Sand Blasting '31 Coupe

so I did a search but didnt find exactly what I was looking for..

I'm going to start blasting my '31 coupe as start to do patchs and fix the body but I have a few questions first

-I know pressurized is the best kind of sand blaster but whats the best brand, best place to buy one and best deal as I'm not looking to spend a ton of money right now
-how about the harbor freight 110lb sand blaster for $150, I dont like most of the harbor freight stuff but I did try their cheap $20 gravity feed blaster gun and that worked well but would take months to do the whole car so I want something that'll get the job done fairly quick

thanks!

 

I have found out the hard way that a hobby size sandblaster is just too time intensive and takes too much sand to be efficient.You would be better off taking it to a reputable sandblasting pro and get the whole thing done better.I went through many bags of sand and spent a lot of time on stuff that would take a pro an hour to do.Something as big as a whole body would be easier and cost effective to take it somewhere in my opinion.

 

yeah I was wondering that as well, I know theres a shop that does it about 10 minutes from my place..but I've saw on here prices as low as $100 to as high as $1,500 to sand blast a car

 

I had my sedan blasted for $450 inside and out . Its not worth doing it your self with a small blaster, plus you will be digging sand out of you crack for a week.

 

Get someone to blast it for you. It's not worth the mess. I had my coupe media blasted inside and out. $100.00 not bad, guy did a great job of it to. Good luck with you'r project. PINCHER

 

Even if you buy a pressure blaster, you will need a compressor big enough to run it.....

 

Hello Arrowood, some time back I was searching for some body prep information. There was a site on the web that was in your state that offered to rent by the hour, sandblasting equipment at their site. They supplied all the blasting media and also coached you on proper technique
and safety. The price seemed reasonable enough to make this an option to be considered. I don't recall the site contact information, but it was
found while looking for sand blasting equipment. You may be able to
find it also. MickeyC

 

as someone that does this work i have to agree. find an experienced and i do mean experienced blaster. sand blasting if done wrong with the wrong equipment can ruin a steel body. sand blasting generates enough heat to warp steel so you want a blaster that can remove what needs removed fairly quick. good luck.

 

^^^ x2

 

I have to agree with everyone. for a small part here or there the home blasters work fine. The problem with a car is that it would take you a LONG time plus you would probably end up buying $500 worth the sand.

 

Hey Pincher, where did you get yours done at? $100 sounds like a great deal to me

 

Media blast..cleaner, safer..John

 

Have it soda blasted. Safer than sand regarding warpage.

 

Blasting is hard dirty work done at home, inexperience can ruin the job, to me blasting is very positive as you see the results. However, getting set up with a compressor to move the sand, big enough hopper, the material, time, clean up, etc. is not cost effective if you only have plans for the body. Save some money, pay the experienced guy, use the money you saved in the long run for body supplies. Epoxy primer alone is $200 or more a gallon. If you do blast consider a slag product or other media as sand creates silica dust that is not too healthy to breath.

 

With all of that being said,I got me one of the TIP Tools pressurized sandblasters many years ago.Holds about 80# of sand.It works very well on smaller stuff like a dashboard.If you get one you will find you need a lot larger compressor than you think to keep from running out of air.The ones at HF look very similar to what I have.But,as stated,they are good only for small stuff,it wastes too much sand.

 

If you can find a reputable media blaster in your area whom you absolutely trust and will do it for a reasonable price, then I say go fo it. If you are determined to do it yourself, then read on... First you will need a compressor, and I don't mean one that you plug into a recepticle, I mean one big enough to operate a jackhammer. Check the rental centers in your area for a gas or diesel powered compressor. Sometimes you may find a complete blasting outfit for rent. Check the price for a couple days rent. Still interested??? Scrounge up some lumber and some 5 mil plastic and build a box just big enough for you and your coupe, a makeshift blasting cabinent, if you will. Locate it on concrete or in the driveway so you can reclaim the blasting media and reuse it. Use Black Beauty or some other good media available in your area, not silica sand. Use a good respirator and mask. Buy four or five bags of media and have at it. Check and find the lowest pressure that will still remove the rust and paint. I think those pressurized blasters are overated, they tend to plug right at the hose conn. It's all about air flow (lot's of it) and the siphon effect... If you still want one, try Tractor Supply, they've got the stuff we need out here!!!
The blasters in my area blast structural steel and industrial equipment for a living, and I'm not about to haul my car two or three hours away and leave it overnight. I did my Model A Tudor a few years ago in a couple afternoons. Still interested???

 

Soda blasting will do nothing for his A. Soda is designed to take PAINT off and well he has no more paint, just surface rust so he will need a media or sand to strip it back to bare.

