More specifically, I'm doing about a gazillion things around the shop and house while quarantined. 1. I've got some stamped steel script Chevrolet valve covers that I'd like to sandblast and paint. Anyone done this and can tell me if it will warp the valve covers? I can't tell you specifically what I've got in my blast cabinet, except that it is some kind of pretty ordinary media that came from a local farm type store. I can say that it's nothing out of the ordinary. i.e., it's not glass beads or anything like that. 2. Will the media used and/or the air pressure being used have any effect on whether they warp or not?
I've blasted about a billion valve covers with glass beads with no problem, I can't imagine sand being any different.
Mark, Thanx. This is what I was looking for. Actual real world experience; not opinions. B36, Yep, siphon feed.
Well, it's it a reeeeealy warm fuzzy you want I recall the day we got the cabinet, looking for things to blast. Made a bunch of shiny Coors and Coke cans
My sandblaster is a siphon feed, and even with fine sand, I have never warped a small part like a valve cover. On a couple of occasions, I have seen the damage done to a door panel, but that was because the pressure was too high and the person didn't test the panel to see if it was getting hot. It isn't the sand that warps the panel, but the amount of heat the blasting generates. Bob
make sure they are clean and dry and oil free when they go in the cabinet. any oil or grease trapped in the baffles will collect and hold the sand which will end up in the engine. the sand won't hurt the valve cover but the sand will hurt the engine.
Did some BBC painted covers, with the drippers. No warping. It's worth it to tape off any areas that may trap grit particles. Pvc baffle on a SBC cover, as another example.
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