Sandblasting

[tmadden]

Please somebody make me feel better about having my car sandblasted! Everyone has a different opinion about having it dipped, soda blasted or sandblasted. Unfortunately i keep hearing about warping the body panels with a sandblaster.

[ItDoRun]

Soda blasting the outside is obviously a better route. I'm not saying sand can't or hasn't been used before, but it definitely is more abrasive and generates more heat. I blasted my firewall but stayed about 3 feet away and was using a small pot blaster. It took forever, but kept the heat down and didn't warp anything.

My only word of advice is make sure they stay off the panels as far as they can. Let us know how it goes.

[DRJDVM's '69]

I've talked to lots of mediablast places.....unless you have an idiot with the nozzle that has no clue on how to work with sheetmetal, you'll be fine. Places that do cars and have experienced people will do just fine..... don't take it to a place that focuses on big industrial jobs where the material is inches think etc etc. or they have some 18 year old kid doing it

The warpage thing is way overplayed....an experienced shop with the right material WILL not warp anything.

Soda doesnt get rust and there are plenty of issues with getting the metal ready for paint etc......

[Greg from Aus]

Originally Posted by DRJDVM's '69

I've talked to lots of mediablast places.....unless you have an idiot with the nozzle that has no clue on how to work with sheetmetal, you'll be fine. Places that do cars and have experienced people will do just fine..... don't take it to a place that focuses on big industrial jobs where the material is inches think etc etc. or they have some 18 year old kid doing it

The warpage thing is way overplayed....an experienced shop with the right material WILL not warp anything.

Soda doesn't get rust and there are plenty of issues with getting the metal ready for paint etc......

I own an abrasive blasting Company, we deal in all sorts of media Garnet, glass, Soda and others. we soda blast cars because no matter how hard you try you will induce heat with any other media apart from Plastic, we are going to install a plastic section soon. Heat will warp panels, NO IT IS NOT OVERSTATED, we soda first and then touch up small area's that have plenty of shape to them that have rust with Garnet when all the other blasting is finished. would I put a media that will remove rust over panels such as a roof, guard, hood, roof, quarter or trunk lid NO, any thing that is aggressive enough to remove rust will warp.

I have nothing to gain from sharing this information as I am in Perth Western Australia, but I hate misinformation.

Greg

[elitecustombody]

I'd choose blasting over dipping,and as it's been mentionned,there is more hassle with treating and neutralizing the metal after soda,otherwise everything will flake off since soda leaves a film on the surface

[americansupercarinc]

There is a product called Black beauty it is ground up coal
works great.Yes if you take it to someone with no experence they will worp it. A good experenced blaster will do a great job,the up side to black beauty is you dont have to sand the car after for adhesion to seal. With media it gets it so smooth you then have to sand the intire car before sealing.and unlike sand it does not hold moisture
I have been useing it for 30 yrs with no problem,and I have tryed them all for what thats worth

[tmadden]

Thanks guys. I see the opinions vary the same as I've been hearing locally. Any opinions on what's too much cost wise?

[rwhite692]

Originally Posted by tonner

I own an abrasive blasting Company, we deal in all sorts of media Garnet, glass, Soda and others. we soda blast cars because no matter how hard you try you will induce heat with any other media apart from Plastic, we are going to install a plastic section soon. Heat will warp panels, NO IT IS NOT OVERSTATED, we soda first and then touch up small area's that have plenty of shape to them that have rust with Garnet when all the other blasting is finished. would I put a media that will remove rust over panels such as a roof, guard, hood, roof, quarter or trunk lid NO, any thing that is aggressive enough to remove rust will warp.

I have nothing to gain from sharing this information as I am in Perth Western Australia, but I hate misinformation.

Greg

Thanks for the post Greg, but what I believe Ned is trying to say, is that many of us have had NO PROBLEMS whatsoever, with having mediablast work done on our cars, without the use of Plastic media.

I had my car done with Aluminum Oxide (same material as sandpaper abrasive) and had no issues with panel warpage, etc.

I have also blasted my own cars in the past using a borrowed pressure-pot sandblaster and plain old beach sand (I went to the beach, to get it).

Unless you are an idiot and stay blasting in one area long enough to heat and distort the metal, you are not going to have problems. You work around large areas, do a little at a time, use common sense.

Taking material price out of the equation, Plastic Media is undoubtedly the best "foolproof" blast media one can possibly use. But no one should be led to believe that they are facing an unmitigated disaster of epic proportions, if they elect to use more conventional, time-proven, and (GASP!) cheaper, blast media.

Now THAT would be "misinformation".

[LateNight72]

Crushed (Ground) Glass > Sand


There's a reason why some paint manufacturers don't warranty work thats over Soda'd metal.

[a73formula]

I got a quote of $600 for a whole car but they've been doing better deals lately for cash. Like others have said if you take it to a good shop they won't damage anything, this is what they do for a living and they want people to come back.