I was wondering what options I have besides sand blasting on my 37 truck body. I'm scared sand blasting might create more problems n holes than I already have. What are some other options to getting rid of surface rust and prepping for primer?? Any suggestions? thanks for any help.
in the long run, some kind of media blasting is the way to go if you want to do it right, trying to strip it by hand or with chemical will cost you in man hours (i have done it both way). A good blasting will give you a nice clean start making all the bad spots that need attention evident. Good luck
Media blasting is the only way to go, don't use sand to blast as it will pit the metal and will cause you more problems, sand will also heat the surface up and you take the chance of warping the panels.
Media blasting is the best way to start with a clean slate on the project. Don't be afraid of "problems n holes"....media blasting removes the week material and corrosion. You don't want either on a new project. It will be problematic later on. Good luck.
A professional media blasting job is the best way, not the cheapest, but it will save you time and money in the long run. I worked at a Ford dealership and we sent a couple dozen pickups over and they never warped a single panel. I vote for professional media blaster.
sand blasting can be done by somebody thathas a clue. using a fine sand, and staying back off the metal with good pressure, can give good results.
+1 on the too much heat build up warping panels and you'll never get them straight again. I have had so called professionals warp my panels by using too much pressure and building up too much heat. Get some recommendations on professional blasters from people who have had it done successfully. Chemical dip may come back and haunt you, but if you do not have anything more than unpitted surface rust you might want to talk to a soda blaster - they use baking soda.
I blast mine on heavy angle and use 000 ,sand never do inside panels ,I always da and wirebrush first ,So that I keep the heat down ,After all said and done I metal prep the panels and wash with water ,Then immediately with laquer thinner ,Then sand then mud ,
OMG......I have access to 10,000 lbs of baking soda! I wonder who I could sell it to? EDIT Jesus! I just priced the stuff! I will ask if I can sell it off. We have four pallets of 50lb bags!
Hopefully some HAMBers in my area can use it. Amazon selling 50lbs for $50 is extreme! I wonder if those small hand type blasters (like my SnapOn one) can use the stuff?
Sand is ok for floor pans and door jams and supported areas. It does pit and sometimes hardens the metal. But never ever use high pressure sand on the sheet metal. It will warp it big time. I have a 40 ford coupe that was blasted with sand by the guy I got it from back in the 70s and the doors and hood will probably have to be replaced because they may be too warpped to block out. They are warpped bad enough you can easily see it on a paint job that is over 30 years old. I've never tried soda blasting. Heard both positive and negative. I did dip a 40 willys in 1976 and it was really neat and clean afterwards. I worried about chemical in the seams but I talked to the present owner a few years ago and he said the seams showed no signs of white powder or problems. The chem dip company had just gone into business and I'm sure all his chemicals were very fresh which is probably why it turned out so good. The 57 I just finished I used sand blasting in the door jams, floor pans and supported places. I used aircraft paint stripper on the sheet meta. It's here: http://webdesignsadsd.com/40-57/index.html
Soda blasting large items like car bodies requires very large air compressors and specific sodas and equipment. But soda blasting in my area is much cheaper than glass, plastic, even sand, and is my choice for paint and surface rust removal. Most of the soda blasters use portable equipment that can be brought to your location or theirs. (Make sure you don't live close to neighbors, as the process produces lots of dust and noise!) I would suggest looking for a blaster in your area before you start buying soda, as it will probably be cheaper and more convent to have a pro do it for you. IMO.
Media blasting is the best. Walnut shells,plastic, etc.I have had baking soda done once. the price was good and the serface was good but years later when I wash the car I still get white crustys coming out of the pinch welds. Sand is the cheaper way to go but can do the most damage to your body. warpage from the heat of course but also it peen's the metal making it brittle. It gets into every nook and crany. plus it's a heavy met. that's hard to get out. you'll spend hours vacuming and blowing out the sand. If you have the body on a rotiserie roll it over and see what happens. It's like you never started.lol
That '37 truck looks like it spent a lot of time in the weather. That could mean that the rust is everywhere. Soda doesn't do much to rusty metal, needing a second, more agressive medium to remove the rust. Not much reason to consider soda in such a case. My '47 is not rusty, but several thick paint jobs need to be romoved which might be an ideal soda job. Each job has to be evaluated as to the best strategy considering more than a square inch of photo. I had my Model A roadster dipped and that has been a disaster. should have mechanically stripped it then a soda or mild abrasive to dust it off. Luckily there are many choices but some choices performed by talentless operators can ruin everything. Good Luck: Fred A
Media blasters often charge you by the hour meter on their machine. Find out what this rate is and get a good estimate before diving in. I had an asshole charge me more to blast two doors than what brand new doors would have cost. On my avatar photo project, I didn't have rust to deal with. I used 3M scotch brite bristle disks (brown ones) and stripped to bare metal. I don't think they work too well on heavy surface rust or deep pitting. They do strip cleanly and quickly. I had about 4 layers of paint. The 3M Bristle disc is an amazing product. Not cheap, but mucho cheaper than a media blaster.
Soda blast is the way to go. Less heat and distoration than sand or plastic media. You can Soda blast with the glass and chrome trim on the car. Try that with sand.
I went from this: To this, in a weekend, using 3M purple Kleen Strip discs and a Makita GV 5000 sander. I removed seven! paint jobs including the original factory paint job and mucho bondo....
get a bondo hogg/ bondo buster and some 80 grit discs....i think you would be surprised what you can do....
I had an Off Topic car that I restored. I sent the shell to get media blasted. It was REALLY expensive. $1200. But, I think it was worth it. (Try sanding an entire car down to bare metal sometime...tell me if it' worth your time, or your money.) Man, it made things SOOO much easier after that. It also left out any doubt as to which areas were going to have to be repaired or replaced. Essentially, you have a clean slate to start with. All the grime, crud, bondo, rust, seam-sealant, etc is GONE. It DID leave lead on my c-pillar from the factory, and you will have to scrap off any undercoating prior to taking it to blasting. Plastic media will bounce right off of it. How? Take a heat gun (looks like hair dryer sued for things like shrink wrap) and a one inch wide plastic or steel putty knife and a weekend and knock it out.
Some of you are seriously implying that sand blasting produces enough heat to warp sheet metal? I mean, it will warp if done wrong, but not because of heat. It's got more to do with work hardening one side of a panel. Think of it as shot peening a panel one one side if it helps. Proper media selection and experience can easily diminish this unwanted side effect if you are patient. It just amazes me what kind of misinformation gets floated and sustained via the internet.
This is so true, Sandblasting does NOT cause heat, how many time have any of you blasted a piece of metal and immediately picked it up? was it hot? warm? No, there is a huge pressure drop of air coming from the gun that actually cools the metal. Why do all your air tools get cold when you run em? twoANDfour is correct that it is displacing the metal, causing it to spread out thus warp if done incorrectly.
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