Soda Blasting Engine/Bay & Frame

[lg1200]

Has anyone soda blasted their engine bay? I'm looking to strip the paint from the firewall as well as soda blast the front frame rails and the entire suspension. I checked Harbor Freight and they have the smaller pressurized blasting units and they also have a cheaper one that holds 50 lbs of media but it's siphon fed that i've listed below.

Here's the pressurized unit

i have the HF 21 gal. 2.5HP compressor to power it all..Has anyone gone this route and done it themselves b/c it seems fairly easy and straight forward..

 

[1983regal]

I do believe you are looking at a siphon feed and pressure feed sand blasters, these will not work with baking soda. Look on their website again, they have a blue pressure feed soda blaster it is different.
This is the soda blaster http://www.harborfreight.com/40-lb-port ... 67625.html
Not sure how well of a job that will do.

 

[lg1200]

the soda blaster works damn good for $40..the spray diameter is about the size of a penny...i stripped a jounce bar to the metal (primer and paint in multiple layers) and it also removed all the surface rust, oil, etc from a set of motor mounts i picked up from the member '2gbodys'.

 

[Mathematic]

good stuff. One stop shop now. Is there a way to change the diameter?? or is that size all you need?

 

[G-Body_Vet]

If using a siphon feed, make sure your compressor has enough cfm or otherwise that soda is going to do a piss poor job.

Personally I only use soda on delicate surfaces that scratch or pit easily. The only time I really use it now is on aluminum parts that I plan to polish. Not only is a 50lb bag around $40 & up, but the cutting action is slow (ideal for stripping in separate layers). On steel surfaces (besides body panels) I'd use an oxide media or 40-60 grit coal slag (Black Diamond). The Black Diamond is only about $8/50lb bag if you can find it. Places like Tractor Supply Company usually have it if there's one nearby. It also has low dust and low silicone content. I also advise against play sand from Home Depot and what-not.

There's also better stuff out there like Star Blast but it costs more.

And for the other question regarding the "diameter", yes you can usually change nozzles or buy a different blast gun with interchanging nozzles. Nozzle size and CFM output have a dramatic effect on your blasting efficiency too.

I'm not a "know-it'all" type but I've been through a lot of trial and error with this stuff. Hope it helps!

 

[85 Supremeliner]

I personally use arm & hammer from Sam's Club. Don't need an additive to the baking soda to make it less absorbant of moisture if you use it in the right conditions. 13.5 lb bag is like $5.72.....4 bags is 54 lbs for $22.88 in Cental VA.

I also agree with the siphon comment above. Your compressor needs to be able to keep that air coming or you will have a pile of baking soda at your feet, plenty of choice words coming out your mouth, and parts that still need blasting in your hand, blast cabinet, etc. Keep in mind that you will need a reliable air dryer/ air control unit to STOP THAT WATER FROM GETTING IN YOUR TOOLS. Water will destroy your tools and in this case mix with that baking soda and clog up your equipment.

Black Diamond is a good product as well. I use it in the same manner as G-Body Vet uses it. Northern Tool and Tractor Supply both have it. Matter of fact I used some on a Performer RPM intake last weekend. Cut it down to new in about 10 minutes.

 

[lg1200]

I personally use arm & hammer from Sam's Club. Don't need an additive to the baking soda to make it less absorbant of moisture if you use it in the right conditions. 13.5 lb bag is like $5.72.....4 bags is 54 lbs for $22.88 in Cental VA.

I also agree with the siphon comment above. Your compressor needs to be able to keep that air coming or you will have a pile of baking soda at your feet, plenty of choice words coming out your mouth, and parts that still need blasting in your hand, blast cabinet, etc. Keep in mind that you will need a reliable air dryer/ air control unit to STOP THAT WATER FROM GETTING IN YOUR TOOLS. Water will destroy your tools and in this case mix with that baking soda and clog up your equipment.

Black Diamond is a good product as well. I use it in the same manner as G-Body Vet uses it. Northern Tool and Tractor Supply both have it. Matter of fact I used some on a Performer RPM intake last weekend. Cut it down to new in about 10 minutes.

i have a 2.5 Horsepower, 21 Gallon, 125 PSI compressor from Harbor Freight so it's getting plenty of air. As far as the water in the blasting gun..i did have a minor issue where i'd have to clear the tip...how does water get in the line and what kind of dryer/air control unit would i need? with this unit you just have to make sure there's always plenty of media in there b/c it's sucking/blasting like crazy. i'm happy with it..

My main question is that the baking soda that gets inside the frame....how or what should i do about that? should i degrease and pressure wash again after i finish blasting?? should i just blow compressed air though the holes to push it out? i was looking into the Eastwood Internal Rust protection spray and it looks cool to try on the front part of the frame that i've blasted....Any ideas..

Pics of the blasting results are here viewtopic.php?f=13&t=36672

This is the Eastwood Internal Rust Protection

 

[Mathematic]

im gonna have to bring the headers back through to get them blasted...im debating if i want to wrap them or paint them.

 

[lg1200]

im gonna have to bring the headers back through to get them blasted...im debating if i want to wrap them or paint them.

don't wrap them..just paint them..wrapping is all looks..

 

[85 Supremeliner]

i have a 2.5 Horsepower, 21 Gallon, 125 PSI compressor from Harbor Freight so it's getting plenty of air. As far as the water in the blasting gun..i did have a minor issue where i'd have to clear the tip...how does water get in the line and what kind of dryer/air control unit would i need? with this unit you just have to make sure there's always plenty of media in there b/c it's sucking/blasting like crazy. i'm happy with it..

My main question is that the baking soda that gets inside the frame....how or what should i do about that? should i degrease and pressure wash again after i finish blasting?? should i just blow compressed air though the holes to push it out? i was looking into the Eastwood Internal Rust protection spray and it looks cool to try on the front part of the frame that i've blasted....Any ideas..

Pics of the blasting results are here viewtopic.php?f=13&t=36672

This is the Eastwood Internal Rust Protection

[/quote]

Well first things first I'm not an expert but I have learned alot from my father who uses high dollar compressors for a living in various capacities from wrenching to painting.

With that said any media is going to get in the frame when blasting. Just the nature of the work you are doing. I find that with baking soda you can usually just hose it off with high pressure air nozzle. I know some who also hose it with water and let it air dry. I don't like that idea but haven't done it to form much of an opinion on it. Water gets in the line from the air compressor. The compressor generates the water from it's operation of providing said air in your tank for your tools.

So the air control units (regulate air pressure to the tools) have water collectors on them too. This is all i'm currently using to stop water from getting into the hose to my tools. Painters use more more sophisticated air dryers than most to keep the water from entering their guns and being deposited in the paint (not a good thing right?) I use a Sharpe 606B air control unit. Traps water and you can drain it without shutting everything down. Examples would be http://www.eastwood.com/dvb-qc3-air-fil ... dryer.html.