media blasting sucks

[mcline71]

After deciding that I wanted to take my car down to bare metal and "do it right" I started researching media blasting. Pretty much everything I read said DO NOT do this yourself, that it's well worth the cost to have someone else do it. I thought "it can't be that bad" plus there is no one local that does it, so I bought a sandblaster from Eastwood and got started. Let me tell you, it's worth it to have someone else do it. It would be OK if a person could do it outside but living in town my neighbors probably wouldn't appreciate the mess. The Eastwood unit actually works really well if you can keep it supplied with dry air and are able to keep the unit filled with media. Any moisture in your air and you'll come to a standstill unclogging the lines. I've attached some pics. This took about 2 1/2 hours to get this far. Also, when you have more time than money this is a pretty good way to go.

 

[rottenralph]

You got a lot done, you must have a huge compressor too support blasting all day. Bet you are still digging the stuff out of your ears. I sand blasted my seat bases and concluded the same thing. I would pay to have the car done.

 

[Qcode351mach]

Be very careful on the roof..don't stay in one place to long or get to close you can warp the metal from too much heat..move around..use a light media..

 

[Austin Vert]

Yes,

That would be a job for the pros IMO. Well worth the money spent.

Best of luck anyway.

Greg.

 

[rocket366]

A water seperator and a high CFM compressor a must have here.

Ugg the dusty clean up forgetaboutit!

Hats off to your effort!!

 

[mcline71]

A water seperator and a high CFM compressor a must have here.

Ugg the dusty clean up forgetaboutit!

Hats off to your effort!!

The dust everywhere afterwards is the worst. I've got about 60 feet of black pipe before the air outlet that let's the air cool pretty well before it gets to the end of the hose. My compressor is only a 60 gallon model and runs non stop while blasting but no loss of pressure as far as I can tell. It is pretty cool to see the metal go from painted and rusty to clean white bare metal.

Be very careful on the roof..don't stay in one place to long or get to close you can warp the metal from too much heat..move around..use a light media..

My plans are to not blast any outside body panels for that very reason.

 

[KC1971Grande]

I'm not too keen on the mess associated with media blasting. However, after talking to a few of the "pros" around here that do this, I have decided it is something best done by myself. I have one media blaster already and getting a small unit from Eastwood to do some small parts and such. Fortunately I live out in the country on a couple acres. My only concern here is that the debris and media not get out of hand and cause mud runs after any rains. I'm doing some experimenting for a while and will get into the real work of blasting the areas of my car that need it next year.

With the humidity where I live, clogs are a serious problem. I was using ground walnut shells a few years ago on a different type of project, had a sudden clog that caused a hose to fail, and ended up getting the crap beat out of me by flying walnut shell. Believe me when I say it did not feel good. Even with safety gear and skin protection, I had a lot of little red marks all over hands, arms, and legs. Another of life's little lessons learned.

 

[IA Rider]

Looks like you are making some good progress. I am planning to buy a small blasting unit to clean up the areas that will be hidden when the new metal is welded in then I will take the car to have it completely blasted when I am done with the metal work. I am not looking forward to the mess blasting will make.

 

[turtle5353]

which eastwood blaster did you get?? I was eyeballing up the dual media blaster. http://www.eastwood.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/412x/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/p42401.jpg

When I repaint mine in a few years im planning on blasting it myself outside.

 

[mcline71]

Looks like you are making some good progress. I am planning to buy a small blasting unit to clean up the areas that will be hidden when the new metal is welded in then I will take the car to have it completely blasted when I am done with the metal work. I am not looking forward to the mess blasting will make.

If it wasn't for the mess, blasting would be fine. I hung tarps from the ceiling surrounding the car and ran a big exhaust fan but dust still covered everything in the garage. I did go out and buy a leaf blower and it works great for blowing the dust off of everything in the garage and the car itself.

which eastwood blaster did you get?? I was eyeballing up the dual media blaster. http://www.eastwood.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/412x/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/p42401.jpg

When I repaint mine in a few years im planning on blasting it myself outside.

I bought the 50lb. blaster. I stayed away from the soda blaster after reading about how you had to be sure to neutralize the soda with water and spraying bare metal with water sounded like trouble to me. Lots of negative comments out there about soda blasting, BUT, there are lots of negative comments out there about everything. The principle of soda blasting sounds great and lots of people do it, so who knows. If I had it to do over I would buy the 100 lb. unit, it seems just as you really get going you have to stop and fill the tank back up.

 

[midlife]

Actually, Media Blasting blows, not sucks....

