Sandblaster

[Thatoneguy 197]

I am ready to start sandblasting my c-120 and just wanted to get some opinions on blast cabinets vs open blasters.. I would think by the time I get done with all my parts on a cheaper open blaster I would have spend the money on sand that I would have on a cabinet.. I have a blast cabinet picked out from Eastwood for 199$. Is it worth it? 

[lynnmor 7,307]

That $200 one is very small, you need room to move parts in all directions.  I suggest that you buy the biggest one that you can afford and have room for.  Keep in mind that a dust collector is almost a necessity.  Look at the one at Harbor Freight and compare.  I have done some outdoor blasting and will not ever do it again unless there is no other way.

[Thatoneguy 197]

14 minutes ago, lynnmor said:

That $200 one is very small, you need room to move parts in all directions.  I suggest that you buy the biggest one that you can afford and have room for.  Keep in mind that a dust collector is almost a necessity.  Look at the one at Harbor Freight and compare.  I have done some outdoor blasting and will not ever do it again unless there is no other way.

So you have to have a dust collector for a blast cabinet? 

[lynnmor 7,307]

1 hour ago, mower said:

So you have to have a dust collector for a blast cabinet? 

It will get very foggy real quick, especially after the media has been used awhile.  You can use the cabinet without the dust collector but you will be pausing often for the dust to settle.

[ebinmaine 67,533]

9 hours ago, mower said:

sandblasting my c-120

Also keep in mind many sandblasters can't be used on thinner metals like hood, belt guard, fender pan etc. 

 

Also can NOT be used on or near an engine unless you are planning on immediately rebuilding it. 

I personally wouldn't use one on an automatic transmission either.  

 

I'd be cautious around a manual transmission as well. 

 

We've talked about getting a sandblaster for years here. 

Never done it.  Trina uses a combination of chemical means of paint removal along with a wire brush and pressure washer.  

We'll likely get a sandblaster eventually for frame areas though.  

[rmaynard 15,483]

I have a Harbor Freight blast cabinet

that I've heavily modified with brighter lights, better air flow, easily removable viewing glass (it will get etched quickly), a foot pedal, and other things. I have a dust collection system that is a must. As large as it is, it's still too small for parts like hoods, frames and fender pans. An outside blaster will handle bigger things, but it will consume a lot of media, and you must wear protective clothing, mask, and face protection. Sandblasting is great, but there are a lot of limitations. Liquid paint removers have gotten ridiculously expensive, but they do work well.

[squonk 41,121]

No mention of one of the biggest things. You need a big honkin air compressor or you'll be sitting around waiting for the compressor to catch back up. I gave up on sand blasting. I remove paint with an electrolysis tank and vinegar in a tub. Takes longer but I'm not going anywhere. For a frame I would soak each half in a tank then hit it with my HF needle scaler. 

 

If you insist on blasting, contact these folks:

 

https://www.tptools.com/?gad=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw-7OlBhB8EiwAnoOEk_VLE_SbNHR1kgw5ve5RWlVV76Y1IF6qTiqlamU2pag9HYR48PEwpRoCDbYQAvD_BwE

[rmaynard 15,483]

22 minutes ago, squonk said:

You need a big honkin air compressor...

[squonk 41,121]

Another thing about blasting. I'm getting a lot of arthritis in my hands. They cramp up holding the piece and pulling the trigger for hours. A foot pedal is a must.

 

I bought a pair of wheels at the show. They were in pretty good shape but the inner side had some rust. I had it in the electrolysis tank for about a week. Pretty tough paint. I power washed it and I have it in the vinegar bath to soften the remaining paint. Garage smells like my Grandmother is making salad. Thanks for the bin @rmaynard! 

 

 

[Achto 27,587]

Low budget dust collector that works awesome. Been using mine for a few years.

 

[Thatoneguy 197]

Luckily I asked about this. Now I am having second thoughts on sandblasting and spending the money on a small unit. Maybe I will just use some vinegar (as much as I hate the smell) and try out electrolysis..  I would rather buy a bigger blaster with a built in collection system on it. Thanks to everyone for your input. I would still like to hear anyone’s ideas or tricks to removing paint and getting the parts to the paint ready stage! 

[pacer 3,173]

There are several replies given here that pretty well cover using a blaster....

 

The HF large cabinet is a great buy, but almost HAS to have several mods that are well covered on you tube - and are relatively inexpensive.

 

A vacuum system is a MUST, you really can hardly use one with out out dust removal.

 

In order for blasting to be .... practical? you HAVE to have LOTS of air - air supply needs to be judged by "CFM" (cubic feet per minute) which for best results starts at around 14-15 CFM, but ideally needs around 20, or more. This means the HP and PSI ratings of the small units just wont get it - you can get 2-3 mins of enough air before the compressor will have to catch up. My unit is run off an 80gal tank with compressor putting out 17-18 CFM and I can blast non stop.

