggesting it as an alternative to StarBlast. Both are abrasives that will cut rust. If it can cut pitted rust, it is removing metal material... therefore there is a risk of heat and warpage. Plastic is more like soda- it will not cut rust. Almost right. Except soda does remove paint. As a matter of fact, that's about all it is good for! Baking soda is used for all kinds of stuff- graffiti removal, food service cleaning, mold remediation, etc. For a car, it can be used to clean, degrease, and strip without hurting glass, chrome, stainless, or rubber. I've actually done chrome pieces with soda to clean them up. Coal slag has a very low free silica count. Silica is the stuff that makes abrasive blasting very dangerous. It's also very cheap- soda is about 4X more expensive than starblast or black beauty. Plastic is SUPER expensive media, but it can be reclaimed. Oops. I forgot to add that if you have something soda blasted, MAKE SURE IT'S NEUTRALIZED. Otherwise the sodium residue left behind can give you adhesion problems.
Yeah, I dipped my Jag XKE body, and boy what a pain in the ass that was!! You DO have to rinse it thoroughly with...water...hello!!...then immediately shoot an epoxy 2-part bare-metal primer. You also loose most of the factory sealant used at joined seams. But if done right, it is great at getting rid of everything on the body, including rust. (Big time environmental liability which is probably what's driven most out of business.)
Chemical dipping that uses acid eats rust, sure. But, it also thins out the metal. When you say chemical dipping, are you referring to electrolysis?
Thank you everyone for clearing me up on this stuff! screwtheman, Thanks for the pro input! StarBlasting sounds pretty good. Why do you use it and not plastic? For the results or the price?
Star blast, works on plastic ( vettes) metal (old stuff) and won't eat either, but will remove rust, paint, etc. Hillbilly's dead on...Black Beauty will shread old thin metal. Blast at a 45 to the surface & don't spend too much time in any one location. You do NOT want to chem strip. Period. You will never get rid of all of the residue. Eventually, it will come back to haunt you.
I've found the black beauty to be more agressive than silica sand at first, but breaks down faster. I think it's a weaker, but more angular particle. It definitely will remove rust. You can warp sheetmetal with any blast media, it's as much a time and pressure thing. Soda blasting can be used to remove paint. The true benefit to soda is removal since water dissolves it. Anyone who's had a body blasted with regular media will tell stories of finding sand for years and years. Everyone's blast needs are different. Some are removing rust, some are removing paint, some are removing oxides from new metal, some are pure surface abrasion for paint adhesion. Each media excels in a different way, and each blast setup blasts a little different. It's a trial and error thing. PS- Most people think if sand is coming out of the nozzle, the blaster is working fine. Not true. The condition of the nozzle orifice (hopefully carbide) has a dramatic impact on blast performance. If you're starting with a used gun, replace the orifice. If you're buying new, plan to replace it every 100-200 hours depending on the pressure and agressiveness of the media Happy blasting!
What he said. It's a dirty job (well, any blasting is), but it works. Also handy for passing messages to friends...
Think of plastic on the same scale as soda. Plastic cannot do what Starblast can do. I prefer to soda blast body panels if they're relatively rust free. I have StarBlasted full car bodies with success, but you have to be aware of what you're doing. My business is totally mobile- I go to the work and do it. Therefore, trying to reclaim media is no good. I'll clean it up if I need to, but I don't filter it and re-run it. Plastic media is too expensive to piss away like that.
I just bought a 33 Studebaker 4dr Sedan Im looking at blasting the body inside and out (No fenders or hood) how much media would you need to do a project like this?
I love black blast, it's really aggressive, great for doing rims and such. I've blasted on some body panels with it too, but you gotta be careful because it's really easy to eat up sheetmetal with that stuff. I only use it on really pitted places. I've got glass beads in my blasting cabinet and it takes paint and minor rust off nice and leaves the metal shiney, doesn't eat into steel at all. Takes a hell of a lot longer though if you're doing something that's large or that has a lot of paint on it. As for Markgyver's question, it all depends on how much sand you're able to save. If you do all your blasting in an enclosed room, and sweep it up and recycle it after each use, you could make do with a couple of 50 lb bags. It'll break down after a while, so do all your heavily rusted areas and door jambs/strong areas first, use the broken-down stuff on the open sheetmetal areas. If you're outside, you can lay down tarps to catch sand and recycle it, but you'll still lose a lot of it. You could easily go through 10 50 lb bags of it if it's windy and if you're not able to save much, doing a whole body like that. And it'll really make an awful mess of your yard, so keep that in mind. If you aren't able to save any of the sand you use, plan on buying it by the 55 gallon drum.
soo after reading this thread it appears Soda would be the best bet to remove all the paint with out having to totally strip your car into pieces..I am going to go ahead and attempt this on my caddy..i will order a 90lb abrasive blaster..how i have 2 questions..my caddy is a 70 sedan Deville..i plan to do the whole body including the door jams.. approx how much soda will i need? and after i blast it what steps/ precautions must i take to ensure i can proceed with primering it/ body work..with out having it flash rust..or would i just be better off paying $1500 for my local shop to do it? ty for the input and for who ever posted this thread..great info..
Just want to give my .02 I owned a media blast facility and currently own a body shop. $1500 to do a big car like that including jambs is about right.If you decide to do it yourself,I'll bet half way through you will have gladly paid the 15. You will need a large compressor and blast pot to make it worth your while.If you use a small blast nozzle it WILL take forever.We used a 3/8 nozzle and it would have a 2-3 inch efficient blast pattern. To whoever said aluminum oxcide does not heatup the metal is incorrect . Stay away from acid dipping it will come back and bite you! Plastic media is nice but it will not remove rust.Some guys mix in glass beads with the media to do the job on 1 step. Hope this helps
I'd rather go through sewers hunting 'bos than sandblast another car. Listen to Chris. And remember, you typically get what you pay for. The dude who charges the least might not know what he is doing and warp a bunch of panels leaving you totally effed.
hmmm..well then perhaps ill research a little more about this shop..hope that they can do what i need
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