Pay someone to do it, let them clean up their shop, let you go pick up the body and bring it home. One the way home any excess will blow out from the wind also, then you are one step closer to putting patch panels in.

Also, not to discourage you but if you are bickering over $100 bill, you might not have enough $ saved up for the next part, meaning buying the patches and then sealing the car after they are installed. I hope you already bought them, but this was a dilema I faced so I put the A on the back shelf till I get everything I need. Then off to Hi-Tech Stripping about 20 miles from home.

Good luck man.

 

There is a guy around here that does good work,But he gets 100.00 an hour. Wont give ya a whole job price.

 

this is my rig. 250 sullair with a "soda blast" pot and drier, holds 100 lbs. of soda or silica (not recommended respiratory hazard) but works excellent. after using soda to strip the part then follow with an etching of silica. i also charge 100 dollars per hour with a three hour set up for multiple parts. the mustang in my post above was factory paint under a repaint, took about 5 hours to strip minus jambs and under hood. i can always estimate times without going over on a bid. (if i go over i eat it) but i also charge 20 dollars for a guaranteed bid, to be taken out of the final bill if the bid is accepted.

 

oh no money isnt a problem, I just dont want to dish out a ton of money on getting it blasted $100 sounds like a good deal to me..I ordered all the patches should be here mid-week, and have most of the parts I need to build the car

patches on first then blast or blast then patches is my next question

 

blast then patch is my way, it makes it easier to see what is going to need attention plus clean steel welds better. after i blast a car i usually (unless it needs a ton of sheet metal replaced) shoot it with trio prime etching primer good coats inside and out. you can mask off where you need to patch or just go easy there and grind it off when you get ready to cut. i have found the car will never be as clean as after blasting and you will get the best adhesion and protection from your primer. good luck and keep us posted.

 

sounds good, thanks for all the info & advice..I'll get a build thread up soon

 

Just for emphasis: you want MEDIA blast, not SAND blast. Sand, generally, at a commercial shop is too dangerous to the metal.

There are a ton of sand blasting places out there. They are used to working on loaders or I-beams, or other huge and other heavy bits. Take sheet metal to a place like this, and they are likely to ruin it. I have seen the local thugs make through holes and warp every single panel.

Be extra careful about who you chose to do this for you. You want somebody experienced and skilled with automotive sheet metal.

 

AMEN!! if you're not sure they have enough experience ask to see photos of completed work and references. most shops have limited liability policies and with this type of work it is hard to prove what they have done wrong. i would only trust a blaster that does body work or works almost exclusively for body shops. good luck again and when in doubt look somewhere else.

 

I agree! Media, not sand!

 

all media blasters will use any media, sand is just another media, soda can be used with a few upgrades to the pot, for me i'd use scotch pads on the flat parts of the body and glass bead in the hard to reach areas, i have a pressure pot, it cost about $400, a compressor to run it full time without stopping and waiting would cost about $3000 i'm guessing, add the price of and air dryer on top of that, so i stop and wait no big deal. blasting outside where you can't pick the media back up and reuse it is a big waste, even glass bead can be reused over and over till theres nothing but fine dust left, i have a shed i picked up to turn into a blast building just so i can reuse my media, it will pay for itself the first model-a frame i do.

 

True. I have notice a definite distinction between the work produced by shops depending on how they are named. This might just be in my area, but it deems to hold exactly true.

The ones that advertise sandblasting beat-the-heck out of stuff, often destroying it, while the ones who advertise media-blasting produce better results.

"Media" as opposed to sand, is manufactured, uniform, and controlled, at-least when you start using it. Sand is whatever fit through the sifter screen, and is much less uniform.

 

Sometimes you get what you pay for. $100 sounds good but if he warps the body it could be expensiv to fix or worse imposible to fix! We have a hipower blaster at work. I blasted my uncles 27 ford for him. Warped the shit out of it! I dont blast body panels anymore. I send sheat metal out to someone who has the right equipment and experince. Hard lesson learned.

 

any other suggestions, if I cant find a good media blaster to get it down to bare metal, I dont want to rip up the steel with too low of a grit sand paper or anything so whats the best way besides blasting to get these old cars to bare metal

 

Back in-the-day, working a panel at-a-time, I would use aircraft stripper to remove the last of the paint, and then chemically remove the surface rust, using one of the numerous off-the-shelf products.

After all of that was done, then, and only then, did I start in with the sand paper (80g). The idea behind this was to do the minimal amount of sanding, for sanity sake, and to remove as little good metal as possible. Then it was clean, and etching primer, immediately.

It is crazy labor-intensive, and messy, though.