 

Next, is choice of what media will you use - there are many .... I use 'coal slag' in fine grit (larger grit stops up the gun) Its about - IS? - the cheapest media, I get it at TSC for about $14 @ 50lbs (price subject to change any moment!)

 

I blast out side a lot with a vacuum type gun with the media in a 5 gal bucket, the large items wont fit in the cabinet. I set up a couple saw horses with a piece of plywood to do the hoods, rims, fenders, etc. I have a dedicated blast hood, air mask (a must!!) and gloves.

 

Personally, I like blasting over all the other types of removal - and I've tried them all!!

[lynnmor 7,307]

9 minutes ago, pacer said:

 

Personally, I like blasting over all the other types of removal - and I've tried them all!!

 

There is no substitute for blasting parts completely clean, for example rust pits will hold a bit of material that just won't come out using any other method.  After blasting, I wash the parts with hot water and soap, rinse with hot water and then immediately blow dry.  Having completely clean parts that are primed well will give the best long term results.

[oliver2-44 9,756]

6 hours ago, ebinmaine said:

Also keep in mind many sandblasters can't be used on thinner metals like hood, belt guard, fender pan etc. 

 

Also can NOT be used on or near an engine unless you are planning on immediately rebuilding it. 

I personally wouldn't use one on an automatic transmission either.  

 

I'd be cautious around a manual transmission as well. 

 

We've talked about getting a sandblaster for years here. 

Never done it.  Trina uses a combination of chemical means of paint removal along with a wire brush and pressure washer.  

We'll likely get a sandblaster eventually for frame areas though.  

Im going to give a different option on some of these comments

You don’t want to blast thin sheet metal with a large commercial/industrial blaster that operates at a minimum nozzle pressure of 100 psi up to 200 psi. Most of our home compressor can’t keep up anywhere near these pressures. I’ve blasted several WH suburban hoods and fenders that are thinner than your C Series with no problem. 
 

I agree with not Blasting an engine  unless you are rebuilding it.  But I recently blasted an old Wisconsin ..I made a gasketed metal cover for the carb and exhaust flange. I hand wire wheel around shafts and seals, then Tape the seal areas with Heavy duty duck tape. When I was finished I pulled the oil pan and old seals and flushed every thing out. 
Back working at the dams we would duct tape up large motors and gear boxes and other dam equipment that was outside in wet areas. Blast the hell out of it, then do a extra good maintenance/cleaning on it. 
 

I’m usually disassembling my manual transmission and I seem to have more than my share that had water in them.  So I blast them inside and out.  I leave the old bearings in to protect those areas Then I scrub them just like a engine cylinder after honeing. This is sitting in on my work bench right now

I have glass bead blasted gears and shafts

I suggest you go with a large Harbor Fright cabinet, then do the upgrades shown on the web. 
I built my own “extra large” cabinet  and use it a lot. 

Do you have a large air compressor???  I have a 15cfm @90 and use a 3/16 ceramic nozzle in my blast gun instead of 1/4” nozzle. I still have to stop and wait for the compress to catch up. I want to someday upgrade to a 20+cfm @90 compressor. 

I had a Harbor Fright dust collector but the plastic fan blew up after a years use. Others on here have had good luck with them. I built a siphon dust collector per a utube using Home Depo plastic buckets. It works great and was inexpensive to build 

 

You mentioned electrolysis, I have a 55 gallon barrel set up and use it.  I actually electrolysis some items then give them a surface prep using my blaster   Vinegar works but I’m not a fan of it because my parts flash rust when I wash them off.   Coming from the industrial world, we were taught to get an almost white metal look with a fine textured profile for the paint manufactures to guarantee there paints. I don’t always achieve that but I shoot for it 

 

If this is a one time restoration you might consider having your parts commercially blasted instead of tooling up for it.  I’ve checked around here and got a price around $400. 

Edited July 11, 2023 by oliver2-44

[oliver2-44 9,756]

2 hours ago, Achto said:

Low budget dust collector that works awesome. Been using mine for a few years.

 

I built mine after his success!

[oliver2-44 9,756]

If you have them commercially blasted and they offer you a choice of blast media: 

(no one uses true sand anymore due to it causing silicosis lung disease )

Coal Slag and Red Garnet work well but contain a tiny bit of iron which facilitates parts flash rusting in a day or two

Crushed  glass cuts well and seems to help prevent glass rusting a little longer. 
Glass bead is good for precision aluminum  parts such as carbs 

[pacer 3,173]

17 minutes ago, lynnmor said:

After blasting, I wash the parts with

 

I do it a little different -- I wipe the part down with mineral spirits and then give a wipe down with diluted Phosphoric acid which chemically "kills" rust. This method may not be for every body - its messy. and will itself start giving off flash rust which means it has to have the paint - primer or color - applied pretty quickly.

