Anyone ever sandblasted any thing?

[porkchop]

I am going to be buying a sand blaster this weekend to get rid of some the harder to remove rust. I have never used one before and was wondering, how hard is it to clean up? Does it do a good job? I am getting it because it seems easier than using the old wire wheel and wire brush method and it is on sale for $22.97. I like tools that I only use once and then keep in the garage for the friends to look at, you know bragging tools http://www.cs.colostate.edu/~zeimet/ubb/biggrin.gif.

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'67/'79 Wagoneer mix
"Old Timer"
Body of a 33 year old
Heart and legs of a 21 year old.
Spirit of a 1 year old.
360,TH400,QT,D44's F&R
SOA 32X11.50's

"I regret that I have but only one paycheck to give to my Jeep."

[andy d]

22.97? oh, you prolly have a compressor. i dont own 1, but i worked a round sandblast for years in the shipyard. the gun is cheap enough, the grit will run some. the stuff they used in the yard was refined slag.they recycled it,and i suggest you do too. also use eye protection. we were s'posed to wear respirators too.spread a tarp under what you're 'blastin to collect the grit, run it thru a sieve before you put it in the hopper. just how bad do things rust in Yuma?

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'88 gwag,pure stock

[mark]

i had a guy sandblast the rear floor of my rig last year then i fiberglassed it.he didnt put a sheet up or anything!when he left there was an inch of sand on the dashboard http://www.cs.colostate.edu/~zeimet/ubb/eek.gif ,in the gauges http://www.cs.colostate.edu/~zeimet/ubb/eek.gif ,in the shifter http://www.cs.colostate.edu/~zeimet/ubb/eek.gif and in the key slot http://www.cs.colostate.edu/~zeimet/ubb/eek.gif .i was never so pissed in my life!he never comes around anymore.

[porkchop]

Things don't really rust in Yuma http://www.cs.colostate.edu/~zeimet/ubb/smile.gif I do have a compressor. I am pretty sure this vehicle came from a different state brought here by one of the snow birds. There is very little rust for a 33 year old ride. I want to sandblast a little on the cab floors and sand blast the frame so I can put new undercoating on.

Mark I can see where you would be pissed! I would be too. All that aside, did the sandblaster do a good job on the rust removal?

I have PLENTY of sand in Yuma, so I will never run out. http://smilecwm.tripod.com/net7/biggthumpup.gif

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'67/'79 Wagoneer mix
"Old Timer"
Body of a 33 year old
Heart and legs of a 21 year old.
Spirit of a 1 year old.
360,TH400,QT,D44's F&R
SOA 32X11.50's

"I regret that I have but only one paycheck to give to my Jeep."

[Ralph]

Using plastic tarp, you can mask off the areas you don't want sand to get into, and it'll help a lot. But if you accidently direct a blast at the tarp you can pierce it. Other than that, sandblasting is a pretty precise way to clean something. Car frames and axles are a cinch.

[graham]

Be wary of the strength of the stream of sand from the gun. Its a very efficient way too warp light gauge sheet metal. Suggest a bit of practice if you want to claim bragging rights. http://www.cs.colostate.edu/~zeimet/ubb/rolleyes.gif

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BEAR HUNTER
'82 Sportsman II,360, auto. As it rolled of the Show Room floor.
Except for;LPG conversion, On board air.

[porkchop]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I have tools that I have never used still in the box. When the guys from work come over we just sit out in the garage and look at them. That is what I mean by bragging rights. http://www.cs.colostate.edu/~zeimet/ubb/biggrin.gif I will let everyone know when I am done and how it turned out.

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'67/'79 Wagoneer mix
"Old Timer"
Body of a 33 year old
Heart and legs of a 21 year old.
Spirit of a 1 year old.
360,TH400,QT,D44's F&R
SOA 32X11.50's

"I regret that I have but only one paycheck to give to my Jeep."

[ClarkGriswald]

Ok Ive read this post long enough, now here is my sandblasting tips. Ive use both the red metal can pressure type as well as the cheaper siphon type kits. The name of the game is CFM. Those pressure type blasters need around 88 CFM to really be fully effective, I have used them with normal compressors and although they work, they are a pain in the as*. As soon as the first second or two of blasting go by the comp is trying its hardest to make up for the lost air pressure and there is no way your average comp can do it, so you get a good effect burst for a few seconds then dwindel down to just wasting sand and not getting anywhere.

