my last post was accidently done in the introduce yourself section, i apologize. So my 51 merc body needs to be stripped down. Can i sand blast my firewall, door jams, and floor? or does it need to be media blasted.
post pics. what is condition of metal? how many costs of paint/layers of bondo? what is your experience blasting metal? what type of blaster do you have? considered a paint removal brush on liquid?
I can't see any reason why not,just don't get too close and use a fine medium sand,take your time and don't hold the sand in one spot too long. I sandblasted every piece of metal on the Ranch Wagon. HRP
If you're worried about metal loss and warpage there are mobile blasters that use water and abrasive. It isn't supposed to remove any metal. Since it is water the part can't heat up to cause warpage.
Well i only blasted a set of wheels before. There is not bondo on the car at all. My dads blaster is i believe an eastwood.
To do the entire car will take a lot of time and sand,make sure you wear a respirator,silicosis is a killer. I used 33 one hundred pound bags of sand. HRP
Awesome HOTRODPRIMER, i hvae about 5 bags at home i will start with hood hinges, and small stuff while its cold out.
You bet, blasting is a good way to go. I generally don't do the big flat panels though. Firewall, door jambs & floor pans no issues. I have a Harbor Freight pressure pot and it works fine. I set my air pressure at 80 lbs, hit the metal at about 30 degrees not strait on and keep moving. Sometime it takes 2 or 3 passes to get clean but I feel it's better than just laying on one spot to get the heavy stuff. I buy my sand at Home Depot and use the Mason mortor sand. It's pretty fine stuff. I blast on my cement slab and re use my sand, keeps the cost down. I use a piece of screen door wire screen to sift it. Anything that will go through the screen won't plug up the tip. The Wizzard
Sand is a "media"....and on that car, I'd probably use sand. Have fun! Pist-n-Broke covered what you need to know.
If you sandblast in a area you can reclaim some of the sand make sure you strain it before trying to reuse it,sandblasters clog easy and use a lot of air. HRP
Horrible job, never again will i do this at home. I gained a year at least by sending it out for wet blasting and was worth every penny. Whole car in and out . You can only recycle the sand to a point and all you get is dust. Not to mention your poor compressor will take a beating as your health. In the end you'll probably buy a pallet of sand at 10 a bag.
50lb bag at Home Depot today $3.25 I don't understand a complete pallet for 1 car. On my blaster I have a mix valve on the bottom that restricts the sand flow. You don't need a solid stream of sand coming out. It's an adjust as I go till I like the volume mix and then leave it alone till I'm done. The Wizzard
Blasting a car takes a HELUVA lot of sand. Its a horrible job, and I think that hiring it done is a good move.
My local blaster that uses the water /ground glass stuff wants $1000 to do in and out, top and bottom on my 57 chev. I understand its going to take some time but for a Grand I'll spend the time.Of course I am a cheapa$$.
I do ground glass/water blasting ,that is dirt cheap to do 57 chevy in, out, top and bottom . The glass costs 3x more over here . I would charge at least $2000 to do that job . I know that no matter how you strip by hand you can't come close to the job to wet media blaster will do. I would think for you to strip it by hand you will have at least $500. in wire brushs , sand paper , ect..
I've blasted a car in 3 hours, but had good equipment. Some friends and I blasted 14 cars plus extra parts in a weekend. We started Friday evening and were done by Monday morning in time to return the rented equipment. We rented a 50hp compressor and matching blast unit and only used one pallet of sand during the whole job. We used a one car attached garage, but we did a very careful job of covering all the walls with visqueen plastic and recycled the sand multiple times by shoveling it up and screening the dirt out of it. If you are getting a lot of dust when you recycle the sand, you are using to much pressure and shattering your sand too much. We rented a full blasting suit with its own air supply so we weren't bothered by what dust we did have. After it was all done we divied up the rental costs and supplies and I think we were around $50 per car. After all was said and done I asked the lady of the house how bad we messed up the house with dust, she said she would let us do it again as long as one of the cars was hers. (she didn't notice an unusual amount of dust in her house)
I guess it has something to do with the way time works,I always seem to sandblast when it's hotter than the hinges of hell. HRP
I blasted my '51 Pontiac wagon and my '48 Diamond T in the driveway. I put cheap poly tarps down, use another one for a "backstop" and reclaim as much sand as I can. I think I used about 4 bags for the truck cab and frame and the same on the wagon body and floor. It DOES use lots of air, I have to let the compressor catch up, but it gives me time to sweep up and strain the sand. Wear a respirator under the hood.
Lay out a large tarpaulin underneath to capture all the excess media, filter and reuse. Go easy as too much pressure generates heat and can distort the panels. Don't stay in one spot for too long either. Clean thoroughly and etch prime so there is no flash surface rust. Don't touch clean metal with hands as oil in skin will transfer to surface. Be careful with those BIG flat panels.
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