 

I see @oliver2-44 has given another angle pertaining the topic while I was making another...see above

 

I also will blast the motor/tranny..... I have the engine complete except carburetor/exhaust/fuel pump, I double masking tape over these openings, stick an old spark plug in, tape the crank, etc. and clean it up. I then blow the dust off with high pressure air gun and paint while still taped.

 

Re damaging thin sheet metal, I run mine at about 80-100psi and have never seen any indication of blasting affecting the metal -- and I have done literally dozens of parts off these horses.

 

I use coal slag mainly for cost, its way cheaper than the other options. Though I do keep glass on hand for some occasions....

[Achto 27,587]

1 minute ago, oliver2-44 said:

Coal Slag and Red Garnet

 

I have used both of these media in my cabinet. Coal slag seems to work better at removing paint. Garnet seems a little better for removing rust. Of the two I have found the coal slag to be the most universal. 

[pacer 3,173]

@oliver2-44 Looks like you have adapted one of the - many - improvements on the HF cabinets .... dropping the work surface. I have also done all the many improvements to the cabinet and dropping that work surface has to be one of the better ones. I also did the media drop from the bottom, added better lighting, foot pedal, water filter, heavy duty dust collector, etc etc.

 

[Thatoneguy 197]

If I don’t want to split the rear end and pump how would I got about cleaning and stripping it with or without a blaster. 

[pacer 3,173]

I suppose it'll be just 'get down & dirty' -- a good stiff brush, mineral spirits, oven cleaner, elbow grease --- what ever works best with hand cleaning.

[ebinmaine 67,533]

34 minutes ago, mower said:

If I don’t want to split the rear end and pump how would I got about cleaning and stripping it with or without a blaster. 

 

Easiest way we've found is a pressure washer with HOT water.  

It's ridiculously messy and you DO need to be conscious of openings and gaskets.  

 

But it works.  

 

 

[Thatoneguy 197]

44 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

 

Easiest way we've found is a pressure washer with HOT water.  

It's ridiculously messy and you DO need to be conscious of openings and gaskets.  

 

But it works.  

 

 

Yea I did this (without the hot water) and was conscious of openings and gaskets and now my dang by pass valve is leaking.  Ughhhhh

[ebinmaine 67,533]

8 minutes ago, mower said:

Yea I did this (without the hot water) and was conscious of openings and gaskets and now my dang by pass valve is leaking.  Ughhhhh

No worries. Likely was leaking before you even approached it.

 

[Brockport Bill 1,662]

thanks for all the comments - - very informative -- over past few yrs i have used a professional sand blaster that a local auto body shop refrerred me to -- YUP - pretty big $ as an expense and i am certain many of you want to avoid the $ -------- plus of course many of us prefer the satisfaction of being a "do it yourself guy". However, I find using a pro guy to be worth the $ cost -- which obviously varies by region of the country and if you can find a "blaster" pro locally within reasonable drive? I have had entire mower decks ( shell and lift assembly carriage) done after i disassemble - as well as the tractor tin - hoods, seat pan fenders, side panels, and wheel rims, etc, and some other parts of a tractor blasted as well. My sense is hiring a guy versus do it yourself is one of those .....it "depends"????????? What degree of "perfect" someone wants, and what is the project, and how long are you keeping the item, - is it for resale - or for a full show room restore, or just to be a worker tractor? Plus naturally, is this just one tractor project someone plans to blast, OR multiple tractors over handful of years doing equipment on a repeated regular basis??????? I acquired some really ugly heavily rusted mowers ( outside for years) blasted professionally and it was worth the $ cost to get to bare metal and then prime and paint myself. However, to the point earlier in the thread about surface rust forming after blasting, my blaster guy has put on a spray primer for me to prevent the quick new rust issue mentioned in the earlier thread comments. Overall, after reading the many insightful comments about buying equipment, laying out the cash, amortizing the purchase, cost of the media materials, the mess, plus the labor time -- i think i will stay with hiring my guy at his shop - his mess, his equipment, his bad arthritis wrists, his full body suit, his site cleanup ( he does it outdoors - big piece of property - on pallets). etc. As an fyi, he has modified truck bed, with large commercial compressor on it -- plus the full body protection looking like a scuba diver.... and a hose and nozzle that's impressive to see. I call him, I bring my project to match our schedules and then pay him. Works well for my purposes.