What's the best thing to sandblast a body with.

What is the best thing to sandblast a body with to remove all the rust. I have been told not to do it with sand because it will warp the panels. If not sand then what is the best thing to use, I need to do the body inside and out before I start any body work so I can see what I'm working with. Any help here would be greatly appreciated.

 

I'm wondering the same thing?

 

You can do some sandblasting with sand...but it had better be low pressure...When i use my sandblaster on full pressure i can see sparks flying off the body and it gets hot really fast...thats the problem with sand. Do the floorboards and see how it goes...take your time and use low pressure. On really large flat areas of a panel is where you'll get in trouble. A curvey area isn't going to warp up on you. 3m abrasive discs can get the flat areas very easily. take your time with them too. I haven't used any other media so I can't comment. - Kyle

 

Thanks, I have been using a sanding disc but inside its kind of difficult to get to. I know what you say about the sparks with the sandblaster I have wondered about different medias but never known which to use. Hopefully I will find out on here though........

 

I heard that the desert on a windy day might do it...

 

soda blasting works good. recommend alking to someone that does it for a living. you wont have to deal with as many problems. they know what to use to do what. if its inside, then sand will do fine, but dont do anything that wi;ll heat it up too much, thats when you will run into problems. you can get gl*** bead, crushed walnuts, etc through eastwood. they tell you what will work for what.

 

I am not sure but I think I heard somewhere about crushed up walnut made for sandblasters insead of sand. Did I heard or is it my imagination.

 

Low pressure sand and sharp angles with sand should do it..... on door jambs and swages. Be careful on the flat panels tho (hand sanding is safer)

 

Crushed walnut shells are good and there is also a plastic media available that is said to take the paint off a soda can with no warping. I know the plastic beads cost a bit more but everyone I know who has used said it was well worth the extra cost in the end.

 

Walnut shells, baking soda, plastic media, there are plenty of choices.... Do you want to stript to bare metal, leave any bondo, paint layer by layer, what are you after?

 

Would like to go to bare metal on the whole body so I can see what im up against. Just would like to get all the rust out so I can find where I need to do my repairs. Getting some great feedback on this, keep it coming!!!!!

 

A couple of articles to help you out...

http://www.superchevy.com/technical/paint_body/bodywork/0409cr_blast/
http://www.lowridermagazine.com/tech/0604lrm_rust_removal_media_blasting/
http://www.hotrodscustomstuff.com/prostrip.html

 

I'm pretty sure soda blasting will not remove bondo or rust.

 

Soda will remove the paint, you can almost do it layer by layer...

 

The soft media (plastic, shells, and soda ect.) won't remove rust. Hard media(sand, copper slag, nickel slag ect.) will warp and work harden flat panels IF you don't know what your doing. The 3m disks won't get into the pits very well. I have the blaster use plastic first, then call me to look at the body. Then I tell him where I want him to blast with copper slag. Any panels that I'm worried about the blaster damageing I do myself with copper slag aka, green sand. ( I don't use silica sand, due to the health risks, and the possibility of silica embedding) Most blasters think they understand metal, but I have yet to meet one that really does. When I blast with hard media,I make sweeping p***es from a distance, and don't try to get it all in one p***. It's a slow process, and dirty as hell, but I won't work on anything that isn't bare metal. I also don't use conversion coatings for any exterior or interior surface that can be reached by blasting.

 

starblast from siphon unit, been using this method for years.

 

soda blasting does remove bondo and scale off of rust, will not make heavy rust surfaces look like clean metal like sand but knocks the scale so you can "osfo" it.
Also soda dosen't hurt gl***,stainless, rubber, potmetal, fibergl***, wireing. Try So-tex sodablasting.com or call Steve 1-210-421-5049

 

We used "Black Beauty". It's not silica sand. Some sorta slag. We get it from the local blacktop company.

I use a small preasurized system and keep it the nozzle atleast a foot away from the panel. Keep it moving!! Don't try to do one spot in a hurry. Never warped a panel this way.

Took a body to a blaster that "knew" what he was doing. Warped the whole cab.
Clark

 

I'll tell you what NOT to do. a guy did his 52 chevy convertible with an industrial sandblaster... the kind they use in construction where they sandblast sidewalks and other cement archtectural things..warped the hell out of the doors to the point of making them junk. the metal was so work hadened it spit instead of bending when I tried to do body work.

the heavy sand and high pressure made it so rough it rusted up real quick. I told him never to use that again , but he seemed to think he knew more about it than I did. since this was the second car he had done it to.

 

So do I understand correct that plastic media will not remove rust. It seems like it would be the best if it would remove rust the way it removes paint. Can you blast yourself with plastic media or do you have to take it to a shop...

 

If you have a good sized pressure washer (gas powered) you can get a wet-blast kit that attaches to it.

It uses the water pressure on the outlet side to **** the sand though a venturi.

I used mine on my '66 Jeep Gladiator box and it worked great, no warping but took the paint off. It won't clean rusty metal down to "new" again like gl*** bead will but it knocks the scale off. Takes bondo out too.

You don't need a respirator because there is no dust.

The only problem is you have to let the sand dry out before you can re-use it.

I have 250 lbs of silica all over my backyard though.

I have the medium-duty one they show here: http://www.ultimatewasher.com/sandblaster.htm


Shawn

 

Well we use coal took about 1000lbs to do my whole car only cost about $250. We got it at the local ACE. I worked great didn't warp anything, after the blasting just tok a DA to it and had bare metal in just a little while. Just keep the blaster about 1ft away and you'll be fine, hurts like hell on the skin though. PM Colonel Ingus, he knows all about it.

 

Plastic won't take off rust. It requires a HUGE volume of air. In theory, you could do it at home, but the cost of the set up wouldn't be worth it.

 

Coal? Interesting. First I've heard of that. Sounds really messy. Does it take off rust?

 

How do you stop the panel from flash rusting if your getting it wet while blasting?

 

yeah took the rust and the funkiest **** for paint that you have ever seen off. It look like the entire car had been painted with white out using that little *** bottle and brush, It will have to be sanded but that took no time.

 

Becarefull though if you do not want it blasted (gl***, stainless, rubber, or anything else) make shure to cover it or take it out because coal will scratch the **** out of it. I am wanting to blast my original 53 chevy wheels soon, maybe I can take some pics and PM them to yeah.

 

I can only speak from personal experience but I blasted the truck in the middle of summer, blew off most of the water with shop air and let it dry outside on a hot day.

As soon as it was dry I pulled the body in the shop and shot it with sealer. when I was prepping the body I didn't see any rust starting.

Like I said, it's only from personal experience on one vehicle so far but I didn't have any rust issues with it. I honestly think it doesn't stay wet long enough for rust to start and from what I understand it's acids and salts like the ones in skin oils that promote rapid rusting.

I suppose you could wash down the parts with methanol afterward to drive off the water for a faster dry.

I'll know for sure in a year or two.

Shawn

 

Kieth, Thanks, I'd be interested in seeing the results. I'm happy with the system I use now, but always interested in new methods. But I gota ask, wouldn't 1000 lbs of coal dust turn half the town black?

 

Also interesting Lowtek. With regular sandblasted metal, moisture is bad, real bad. I've seen rust form in seconds just from moisture in the air supply hitting the surface.