Sand blaster(ing)

[BSD]

I just was curious as to what a good site would be to get a sand blaster..

 

I found one for $142 at the local "Farm and Fleet"

It's a Larin, dunno how well it will work though, just wanted to see if anyone had any kind of recommendation without flaming me.. =]

 

If I remember right it was capable of 80 PSI

 

Oh, I just had one last question.. I understand that sand blasting the exterior of the car can cause dents, so i'm avoiding the body, but the problem I thought about would be sand blasting the underside of the car.. Since I do not have a rotisserie (sp? haaa ) I'm not sure what a good method would be to blast the underside without being able to put the car on its side or flip it over.. hmm..

 

Any type of info would be greatly appreciated, since I might start rolling the ball this week and either buy that larin or order something.

 

 

Thanks again guys.

[Careless]

Wear a sandblasting uniform, buy 6 ton jackstands, and put the car as high as possible.... And perhaps make a shield for yourself with a rubber glove to hold the shield with your elbow, and gun with your hand.

 

also, whatever sandblasting unit you buy, make sure you have a capable compressor and make double sure you have an air dryer.

 

moisture in the lines is what will make you curse. It clogs the sand in the hose because it turns it into wet sand.

 

For this reason I like using aluminum oxide shavings, but that may be too abrasive for the exterior. I've only ever sandblasted small things.

[Cruez]

A deadman valve is good on those types.... the ball type shutoffs will wear out in minutes.... literally... Make sure the compressor is up to snuff, Blasters go through a lot of air.

[BSD]

Thanks for the tips guys, I didn't think about moisture clogging up the sand, good call. luckily my friends gonna loan me some jackstands that are like 5ft tall.. that should be adequate as long as I am careful, while i'm at it i'll probably make a "bowl" using tarps in my garage to catch all the sand so it won't make a huge mess... ball type shutoff? I am going to check on that and make sure its not one..

 

I am looking at a compressor right now that is 26 gallons and flows 3.3 scfm at 90 PSI.. and the sand blaster is rated up to 80 PSI.. I don't think that compressor would be adequate with long usage, i'll probably burn it out.

 

*shrugs*

 

The compressor is 279 bucks..

[sweetleaf]

I noticed in you build tread that you were gonna use silica sand. I would really recommend you use something else. Media works the best but can be expensive. If you want something cheap, I'd get black slag. Also , that compressor is not going to be very effective. You will need about 3x that flow.

[BSD]

Would the slag dmg the exterior? I felt it and it was kinda rough and sharp.. then again.. i'm new, so what do I know?

 

The silica sand was only 4 dollars, I can just use it for something else.. like my pool! haha.. jk..

 

Hmm.. and recommendations on a compressor sweetleaf? Thank you!

[sweetleaf]

You can avoid damaging light panels by using lower pressure, more distance, and don't concentrate on one spot for too long. I would recommend using a compressor that can flow at least 90-120 PSI @ 9-12 CFM.

[BSD]

Thanks bud, i'll be keeping my eye out... Think that blaster would do all right? its rated 80 psi?

[v8wannabe2]

Do you have much undercoat on the bottom of the car? The sand won't take that off, you will need to heat/scrape, wire wheel / grind or something first. The blaster will do a great job on the rust and old paint.

[BSD]

The undercoating on the car is worn down and is Not made of rubber... it'll come off. =]

 

Or else!

[JIM73240Z]

i got my undercoating to come off with the sand. took way longer than i thought and i am dam glad i did not do it in the garage. i had one of those portable garages from hf. it helped contain the mess. had tarps under the car so that i can harvest the sand. could do that a couple of times and had to put in new. i would wire wheel or use stripper for the under coating if i had to do it over again. the blaster just took too long.

 

jimbo

[Netrix]

I just sandblasted my two front quarters, both doors, both headlight buckets, and the cowl. I wouldn't worry about denting it unless you have a high PSI, if you hold it back far enough and don't stay in one spot you'll be fine. Just always keep it moving or stop. DO NOT use silica sand, when airborne it can cause problems if inhaled. I recommend using coal slag, Black Magnum is a good brand.

 

 

I go to this place called Consolidated Stripping and do it myself for $15 ($45 for them to do it for you) an hour. They have a few full size blast cabinets and a blasting room :

http://www.consolidatedstripping.com/

EDIT: I see your in Illinois, depending on where you're at, consolidated stripping is in Plainwell, MI which is a little north of Kalamazoo. It would be a drive, but might be a good option to consider.

 

I recommend looking for a stripping place in your area, often they rent out their cabinets when they aren't using them.

