soda blaster

[Dane]

soda blaster

what do you guys think? I am restoring my 1967 mustang coupe and even though it had a nice paint job on it, it was starting to bubble and crack in different places. At first I was going to sand the top layer of paint off and seal it...but after closer examination of the troubled spots (removing the bubbles). The problem goes all the way down to the bare metal, the metal is not rusted but I think the guy that painted the car before I got it did not properly prep and seal off the old paint so the old paint and the paint he put on it just does not sit right...

So now I just want to take it to the metal and I have heard that soda blasting is the way to go because it does not harm chrome or glass and does not pit the metal like sand does.

I would use a shop but I think it would be cheaper to do it myself.

so...

1. What do you guys think of the soda blaster I linked?

2. What do you guys think about soda vs the other medias.

3. Do you guys know of any shops that blast and does good work? I mean obviously doing it myself I get the job done right and I am thinking it would be cheaper but after I strip this car I more than likely wont use the soda blaster again unless I get another car.

[Brigzee]

I have seen a lot of paint jobs go bad because of soda blasting. If you don't get all the soda off it will come back to haunt you. Its not so much the flat surfaces but it is all the hidden spots the soda will get in that you can't get out. You will want to check with some automotive paint company's on warranty, I know a few of them will not warranty anything that was soda blasted. I would stick to media or sand blasting.

[Greg from Aus]

I have a soda blasting business in Australia, and I keep hearing all this carry on about failed paint jobs , but its all Chinese whispers. I have blasted hundred’s of cars and boats with no failures. Yes you must prep the car properly, blow the car out with air, wash the car with soapy water, dry the car with air and scuff the surface with a scourer and then wipe with prepsol. And you will have great job.

[kennyd]

i have a customers 33 ford in the shop right now that was soda blasted , the paint is crap and full of fish eyes . the painted blamed the fish eyes on the soda BUT i dont think so . other than that it sticks fine and was a real good way to take a fiberglass car down .

[NovaBlue71]

I've heard good and bad about soda blasting. I know alot of paint companies have been struggling to get a handle on what is the proper method of treating surface before applying any type of primer to bare metal.I have a friend that own's a paint company that make some of the best epoxy that you can find and they do not recommend at any time to use their epoxy over a vehicle that has been soda blasted. With that being said I have seen plently of guys that are doing it and like someone else has posted I believe you really need to be through about the prep work and your ok.Good luck and let us know how you make out .Joe

[ccracin]

Originally Posted by kennyd

i have a customers 33 ford in the shop right now that was soda blasted , the paint is crap and full of fish eyes . the painted blamed the fish eyes on the soda BUT i dont think so . other than that it sticks fine and was a real good way to take a fiberglass car down .

Kenny,

I've seen this before. It was also on a glass car that was blasted, but with plastic. The culprit was determined to be silicone from the seals in the compressor and residual oil from the compressor. And yes this system did have state of the art filtering. Turns out the glass after the pours were opened up from the blasting turned into a sponge. Solvent, a DA, time, and new Gel coat fixed the problem. Hope this helps.

[TonyG]

Originally Posted by ccracin

Kenny,

I've seen this before. It was also on a glass car that was blasted, but with plastic. The culprit was determined to be silicone from the seals in the compressor and residual oil from the compressor. And yes this system did have state of the art filtering. Turns out the glass after the pours were opened up from the blasting turned into a sponge. Solvent, a DA, time, and new Gel coat fixed the problem. Hope this helps.

Glad someone mentioned this.. Gel Coat for glass.. a must. At the Corvette restoration shop that I work part-time at we will not paint a vette without gel coat.

As far as the blasting. You MUST clean everything. blow out all the corners and jambs extra well and of course you will clean the surface before sealing it.

[fesler]

Hey guys here is some info on Meda Blasting and Sand Blasting, we have been doing medial blasting for years and have had no problems with paints. I have used the same guy for years and not one paint problem yet. It is a must to get all the old paint off the car and you need to make sure that who every you use does not wreck your car, they can do a ton of damage to the body panels if they dont do it right.

We do this to all cars we work on even Vettes with no damage, I will post a few shots of a Vette we just got out of paint so you can see how clean it is.

Media blasting is a fast, economical and sensible approach for removal of paint and rust. We use different types of media that will be best suited for the job. These media's range from coarse, medium, to soft. All used on different areas of a vehicle to balance both speed and safety for the item being stripped.

Q: What causes warping?
A: There are two things that cause panels to warp when media blasting. First, the friction of the blast can build excessive heat and warp the metal. Secondly, probably the biggest reason, coarse abrasives propelled at high p.s.i. bite into the thin metal and cause it to expand making the metal distort. Long flat surfaces are certainly more at risk of being warped than those areas that are curved or contoured.
The following are five tips that can greatly reduce the chances of warping. Low Pressure, sharp angle, continuos movement, proper distance from substrate and the most important is correct media type.

Q: What is the clean up process after media blasting?
A: The media blasting process can leave media in every part of the car. We know how important it is to remove all of the leftover media, however there will be those areas that are very difficult to clean out. 95% of the media will be removed.

Q: What type of surface finish will be left?
A: We specialize in classic automotive stripping and know the importance of using the correct media to strip the paint and rust. We use nothing that will jeopardize the integrity of the substrate. We understand that the overall finish of the paint is greatly determined by the surface you’ve started with.

Q: How much will it cost?
A: The amount of time spent to strip your restoration determines the overall cost. To save time, the selection of media needs to be determined for use on various sections of the car , for example, we will use the slag fines (instead of plastic) on a floor or a frame for faster and cleaner removal of the paint, rust or undercoating. On the other hand when safety is more important than speed the plastic media is used. Different techniques are also used for best results when balancing speed and safety. These techniques would include correct pressure, distance, angle and movement of the blast. We are constantly evaluating the best media to use for each substrate to allow for the fastest and safest way to remove coatings of paint and rust.

Q: What is the turnaround time?
A: Small items such as a fenders, doors, or wheels are usually a two day turnaround. To do a complete vehicle an appointment should be made a week in advance to coordinate the blast booth. Two to three days are necessary to strip a complete car.

Q: What type of primer should I use?
A: Self-etching primer or epoxy primer is necessary for best adhesion.

Here is some more on Sandblasting:

Sandblasting has been a very effective way of removing paint and rust from a surface. However, when the wrong media is used it can also cause heavy pitting and/or warping (metal distortion). We use mild abrasives and correct psi for damage free blasting of thinner substrates. Items like frames , wheels, suspension parts, bumpers, etc. can be safely blasted at a higher psi.

Slag Fines 60-80 grit

Used for fast removal of paint and heavy rust on thicker gauge steel while leaving surface finish acceptable for paint or powder coating. Slag fines can also be used on sheet metal at a lower psi when warping is not a concern for areas such as floors, trunk areas or engine bays.

Crushed Glass 80-120 grit

Crushed glass is a very fine almost powder like material which lightly etches the surface allowing for excellent adhesion of topcoats without warping the metal. Crushed glass is used on exterior sheet metal for paint and light surface rust removal.

[mhr]

We have used everything here and the plastic media/alum oxide is the best we feel. The soda was good and also cheaper to have done, but the prep to clean/neutralize the soda ran the end cost up and along with not being able to do rust anyway just made us decide that media is the way to go. Forget chemical dipping also, we have had a feww cars come in that were dipped to start with and theres another can of worms with that.