See full version: It s all in the Sand
I got about two 55 gallon drums worth of Advance Design era hardware from my friend John Erb. He was in the business of taking trucks apart to sell the parts to our vendors. He would just toss the hardware into a pile in the corner of his garage. When he sold out, I purchased all of this because I could see the value in stock hardware. It was all rusted, grease/dirt all over the parts, so what to do? [links]
For outside work, and on one vehicle only, you can get by with a siphon blaster. They are about $50 at Sears and I have done an entire '50 Chevy Pickup with one. They are slower (much slower) than pressurized, but are less problematic, cheaper, and require fewer replacement nozzles since they don't wear out as quickly. Since the sand doesn't come out at near the velocity as pressurized, you can retain more sand in the local area for re-use. As you can see, there are advantages to siphon blasting, but if you are a serious restorer and will be doing more than one vehicle, pressurized is definitely better.
Air compressors are not made for blasting. No matter what compressor you have, the minute you start blasting, the compressor will start running and stay running until you let off the blast trigger. This means it is very hard on the compressor, and you will want to save your equipment by taking periodic breaks to let the machines cool down. I am guilty of not doing this enough and have replaced two compressor pumps already, which is expensive. To properly run an abrasive blaster and keep up with the large volume of air that is used, no less than a 60 gallon, 2 Stage, 7 horse compressor will do. That is the bare minimum in my opinion. I worked at that level for a year until I had finally had enough of it running out of air and purchased a second 60 gallon, 7 horse and put them in tandem. Now I have no problems, but the point is, get the largest, nicest compressor you can afford. If I could do it all over again, I would get an 80 gallon two stage 15 horse and hope for the best. Two compressors in tandem give you twice the storage capacity and the second motor helps keep up.
For larger parts, you will need to take it outside. I usually save up tons of work and then make an annual event out of it. This is because it's not easy nor fun and setup is time consuming. More on that later. [links]
Disclaimer: A number of people disagree with my plugging the use of Silica Sand for health reasons. For more information on the hazards of Silica Sand, check out the CDC's web site. If you want an alternative, there is a product called StarBlast (by Dupont) that is non silica for around $8 a bag. It's rumored to be obtainable through any building materials supply house.
The secret here is to get #1 Super-Fine Silica Sand. I purchase a 70 pound bag for $4.98. This is a fraction of the cost of normal blast media and works better and lasts longer than most. Its advantages are that it won't warp your metal, it cuts quickly clear through to the bare metal, its reusable, and it doesn't clog up your equipment like larger media does. more
Soda blasting will not only remove paints and lacquers, but it is strong enough to strip away surface rust, grease, and other debris from substrates as well. The process is actually better at removing grime from surfaces than harder organic blasting materials like walnut shells because it can enter and clean smaller cracks and crevasses that the wider organic compounds cannot reach. [links]
Soda blasting is a relatively new technique for paint, mold and surface rust removal that is slowly gaining popularity. Unlike sandblasting, soda blasting uses bicarbonate (also known as baking soda) to strip finishes off a substrate. While sandblasting equipment can be used for soda blasting, the bicarbonate abrasive is relatively gentle when compared to the grit usually used for sandblasting. To figure out what the best instances are to use soda blasting, consider the following attributes of the process.
Soda blasting was developed to work well on soft metals like copper (it was originally developed for use on the Statue of Liberty), but also works well on wood. Unlike sandblasting it will not scratch wood or metal surfaces below the paint. The key to soda blasting correctly is the amount of pressure that is applied. The soda is sprayed onto a surface, just like a pressure washer, at an oblique angle. If the pressure is too high, the substrate will dent or warp. At the right pressure, one should be able to strip away as little as one layer of finish at a time.
Some surfaces, such as wood, can be damaged by the heat caused by the friction of grits used in other blasting processes. Because soda is a gentler abrasive, it produces lower amounts of friction and, consequently, less damaging heat. [links]
If a finish needs to be stripped off of a surface that is outside, soda blasting is ideal. When sandblasting, the grit that is expelled from the blasting hose must be swept up after the stripping has been finished because the grit is a silicate that is harmful to the environment. The bicarbonate from a soda blaster, however, will simply dissolve into the ground or wash away during the next rain storm.
Furthermore, the dust produced from sandblasting grit can be toxic if drawn into a person’s lungs. The dust produced from the soda used in soda blasting is not toxic. As a soda blaster strips a finish, the finish may be reduced to tiny particles that can float in the air, and these particles may be toxic if inhaled. For this reason, it is still important to wear protection when using a soda blaster. more
If you don't have a full time metal cleaning shop near you many automotive engine rebuilders have hot tanks and may be willing to clean your parts. I find that automotive shops don't adhere to the same standards and tend to run their solutions far weaker than required for good cleaning or they just don't want to mess up their clean tank with nasty parts.
For you, maybe no issue at all. For tdmidget, big deal.
i used this method to clean a fuel pickup and screen for a 27 studebaker.it was plugged solid with goo.
took a couple hours on 6 volts.nothing else would touch it. more
This Instructable is going to show you how to make a Highly Versatile Soda Blaster that you can use with different types of abrasives such as baking soda, blasting media, and sand or different combinations of these abrasives depending on your need. For those of you who aren't quite sure what what a soda blaster is, it is sorta like a light duty sand blaster that uses baking soda in place of sand. It is used to clean small metal parts such as nuts, bolts, and jewelry. Most of the parts used are available at Lowes for under $25.
Next put the lid on the close nipple be sure to put the screw ring around the nipple first (or else you'll be taking it apart). Then put the 6 washers on the nipple and then tighten the coupling to sandwich everything together. Lastly insert the tube into the coupling (if your tubing is tight enough to stay in by its self go to the next step). Then tape around it to seal and hold the tube in place.
I have an old (I think working) hobby air brush paint system, can I fill the paint reservoir with soda and use that? [links]