 

[71ponymaster]

Were blastin our sons car in sections, engine box is all done, using black diamond sand an w it u have to move quite quickly. I played w it on his qtr (which needs replaced) an it doesnt seem to hard to keep the heat out. I just ran over it lighter twice. I def have a water in air issue for sure. But like somebody else were in the country an have a large concrete pad. Boy has it all swept pretty quickly. For us doin it ourselves is more satisfyin an saves $$$.

 

[MeZapU]

I had the bed and cab of my F-100 sand blasted by a pro. $500 and he painted it in epoxy primer when finished. I think it was worth the hassle but I did get some warpage on the doors which cost me a lot of time to correct.

My advice is to use the blaster on the edges but stick to a sander or chemical stripper on the big flat panels.

 

[mcline71]

Actually, Media Blasting blows, not sucks....

Good one...and very true!!lollerz

 

[eddyw]

Hi guys,

Best to rent a big sandblast cabin.

In open air... all dust and mess.

 

[Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs]

Hello,

New to the group and reading through some of the projects going on. I want to hear how your work has turned out? I have put a flat piece of metal into a blasting cabinet and hit just one side and the metal curls up so I would be concerned with warping the panels. The media, usually plastic, that does not warp the metal will not remove the rust. I understand from a friend that does extreme builds for people, like $150,000.00 that most of the paint suppliers will not guarantee their materials if you have sand blasted. I guess they say some of the silicone in the sand causes the paint not to adhere over time it bubbles. I can see blasting the door edges and around hinges and such but the outside skin scares me about warping and then having to skim coat everything with bondo like you see on the TV shows doing the 7 day wonders. I would like to see one of those cars in a few years.

Let me know how it has gone. I just bought a car that was dipped and they have their issues also.

Thanks,

David


Oh forgot one other thing. It is not really the heat that does the warping it is like 10,000 little hammers hitting the surface which displaces metal. When the metal displaces it has to go somewhere so it warps the panel and getting that warp out is almost impossible. Like someone else said blast the edges but strip the flat areas and you will be happier in the end. I have gone to car wash coated the car in stripper and pressure washed the mess off into their drains. Naughty boy but that is all I had back in the 70's.

Keep the out of the crusher.

 

[jbojo]

I used a soda blaster when I was doing sheet metal parts, it's messy too though. On my next project I plan to have the whole body soda blasted and will be taking it to a shop that does this because of the mess. Soda blasting is slightly different to abrasive blasting, as it's less aggressive, so it won't damage delicate surfaces, and less likely to result in rapid rusting of blasted parts left open to atmosphere. It's also biodegradable, so cleaning up is less critical. However, it may not be aggressive enough to deal with tough work, such has thick, heavy-duty paint or serious rust.

 

[mustang68]

Protection is a must when you are doing a job like sandblasting, a respirator is a must you don't want to be breathing in that dust.

That could really cause a lot of issues with your breathing.

 

[Qcode351mach]

Hello,

New to the group and reading through some of the projects going on. I want to hear how your work has turned out? I have put a flat piece of metal into a blasting cabinet and hit just one side and the metal curls up so I would be concerned with warping the panels. The media, usually plastic, that does not warp the metal will not remove the rust. I understand from a friend that does extreme builds for people, like $150,000.00 that most of the paint suppliers will not guarantee their materials if you have sand blasted. I guess they say some of the silicone in the sand causes the paint not to adhere over time it bubbles. I can see blasting the door edges and around hinges and such but the outside skin scares me about warping and then having to skim coat everything with bondo like you see on the TV shows doing the 7 day wonders. I would like to see one of those cars in a few years.

Let me know how it has gone. I just bought a car that was dipped and they have their issues also.

Thanks,

David

David,

You need a pro who knows how to media blast a car without warping the panels..Theres plenty of company's out there that know how to do it correctly have the right equipment know the correct media to use & technique for the type of work being performed. Sand blasting is a "general term given to the process" Sand is hardly used these days for exterior sheet metal rust removal..It's just the opposite most paint company's won't warranty their product if baking soda or dipping is used..Some oems actually require media blasting as part of their repair process procedure..

warranty's are kinda bogus anyway since they almost aways just cover the product & not the labor to do the actual re-repair..Ever try & get a paint rep to warranty a redo? I have.. unless your doing buying thousands of dollars of product a month its like the impossible dream. JFYI

Also it's almost impossible to get most customers to pay for perfect metal work no skim coat body filler jobs..Fact of life in the body shop biz..When you tell a customer its going to add 75% 100% to the cost of the job 99.9 % opt out.