any blasters about ?

[danny_p]

need to blast a golf bodyshell in he next few weeks,  anyone have any ideas on what the best stuff to use is.  allready got rid of the underseal  but as i'll be more than likely useing a cheepish  blasting gun and don't have a massive air supply.

ive got about 130 CFM of air to play with @ between 100 and 125 psi.   if needed and with some luck i may be abel to get anoter compressor going and together they would give me 250 CFM

any sugetiong on what the best stuff to blast with is and how much i'm likely to need ?   some pointers on blasting guns would be usefull

[VW BUSH]

St Gobain make very good glass/alox/zircon bead media.
The size of the bead and its make up are critical to the metal finish, someone like Thom would be able to confirm what is best for keying paint to.

I have used 30/60 micron glass beads to prepare steel for coating and plating, this does leave a frosted finish to the steel.
We use glass as the oxide materials can react underneath any applied coating and cause it to lift, whether this is true for auto paints I cant be sure

We use a 7bar supply to the cabinet/gun although our supply is industrial so cfm is way up there.

[Thom89]

Do you intend to strip the shell entirely? if so then you need industrial graded equipment, otherwise you'll be there all year!
Media blasting a shell can also easily damage it, leaving unrepairable ripples in the larger panels, if your looking at weight reduction, and a crisp looking shell, I would highly recommend having the shell chemically dipped, well worth the extra outlay, and could put you months ahead on your project

Thom

[danny_p]

Trouble with chemical dipping is ive had quotes around the 5k mark to dip and treat the shell and thats a bit much for this one, I dont mind spending the cash on blasting equipment as were seeing a lot of plant equipment atm,

Plan is blast the underside, engine bay and floor on the inside, then  I can finish seam welding the shell and start
Painting over crimbo

[Oet]

how about soda as a media? was consiering looking into this to resto some parts i have, does anyone know if this can have an adverse reaction with paint later on?

[topher]

how about soda as a media? was consiering looking into this to resto some parts i have, does anyone know if this can have an adverse reaction with paint later on?

i dabble with sodablasting. It leaves a protective coat so you don't have to prime it right away but if you don't get it all off completely (acid or vinegar & water mix) nothing will stick to it. It can also leave a finish that is a bit too smooth to paint so it needs to be keyed up properly or again nothing will stick. Doesn't damage the panels though.

[danny_p]

think i'd be best off useing glass grit then and painting straight away, then ether stripping some of the pain to weld or just weld it first, as i'll be leaveing the external viasable pannels allone for the moment but sounds like soda would be quite optimal for them

[Oet]

thanks for the info, well sounds good as no damage to pannels underneath, i like the idea of soda over glass as its more eco friendly to you the blaster if you do inhale some.

[danny_p]

thanks for the info, well sounds good as no damage to pannels underneath, i like the idea of soda over glass as its more eco friendly to you the blaster if you do inhale some.

that is an issue that worries me

i keep reading that sand blasting is illegal now because of sillicosis but glass beads ire in my mind sillicone so dose glas grit and sand pose the same risks ?
think i may have to get a bag or two of soda and see how well it shifts stuff