Well worth it for a few reasons:

1. No cleanup

2. High quality equipment + all the proper equipment

3. They have an air compressor larger than you can ever dream of

4. The air handling system to clear the cabinet is nice

5. Expert advice on what type of media to use

 

Took me and a friend both blasting from 10am-4pm to get the above done. Why? Well my car had 3 coats of paint, the original blue which came off easy, then yellow, then a white in which they layered it on very thick.

After all was said and done they charged me $100 out the door. No dents, just bare metal

 

 

Here is a pic of my door after blasting:

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v201/netrix2002/Datsun/?action=view&current=PICT0013.jpg

Here is a pic of my fender after blasting:

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v201/netrix2002/Datsun/?action=view&current=PICT0014.jpg

 

Unless you know you have a rusty underside or your going for a showroom restoration or the undercoating is falling off, I wouldn't bother blasting the undercoating. Just find the spots where its gone and spray over the old stuff. As long as its still there it will do its job, removing undercoating is very time consuming and messy. The above post by JIM73240Z is a testament as to how well undercoating sticks =)

[BSD]

Alot of the undercoating is falling apart and rust is starting to form... so I figured its time to put on new undercoating. Thanks for the info, I would take that trip up north but I don't have the time or vehicle to do so.

unfortunately I can't find Any place around here that rents out booths, or even sandblasts! *shrug*

[geezer]

Have you tried the Yellow Pages? Locally, we have truck mounted blasting systems that come to your location at a reasonable price. Great if you have a large open area and a cheap dining tent to contain the sand.

[Careless]

Most mobile blasters use sodium bicarbonate blasting (soda blast), and they will take 80 - 180 dollars an hour, and charge for 12 hours of work.

 

it's kind of expensive.

[BSD]

Daaaang, well, i'll try looking more.. but this county isn't one of the best and we don't have that much out here.

 

Thanks for all the help and tips so far guys.

[AK-Z]

I bought one on ebay for like $25. It works fine, Kinda inefficiant, but it works. Its just a backup filler tank attached to a siphon hose, to a nozzle.

[Careless]

I bought one on ebay for like $25. It works fine, Kinda inefficiant, but it works. Its just a backup filler tank attached to a siphon hose, to a nozzle.

 

I dunno how you have it set up, but there are a couple of things you really need.

 

 

1) Air Dryer

2) Pressure Pot (with sand INSIDE It)

3) Air line to pressurize pot

4) gun to release pressurized air/sand.

 

The pressure pot ones work VERY well if you have a dry air system.

 

Syphon ones get clogged a lot easier too.

[geezer]

BSD, I don’t know what you’ve decided on, but there are a few things you should be forewarned about. I tried to steer you towards farming this job out for a number of reasons. The cost to outfit yourself with equipment that will perform to your expectations will far exceed what you plan on spending. Unless you use this equipment on a regular basis it becomes far more expensive than hiring a mobile blaster, who the last time I checked a few years ago was charging from $600.00 -$800.00 to do a completely stripped down Z. The only requirement was, they wanted all undercoating & tarmat removed beforehand. I would not even consider blasting a car unless it is totally disassembled. I have my own equipment and have been blasting for 40 years both as a hobbyist and professionally. I learned long ago that it was not a good idea to sandblast in a garage unless that is the only thing that garage is used for. It’s impossible to close off an area to contain the sand and worse yet, the dust. That crap will get into everything. The type of equipment you are looking at is not up to par for blasting cars. As Careless pointed out you will need a large volume pressure blaster with varying sized ceramic nozzles and good moisture bottles. I use two moisture bottles, one wall mounted between the compressor and regulator and another mounted on the sandblaster. On days when moisture is still a problem I coil 25’ of hose in a 5 gal. bucket of cold water, .inline between the wall mount and the sandblaster. It allows the air to cool and condensate before reaching the second bottle. Works well, especially after the compressor is running hot on a day with high humidity. You will need a compressor that has the ability to keep up with the amount of air the blaster is consuming. The recommended spec 90 – 120 psi @ 9-13 CFM would be a bare minimum. Larger jobs require more volume. The point I am trying to make is you have to decide if what you plan on blasting is worth spending the money on the equipment or not. Did I mention that sandblasting is one of the dirtiest, nastiest jobs you will ever do? Not fun.

[AK-Z]

I dunno how you have it set up, but there are a couple of things you really need.

 

 

1) Air Dryer

2) Pressure Pot (with sand INSIDE It)

3) Air line to pressurize pot

4) gun to release pressurized air/sand.

 

The pressure pot ones work VERY well if you have a dry air system.

 

Syphon ones get clogged a lot easier too.

 

I have a air dryer attached to my compressor.

I already said mine was ineffecient.

 

Not the best. maybe the worst, but it works