The siphon type only take around 13 or 14 CFM and are a lot easier for a normal comp to operate. These seem to be better for the average guy that doesnt have a 100CFM comp on a trailor for a pneumatic hammer just sitting around that you can use. heheh.
Also pressure is very important. Obviously you get more bang for your buck at higher pressures but again it is harder and harder for your comp to maintain that volume of airflow at high pressure. So turning down to 80 or 60 PSI may allow your comp to keep up much better.. seems like slower going but more consistant. I wont address the moisture issue seeing as where you live but of course keep it all dry is a must.

One more tip, I was reading recently about some of the new blasting media's like plastic and the like.. and in the article it mentioned that at 100 psi silica will fragment quickly and the dust from that is rather harmfull to humans. (never knew this before) so another reason to stay a little lower on the pressure if your using sand.
I have stretched out some sheet metal before and this is very true. Do a few test's on some different gauge's of sheet metal to see how much it distorts at different pressures.. (lower safer). I ruined a sheet metal medicine cabinet once heheh. was almost twice the size as when I started. That was one apartment out of 400 that had a nice handmade oak med cabinet after I was done hehheeh.
Ok hope this helps its all I can think of right now except that I need a blaster myself hmm better go buy one.. Around here you can get 50lb. bags of silica for like 2 or 3 bucks a bag..
Good luck and good blasting.
P.S. (Where some good thick welding gloves or something, nothing worse than a hot sand injection)


OOPS. almost forgot my invention, You can hook more than one compressor up in parallel and get lots more cfm. Set each one's regulator at the same pressure, and make a hard steel pipe manifold that they can all hook too and one output. This way you could borrow one or two more comps from friends and get some serious volume, I have yet to try it but I think it works in theory. I dont see why It wouldnt work, Each individual comp will shut off at the target pressure. And then when your using it you have 3 comps pumping instead of one.. hehehhe. I'll try it someday when I buy a blasting kit but until then it floats around in my head.. (take a number)
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88 Grand Wagoneer
D44's front\rear
Warn 20990 Lockouts
AMC 360
TF 727
NP 229 (Funky)
Custom Hacking Via S.P.A. (Standard Polish Archetecture)

[This message has been edited by ClarkGriswald (edited September 27, 2000).]

[irbob]

I took up blasting this year when I decided my 11-year-old swamp cooler needed a face-lift. Turned out great, looks better than new. Now it's sitting in my workshop and tugs on my pant leg when I walk by it and asks when it can eat my Jeep. Soon baby soon, I tell it.

Anyway I built a plastic shelter, left the roof exposed so I could breath. This way I could capture 90% of the silica for recycling, it gets everywhere. You could park your Jeep on a sheet of plastic and build a 3-4 foot wall around it. Make sure the windows and doors are closed on your house. It can be reused as many times as you want but after 5 or 6 times it gets pretty dusty which is the problem with using wash sand, it's to dirty.

I used #30 sand. They come in about 12 different grits and #30 worked best with the $13 CH siphon blaster I got from Wal-Mart.

To reclaim the sand I used my shop vac, made a screen with a high wood frame around it that fit over a 5 gal. bucket. Poured from vac through screen, into bucket. You can siphon from the bucket or put it back into the bags if they aren't destroyed when opened.

TIP: If the sand is damp it will clog the gun tip really quick. Sun bathing the sand on a sheet is a quick remedy. I'm sure the wife would let you use her dryer but only once.

Masking tape: Have plenty, it will protect all the parts you don't want to have that freshly sanded look.

Must haves: Patience, it's not a fast process. Blasting hood, did I say that the sand gets everywhere even in ears. Dust mask, self-explanatory. Gloves, the coating on the front of the blasting gun is quickly removed in short order from ricocheting sand. Could be the skin from your hands.

This is all I can think of for now so have fun, I did and will in the future. Let us know how your project is going.

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Me (http://www.bigfoot.com/~irbob) IFSJA Window Sticker (http://www.angelfire.com/az/irbob/sticker.html)
83 Brougham, 360, 999 Auto, NP229, F/Dana 44F, R/AMC 8 7/8", 31X10.5 Pathfinder's, Rancho 9000's, 2" lift blocks, Custom Turbo II 2.5" single exaust, 3" Performance Products bodylift(soon). "Have you been off road lately?"