Technical Wire wheel or sandblast

Was just wondering, I'm getting ready to clean up my frame for my catalina and I was going to wire wheel the whole thing and paint it, or is sandblasting better. The frame is bare, I have the body off of it. Thanks for your input.

 

If there's a choice, blasting always works better.

 

Yeah, I was going to drop it off to a place for 300.00 to blast it, but my buddy who has done a few frames said wire wheel is better. Either way is fine with me, just want it to come out nice is all.

 

I would blast it, then I use rust seal from KBS coatings. A little more $$$ than paint, but much better results, Mark

 

Sounds like I'll be sandblasting it.

 

If I had to pay $300 to get it blasted, I'd think twice...but since I can do it myself for less than $50, I'd blast it.

so it's hard to answer your question.

 

I can wire wheel it free here at my house. My blaster is kinda small. I plan on building more cars so maybe I should invest in a blaster

 

Either way be sure to degrease it first, you'll have a better frame after it gets blasted. Bob

 

Absolutely. I just got a new power washer

 

the frame is out from the car , it's the time to sand blast it and do it right

 

Your friend is nuts,wire wheels will take a lot of time and wont get all the hard to reach areas.

Small sandblasters can be had for just over a hundred bucks and fine sand is not that expensive,,I have had mine for years.

If you decide to do your own sandblasting,,please invest in a good respirator,you don't want the silica dust in your lungs.

If you have a small compressor it will run constantly and you'll have to stop and let it catch up,,but you can do the job.

I did the entire wagon & frame with a small sandblaster. HRP

 

Blasting for sure, but I definitely wouldn't use the "wet blast" system, which uses a jet of sand borne water. The idea is that the water would prevent any warping of the sheet metal.

A friend of mine had the hood from his '58 Chevy 1/2T blasted and the pressure was so high, it warped the hood terribly. He also had the cab blasted and two weeks later, we're still digging wet, compacted sand out of the numerous cavities. A total pain the ass.

 

Hey,

As the kiddies say, '' it's a no brainer "!................wet blast or wire wheel??!! Ya gotta be jokein' me?

For $300.00 the guy's gonna blast all the old paint, rust & crap from your frame, assume all the health risks that detail involves, and handle the clean up after he's done??? Load your frame up, and take it to him before he comes to his senses!

Besure to lightly sand your frame prior to primering to dislodge any bits of sand left in the grains of the metal, and prime the day the frame is blasted.

 

Isn't that ^^^^ potentially true with regular sand blasting as well, the potential of warping?

I looked at a a friend's Model A Woody yesterday who just had all the metal parts wet blasted and laid out.

He was extremely happy.

 

The OP said said blasting,not wet blasting also he is talking about the frame. HRP

 

Wet blasting? Never heard about that except for aluminum castings in a cabinet. Be sure to buy your primer and related thinner before you get the frame blasted so you are ready to prime it when it is returned. Ever meet someone with the ability to leave finger or hand prints on freshly blasted parts? Don't know what that medical condition is, but keep them away from unprimed metal. Bob

 

Thanks for straightening that out.

 

Dry blast it with 30/60 mesh sand but get SAND not the steel shot or coal slag style stuff the sand with leave a smooth profile on it and like said above go over it with just some 80 grit on a DA sander. The steel shot will actually leave craters in it making it look similar to orange peel on the surface. The coal slag is real sharp and when painted itll look like you left dirt on with a grainy finish. For that price also get it over there ASAP!!! Before he changes his mind.

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Labor rates must be low in your area. For $300 he's doing it cheap! With all the labor involved, you'll be doing the job yourself with a wire wheel for $10 or so an hour and it's hellacious labor. Think how much other work you can get done on the car in a couple of days with your time.

Ask your friend how much he'd charge to wire wheel your frame clean.

 

I have always bought my sand in 50 lb. bags and purchased them at a local facility that sells concrete and block,,they carry sand blasting sand in very fine, fine and course.

Make sure the sand is stored in a dry place. HRP

 

Just adding a caveat that someone else might appreciate. I'll check with you before posting next time............

 

Proviso of specific stipulations,,I like that. HRP

 

Are there any powder coaters in your area? Get a price from them.
I got a frame sand blasted and powder coated for $400.

 

I have a wet blaster that uses recycled bottle glass and at least 100 cfm of air at 120psi. I did a camero sub frame for 300$ just last week.

 

I'm a DIY freak. I don't want other people working on my stuff.

However, the last frame I blasted, I used a 100 HP compressor, and it took me all day including the towing and cleanup.

My friend works at a structural steel fabricator with a 600 HP compressor (!) and that thing will do a whole frame in under 60 minutes. (Unfortunately he can't get me in there anymore.)

My home compressor is a cast iron 1/2 hp 1960's I-R which has been faithful for 35 years, but only does 4 CFM at 100 psi & will take about 3 weeks.

Plus I live in the suburbs, so my neighbors might get a bit stuffy if I rent a 200 HP diesel compressor & crank it up in the back yard for 5 hours.

I'm afraid I'll be sending mine out to be blasted & painted.

 

I like doing stuff myself also. I have a small blaster that holds 50lbs of blast. I already have two bags of blast sittin too. The only problem I have is a air line dryer, that's what messed me up when I was doing my intake. It kept getting clogged. Also like HRP said I need to get some sort of respirator.

 

The Catalina wine mixer? 😆
Sandblasting is always a good choice when I comes to getting a frame done, smaller things such as front axels or rear housings are quicker with a wire wheel

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I have a air drier also but that should help instead of hurt,,sometimes you just need to adjust the valve at the bottom of your blaster. HRP

 

You really do need a big drier when blasting, and remember to drain the compressor tank too. Also drain your hoses. Not uncommon for water to build up inside the hoses.

Damp sand is a total nuisance. Get it really dry before using.

I do hate sandblasting, but I'm going to set up a small blast cabinet to do some little parts. No way can I sandblast anything big with my setup.

 

Have the frame blasted. For those who have issues with the air line dryer, you need to have about 12 feet of steel pipe between the dryer and the compressor so that the moisture can condense and the dryer work properly. If you have it mounted right at the compressor, it's never going to work.