Portable Soda blasting
Discussion
I'm thinking of having the Shell of my Alfa partially blasting to get rid of the paint and underseal plus any rust (OK a fair amount!).
Does anybody have any reccomendations for a company that could do this in my Garage?.
The car is currently mounted in a rotation frame so access is excellent.
I'm in Yorkshire.
Does anybody have any reccomendations for a company that could do this in my Garage?.
The car is currently mounted in a rotation frame so access is excellent.
I'm in Yorkshire.
give John a ring
he has done a few body shells for me and is quite reasonable & takes care with classics
I always take them to him though as the mess is immense, ideally you would need to be outside and well away from neighbours. the soda goes every where!
http://ableblastclean.co.uk/
he has done a few body shells for me and is quite reasonable & takes care with classics
I always take them to him though as the mess is immense, ideally you would need to be outside and well away from neighbours. the soda goes every where!
http://ableblastclean.co.uk/
guru_1071 said:
give John a ring
he has done a few body shells for me and is quite reasonable & takes care with classics
I always take them to him though as the mess is immense, ideally you would need to be outside and well away from neighbours. the soda goes every where!
http://ableblastclean.co.uk/
I've spoken to John, he's advised against doing it at home due to the mess. He's going to come and have a look at some point and we will take it from there. I'm not too keen on moving it around though to be honest.he has done a few body shells for me and is quite reasonable & takes care with classics
I always take them to him though as the mess is immense, ideally you would need to be outside and well away from neighbours. the soda goes every where!
http://ableblastclean.co.uk/
I'm resigned to taking the underseal off mechanically, it's a long hard slog using an old Chisel and a Hammer. I find a wire brush in a grinder tends to smear it around and it's very messy. I was thinking of using heat to soften the underseal, but I'm not sure what to use. A heatgun might be dangerous?. On the Solvent side what is there that is cheap, safe and easily obtainable?
I still might get the shell blasted though, to take off surface rust, paint etc where I can't get tools in properly.
AbleBlast had to postpone as he got a big job in which needed doing quickly, I'm in no real rush though so will get back in touch when all the underseal is off.
I still might get the shell blasted though, to take off surface rust, paint etc where I can't get tools in properly.
AbleBlast had to postpone as he got a big job in which needed doing quickly, I'm in no real rush though so will get back in touch when all the underseal is off.
Evoluzione said:
There is a chap out Howarth way who specialises in Soda, might be worth asking him....
Millars: http://www.millarsodablasting.com/RicksAlfas said:
Evoluzione said:
There is a chap out Howarth way who specialises in Soda, might be worth asking him....
Millars: http://www.millarsodablasting.com/Dogwatch said:
Surely the reason the rotary brush is ineffective is that the friction heats up the gunge - as will any form of hot air blower.
Logically, but not practically, you want the thing in a chiller to get the bitumen brittle. Bit like dealing with chewing gum.
Yes true in respect of the rotary brush, but there must be a compromise somewhere in the middle where it softens it enough to come off in strips rather than small chunks.Logically, but not practically, you want the thing in a chiller to get the bitumen brittle. Bit like dealing with chewing gum.
I'm doing the same job on my alfa (bertone GTV2000) and found the best way to get the underseal off is a heat gun and scraper. The heat guns are cheap on ebay. It's still a messy job, but better and faster than solvent or a wire brush on a grinder. I wouldn't try blasting on mine in case there's nothing left to weld to !!
I've tried both types that Machine Mart sell. The hard 'Turks head' type and the softer brass plated ones. The softer ones called crimped wire brush, are more suitable.
I also have a very nifty machine called an 'MBX Bristle Blaster'
http://www.bristle-blaster.com/en/products/item/53...
It's on semi permanent loan from where I work and is pretty good at cleaning off rust and paint, but it leaves the surface of the metal very rough, it's designed to simulate a shotblastiing preperation for keying primers. I tend to use it with the wire wheels fitted backwards so it doesn't chew the surface up as much. It can take the underseal off but it's slower than chipping it off with a chisel and creates a lot more mess. It's great for cleaning up suspension items etc though.
I also have a very nifty machine called an 'MBX Bristle Blaster'
http://www.bristle-blaster.com/en/products/item/53...
It's on semi permanent loan from where I work and is pretty good at cleaning off rust and paint, but it leaves the surface of the metal very rough, it's designed to simulate a shotblastiing preperation for keying primers. I tend to use it with the wire wheels fitted backwards so it doesn't chew the surface up as much. It can take the underseal off but it's slower than chipping it off with a chisel and creates a lot more mess. It's great for cleaning up suspension items etc though.
sparkey said:
I'm doing the same job on my alfa (bertone GTV2000) and found the best way to get the underseal off is a heat gun and scraper. The heat guns are cheap on ebay. It's still a messy job, but better and faster than solvent or a wire brush on a grinder. I wouldn't try blasting on mine in case there's nothing left to weld to !!
I must get a heat gun, I was put off by the guy at Machine Mart, who warned me I would set fire to the thing, but I'm not convinced that's likely.I know what you mean about having nothing left to weld, I've been restoring this one now for 12 months so I'm pretty confident that I know where all the rust is. The vast majority has been eradicated now. Mind you there isn't much original Italian metal left now, well not from this car anyway.
Mmmm, they look a bit gay really, that's why you're mincing up the underseal, you want one of these:
http://www.trizeik.com/black--decker-piranha-115mm...
Mounted in the Angry grinder it:
1. Throws underseal and seam-sealer everywhere.
2. Needs proper PPE:
Thick leather gloves
Full face visor
Overalls over jumper/kegs
They vibrate a bit as the wheel isn't very well balanced so your hands go a bit numb with extended use, the wires come off at high velocity and can pierce unprotected skin, BUT:
They shift underseal like you would not believe!
http://www.trizeik.com/black--decker-piranha-115mm...
Mounted in the Angry grinder it:
1. Throws underseal and seam-sealer everywhere.
2. Needs proper PPE:
Thick leather gloves
Full face visor
Overalls over jumper/kegs
They vibrate a bit as the wheel isn't very well balanced so your hands go a bit numb with extended use, the wires come off at high velocity and can pierce unprotected skin, BUT:
They shift underseal like you would not believe!
I had one of those on my angle grinder when I was doing the bottom of my fastback five years ago. Car was upside down ona rotisserie. One moment's non-concentration and the thing spat back - I was working slightly above eye level - never a goiod idea, and the thing bounced off my forehead into my neck, getting caught up under my chin in my overalls.
As I ran out the garage into the house with blood pouring from my neck, I think the wife thought I'd cut me throat ...
Seven stitches down at A&E. And a large scar ...
I had gloves, safety glasses and overalls on - and it still happened. I had to sue myself in the end!
As I ran out the garage into the house with blood pouring from my neck, I think the wife thought I'd cut me throat ...
Seven stitches down at A&E. And a large scar ...
I had gloves, safety glasses and overalls on - and it still happened. I had to sue myself in the end!
Gassing Station | Classic Cars and Yesterday's Heroes | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff