chemical dipping

What are the pro's and con's of chemical dipping? Is it the way to go or should I media blast? Thanks.

 

I tried all forms of rust and paint removal and have settled in on beach sand blasting by someone who knows what they are doing. Parts that have enclosed spaces are trouble with chemical stripping. I had a model A cab done and rust was bleeding out of the seams for years........it was bleeding thru the seams and under epoxy coatings. Never again will I use chemical stripping. Just my opinion. Steve

 

I ws thinking of doing a set of 36 Ford pickup front fenders. They are a single layer, should be ok. So is it only the seams you had problems with?

 

a friend of mine had alot of stuff done on various projects and he did say that the chemicals would get caught in the seams and bleed out after the part was primed and/or painted. on the other hand it does do a great job of removing all the crap from the metal i saw some of his parts when it was done and they look great.
my opinion is that if you go this route you'll want to do a VERY VERY thurough cleaning of all the seems and crevaces.

incedentaly Jake. there is a guy near me that does it if you decide to go that route and don't find someone on your side of the state.

 

I've had stuff media blasted and it didn't look clean to me.
It won't take out all the filler etc. It's good if you don't want to disturb the previous bodywork though.

 

Yes.......anywhere that two pieces of metal are lapped over each other. Also any enclosed cavity. I feel it is better to leave these inside spaces alone and take the chance they will be OK than fill them with an acid that is very difficult to neutralize and may act up forever. Steve

 

not all dipping processes are acid based. The better ones use an alkaline solution, on the opposite end of the ph scale. It does not attack or etch the metal, in fact it comes out looking like the day it was stamped. I have a friend that has a '34 body that he had alkaline dipped over 5 years ago still sitting in his shop in bare metal and it does not even have surface rust on it.

 

A buddy of mine had his 48 chevy done and had those same problems I didnt know if it was the guy that he had do it or if everyone had those troubles. Does anybody know of a good place to have my stuff sand blasted in the grand rapids area? I dont want it warped.

 

There's a guy about an hour south of Milwaukee (Strip Rite) his name is Al Goll, that did some doors etc. for me a couple of years ago. Turned out looking like new. He said if you have to have the parts baked after the process is done, wether it be acid or alk. Any bigger powder coaters can do this for ya.

 

I had a Sunbeam Tiger body shell dipped in about 1981. Kept it 18 years, through 2 different paint jobs, and never had a problem with any acid in the joints. Make sure you completely clean and neutralize the metal before you seal or prime it (I used epoxy primer). With all the rust, undercoating, old bondo, and hidden pockets within that body, dipping was the only way to get it clean and the rust stopped!

 

This topic was recently covered here....
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=646989&page=&view=&sb=5&o=&fpart=1&vc=1

 

I prefer the caustic dip as it gets to all the places blasting can't. Ironically those places are where the solution can cause problems later. It does take more attention and effort to make sure those areas are neutralized properly but I'd rather do that than have an over zealous blaster distort the panels. Both methods work if done properly but you can control getting the panels neutralized properly yourself and have no control over the blaster unless you do your own blasting.
Good luck,
Jon

 

Hey Jake in GR The man I use is Dean Halloran. Semi- retired guy who does this at his farm near Moline. I had his number memorized but can't remember now. I can look it up for you though if you want to check into it. He uses beach sand and will skate around areas that he feels may warp. This means you may need to do the big flat areas by hand with wire wheels and sanders. He did many cars for me without damage. He did my buddys 32 3 window, my dads 34 5 window and 57 t-bird. He has done many model a"s for other rodders I know. Steve