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Sandblasting and other fun stuff
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Author:  65Dodge100 [ Wed Apr 11, 2012 10:03 am ]
Post subject:  Sandblasting and other fun stuff
My truck really needs painted but I intended to "spot blast" a few places that were getting too bad with rust and spot painting them just to get by for now. I was expecting the blasting to be maybe about an hour.

First I taped up all the cracks to keep sand from where I didn't want it. Covered the windows but it didn't help much - more on that later.

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This is what I started with:

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The first day didn't turn out so great. See this giraffe on the door? Nothing wrong with that door and it didn't need blasted.

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And this I'll call art work, had no intention of blasting the roof:


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One spot on the spotless windshild won't hurt anything - but I hit it 3 times. Look closely and you can see I also hit the passenger window.


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Trouble was my tried and true sandblaster recently lent to someone else. It kept stopping. Then while I was fumbling around to get it going again it would suddenly start and I was dumb enough to NOT have it pointed in the air or somewhere. I finally had enough and knew I had to clean it out to figure what the problem was. Its hard with a pressure blaster. It has only a small hole in the top with a non-removable lid and handle in the way. I had to find a pipe small enough to fit and carefully and thoughtfully connect it to my shop vac.


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Here is what I found... Along with two pennies, a paper clip and a spring clip from a carburetor:

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The second day went much smoother. The third and fourth day were just wearing me out. Guess my 1 hour job prediction was a little off:

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A surprise hole! Lucky me:

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Now I'm working on feathering out all the gobbled up places. Spent 4 hours doing one side of the inside of the bed yesterday. Hope to get another side done today. Of course a full paint job is planned now. Not planned exactly. I'm not sure how I'm going to do it yet.

More to come
Author:  nuttyprof [ Wed Apr 11, 2012 10:43 am ]
Post subject: 
These things always get bigger after you are committed.
Author:  nuttyprof [ Wed Apr 11, 2012 10:44 am ]
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To the project that is... Some think we all should be committed.
Author:  Red [ Wed Apr 11, 2012 12:57 pm ]
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You guys probably already know this stuff , but, for the benefit of anyone who may not...

•Extreme care should be exercised when blasting sheet metal: it's easier to warp it than you might expect due to the heat generated (when sand is used as the blasting medium). Other blast media (e.g.: plastic, walnut shells) may take longer but are less likely to warp your panels.

•Better to NOT blast on real humid days: high humidity can make your blaster gum up repeatedly and cause the whole process to become an exercise in futility.

•A small, siphon blaster is one thing but a pressure blaster is another. The latter requires the power of a larger compressor to function properly. Years ago, I bought a small pressure blaster which I initially attempted to run with a 1-horse compressor with a 10-gallon tank. That generated enough PSI but not enough CFM: the voracious blaster nearly burned the poor lil' fella up by causing him to run almost continuously.

Replaced the small compressor with a 6-horse with a 60 gallon tank one which generates 14.6 CFM @ 90 PSI and 11.1 CFM @ 40 PSI: MUCH better. That kind of capacity gives the compressor a chance to "catch it's breath" even while you are blasting something large like a whole car frame. Fringe benefit: a larger compressor will also run air tools properly.

•In my experience, the sand is good for about 3 runs through the blaster before it becomes too pulverized to be of much use. I just keep a 30-gallon trash can to put the sand back in after I sweep it up following each run-through. I keep a sheet of common, plastic window screen stretched over the top of the can and held in place with a big length of bunji cord. That strains out most of the extraneous debris that would otherwise jam the blaster nozzle if loaded back into the pressure blaster tank with the "re-cycled" sand.

•Blast AWAY from ANYTHING you don't want dusted. The dust generated is very pervasive and gets into everything within range (in addition to your clothes, your hair, your ears, etc., etc., etc..)

•IMPORTANT: Wear a good quality respirator whenever you blast: that silica dust is BAD news for your lungs! Safety goggles, too: they may become abraded and difficult to see through in fairly short order, but replacing them is easier than replacing your eyes!
Author:  zorg [ Wed Apr 11, 2012 8:05 pm ]
Post subject: 
That's a neat little early '65 short-wide. Me likey!
Author:  SlantSixDan [ Wed Apr 11, 2012 8:41 pm ]
Post subject: 
Best blast media I ever saw: brake lathe grindings.
Author:  Red [ Wed Apr 11, 2012 9:02 pm ]
Post subject: 
I once had a '66 D-200 crew cab long-bed powered by a Poly 318. What a BEAST! Sure glad I don't have to keep THAT bad boy in fuel at today's gas prices!
Author:  65Dodge100 [ Wed Apr 11, 2012 9:35 pm ]
Post subject: 
Quote:
You guys probably already know this stuff , but, for the benefit of anyone who may not...

•Extreme care should be exercised when blasting sheet metal: it's easier to warp it than you might expect due to the heat generated (when sand is used as the blasting medium). Other blast media (e.g.: plastic, walnut shells) may take longer but are less likely to warp your panels
DEFININTELY good advice. Never blast flat panels. If you are thinking of blasting your whole car you will ruin it. I've seen many. I've seen many that could claim they could do it but they just ruined a car for me and it took a year to straighten out the mess they made. Only blast door jambs, and corners. bottoms or tops of floor boards .Roof gutters.
Quote:
•Better to NOT blast on real humid days: high humidity can make your blaster gum up repeatedly and cause the whole process to become an exercise in futility
Very good idea but if you live in the south they are all humid days. Deal with it. Blaster should be full. Catch used sand on a tarp or concrete and do it in bright sun. It will dry before you re-load.
Quote:
•A small, siphon blaster is one thing but a pressure blaster is another. The latter requires the power of a larger compressor to function properly. Years ago, I bought a small pressure blaster which I initially attempted to run with a 1-horse compressor with a 10-gallon tank. That generated enough PSI but not enough CFM: the voracious blaster nearly burned the poor lil' fella up by causing him to run almost continuously.
Just study your CFM needs before you buy. I have a Sears portable compressor (220V) that will keep up with my pressure blaster.


Quote:
•In my experience, the sand is good for about 3 runs through the blaster before it becomes too pulverized to be of much use. I just keep a 30-gallon trash can to put the sand back in after I sweep it up following each run-through. I keep a sheet of common, plastic window screen stretched over the top of the can and held in place with a big length of bunji cord. That strains out most of the extraneous debris that would otherwise jam the blaster nozzle if loaded back into the pressure blaster tank with the "re-cycled" sand.
In my experience, sand gets better the more its used and reused. Small particles will get rust out of small pits plus it leaves a smoother surface for painting/priming.

Yes, blasting is a messy job. If you haven't taken a shower in a year you will take on after a day of sandblasting. It also gets in every crack. Your entire interior or engine bay will be covered even if you take precaucions.
Quote:
•IMPORTANT: Wear a good quality respirator whenever you blast: that silica dust is BAD news for your lungs! Safety goggles, too: they may become abraded and difficult to see through in fairly short order, but replacing them is easier than replacing your eyes!
If you are in your 20's you will think this is stupid. You think you are getting away with it but you will live longer if you use a respirator. When you get to be 50 you can see it right away.You can't sleep at night. Use a respirator and a good sand blasting hood. You'll still be washing sand out of your eyes all night. I lost one whole day because of a scratched eyeball and I was using all the right equipment. Didn't just lose a day - was in a lot of pain.

Danny
Author:  65Dodge100 [ Wed Apr 11, 2012 9:41 pm ]
Post subject: 
Quote:
That's a neat little early '65 short-wide. Me likey!
Its actually a 64. It was titled and sold as a 65 so it took me a while to figure it out. Thus my name "65Dodge100". It's too hard to change my name now.

Danny
Author:  65Dodge100 [ Wed Apr 11, 2012 9:45 pm ]
Post subject: 
Quote:
Best blast media I ever saw: brake lathe grindings.
I'm not sure if your are joking or not. Since they don't grind the shoes to fit the drum anymore I guess the metal shavings would be good if you could get enough.

Danny
Author:  Red [ Wed Apr 11, 2012 10:12 pm ]
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"It also gets in every crack. Your entire interior or engine bay will be covered even if you take precaucions. "

Man, you can vacuum and blowgun a blasted frame thoroughly and there'll STILL be sand stuck in the boxed part of the frame. Just when you think it's all out, here comes another little stream of the stuff like in an hour glass...
Author:  SlantSixDan [ Wed Apr 11, 2012 10:46 pm ]
Post subject: 
Quote:
I'm not sure if your are joking or not.
Not. The machine shop I used when I lived in Denver emptied their brake lathe into their blast cabinet and the results out of it were both fast and freakin' awesome. Perfectly-cleaned metal without any change to the surface finish. I mean none, no sandy texture, nothing. The same claim is made for soda blasting. I've never tried it, but the online videos look terrific.

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Since they don't grind the shoes to fit the drum anymore I guess the metal shavings would be good
Oh! Yeah, I mean the metal that's machined off brake rotors and drums, flywheels, and that kind of thing. Not brake pad/shoe dust.
Author:  65Dodge100 [ Thu Apr 12, 2012 8:25 am ]
Post subject: 
Quote:
The same claim is made for soda blasting. I've never tried it, but the online videos look terrific
Soda is terrific and I saw my first "soda blaster" for sale online or in a catalog the other day. For years people have been trying to figure out how to use it - it just turns to a brick in a pressure blaster.

But - It only removes paint. It does it in large panels or entire cars without warping but it leaves all the rust and crud intact. Doesn't hurt glass or chrome. You can actually just go to blasting and have a car that looks like it just came from the factory without being painted. Not a scratch on the metal.

Danny
Author:  zorg [ Sun Apr 15, 2012 4:31 pm ]
Post subject: 
Quote:
Its actually a 64. It was titled and sold as a 65 so it took me a while to figure it out. Thus my name "65Dodge100". It's too hard to change my name now.
haha Fair enough. My '76 Dart was built in October of '75, and has been titled as a '75 more often than not over it's lifetime.
Author:  Guido [ Sun Apr 15, 2012 6:39 pm ]
Post subject: 
Quote:

Its actually a 64. It was titled and sold as a 65 so it took me a while to figure it out. Thus my name "65Dodge100". It's too hard to change my name now.

Danny
Did you want it to be 64Dodge100 ?
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