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Media Blasting

Correction noted.

Isn't that a Ford built vehicle (cursed by members of this forum) ? :eusa_angel:
 
Hey Vette, that's a nice couple of rotisseries there! I've got a frame to do this weekend, and bought 1000 lbs of coal slag size 20/40, use it one time, and it's done, sort of like sand, going to do it out in the back 40! I don't know what that stuff is, so, I'm like, ok, sounds cool! haha.
 
I have a question concerning media blasting. After stripping the car down and in pieces, do you repair the damaged areas or rusted out areas first? or media blast it and then get to them? What if you there could be months between the steps? Would that make a difference?
 
I don't fix the areas first, I blast first b/c I always find new areas needing attention that was not noticed before media blasting. I blast, epoxy prime, then fix, then prime the fixed areas.
 
Hello all. I am digging this old thread up because I recently took in a 72 Challenger that had been media blasted some 3 yrs ago, then the blaster put it in some primer, then, it sat outside for those 3 yrs. The owner called me up, asked if I'd take it in, I said sure, went over with trailer, looked it over (not enough) and told him ***dollars in price. I assumed since the paint was gone, and there was just barely primer on it, no problem. The *** price I gave him was and is fair, and, I'm not kicking myself for charging too little.

What really amazes me is the quality of work the previous blaster did, and didn't do! And they are also here in town! Undercoating, window gasket remnants, and little places crud LOVES to hid on E Body's; the inner fender support struts extending from the firewall along the inner fenders (on the outside of the inner fenders), and all sorts of caulking all along the interior seam sections! I mean how could this be missed? When I do a car, I follow where the water goes, and where it could go, find those areas, uncover all the seam sealer/caulking, and then blast.

First the car goes on my rotisserie, then it's spun and debris falls out, then I scrape, heat, scrape over and over again over every inch -- getting all the goo, dirt, undercoating, gasket crap out before it goes into my blast facility; that stuff in the blast cycle is trouble! Plus, it minimizes my time in the blast helmet and suit; so I have a lower electricity bill! However, there is a down side, the hours I spend in scraping are 'free'. The end benefit will be a good word of mouth, which is priceless!

I'll put up a few pics here on this thread over the next few days of this Challenger.
 
Donny -

I really dig reading stuff you write. It gives great insight to all of us on just how important it is to get a good blaster and media. I, like many at FBBO only wish you were closer. Keep it going buddy!! If you ever get some good blasting contacts in other parts of the country, please let us know. I for one would love to find someone in Ohio that you would recommend.

Thanks again!!
 
Hey Mccoymail, thanks! As I think I said earlier, I sort of stumbled into this business, I needed the underside floors of my 300 blasted, took it to a guy that was recommended to me by the owner of Texas Acres, he sand blasted the underside, but introduced me to the other blasting he does; with plastic. He offered to sell me the entire system, which was tantalizing, but, at that time the price he was asking was fantasy money. I came back a year later with money, asking him if it was still for sale, he said yes, I bought it all up, put it in storage a month later as I was going overseas again. This is how I got into it...mainly as a hobby because I wanted to blast my own stuff, but then I realized this was high-end equipment that was in need of intense maintenance and fixing. So, I undertook this in early 2008, it cost me more to 'fix it up, and set it up' than what I payed for it all! (Lesson: Take care of your stuff, the previous owner didn't). This equipment is very pricey to maintain; blast hose per foot is over $10.00 per foot, nozzle's are over 100 bucks each, media is over a dollar a pound. This is why I charge $150.00 per hour, (which needs to be more). Oil for the compressor is 100 bucks a gallon, it takes 8 gallons, air filters are 50 bucks a piece. Not complaining, just explaining! :)

I don't know anyone in Ohio that does this, sounds like a good idea to 'expand' the business model!!!
 
Really cool thread, I have 2 cabinets that I have glass in one and Coal slag in the other. Just do small parts and powdercoat. Really interesting to hear what is done on a large scale, I can imagine the air it takes to do large scale blasting.

Dave F
 
I did state earlier that I have never used coal slag (Black Beauty), I stand corrected, I used some a few weeks ago doing a nasty frame, it cut very fast, almost too fast and took alot of metal off with it too. I generate close to 200 cfm, which I use perhaps 140cfm, the rest is the needed buffer -- and its easier on the compressor.
 
Ok, 4 hrs this afternoon and 4 hrs yesterday afternoon; got 3 Fenders, 2 doors, 1 hood, 1 deck lid, 1 inner fender (Ram truck), headlight buckets, inner splash shields, and a master cylinder proportioning valve media blasted! Got 1 fender, 1 inner fender, more splash shields, 2 truck cabs, 1 Stepside truck bed remaining to media blast; should be done by Friday, paint them all in self-etch Monday, Andrews furniture Tuesday, 65 Barracuda by Thursday (coming in), yeah, the hustle is on!
 
...remember, it's all CFM, 5, 10 even 15 CFM is no where anything you'll need to be serious about this process, I'm at nearly 200 CFM, to generate that much air, you might as well start your own blasting business, and if you're spending more than one hour on your door (complete, inside and outside) you are wasting your time, and money. :)
 
Dry ice blasting?

Has anyone out there heard of or use dry ice blasting? Is it effective, how does it compare pricewise, rust removal, etc. Thanks
 
66plysat said:
Has anyone out there heard of or use dry ice blasting? Is it effective, how does it compare pricewise, rust removal, etc. Thanks
Click to expand...
I watched it on american restoration on the history channel
, they used it outside and on a huge outdoor play ground style rocket slide . It looked to work really well and all the dry ice just melted away . Then all they had to do was sweep up the paint chips .


http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=fvwp&v=l_9nITRz--0
 
Thanks now I don't have to spend so much in purchasing media blasting DIY equipment. I'll try my 10hp engine water blaster. Hope it works for me.
 
One thing I've learned -- the hard way -- is that Media Blasting is NOT a DIY proposition. You will never get it as clean and good as taking it to a professional. I can validate and verify this statement because everything I've blasted over 10 yrs I have photographs to prove, and frankly some of my 'earlier' work I cringe when I claim it! And, the one factor that I no longer care about that we in this hobby (cars) often sit on the toilet, read our MOPAR Action, Car Craft, Hot Rod, Hot Rodding, etc., and see this process, read about it, then find someone that actually does do what we just read about, then, the price for this work comes out on paper -- and the former toilet throne king scurries to find a way to get it done cheaper -- and ends up wasting a LOT of time and money in this attempt.

Some things on car fix-ups/restomods/restorations we just can't (or shouldn't) do ourselves. I am not doing interior, or final paint, or engines, or electrical and mechanical, although I could, I chose not to because there are professional shops specializing in these services and do these things day in and day out.

Just my conclusions after I was that toilet king back in 1999 and thought I could do it all, and wanted to do it all -- you can see how long it's taken me on my cars! (But, a large part of that was the US Army and deployments).
 
Hey Donny, in the last issue of street rodder they talked about blasting with copper. They soda blasted the main areas, and copper blasted the rusty areas. ever heard of this?
 
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