body blasting!!!

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Ryan426_

Ryan426_

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im restoring a 71 duster i plan on blasting the car myself the outside, door jams, engine bay, trunk.. any tips on this i was thinking about using a 10 gallon blaster it holds up to 40 lbs of media also what wud be the best stuff to use walnut shells, glass, plastic, ext.... and how many lbs do u think i'll use thanks
 
I would suggest doing some research before you undertake this. You are going to be shooting different media to strip painted areas vs rusted areas. Also, you must be careful with your pressure, distance from the surface and what angle you are going to be blasting with. You don't want to heat up the metal and warp it. Also, consider what you are going to be sealing the exposed areas with once you are finished. What air supply are you going to be using? Those pot blasters use a lot of air. Just a few things to consider. Good luck.
 
practice practice practice !!! Buy small amouts of various medias and experiment. Research is a great help. Even dry ice media is being used today.
 
After you get the air pressure, media choice, masking, clean up, clean up clean up done..........it may be cheaper in time/money to have it done professionally. IMHO....because I have been there, but good luck8)


You gonna do this inside a shop or outside??? You have materials ready to Epoxy or seal the bare metal??? What kind of compressor you gonna use.....it'll will work a compressor hard, so are you gonna have moisture problems coming out of the gun along with you media???
 
All above is crucial to getting a good quality job but also remember if you do it yourself! Make sure to wear good safety protection.Especially if you use any type of sand ! Silica in the air and breathing can be very harmful to your health.So make sure that you use PROPER PROTECTION for breathing,eyes and skin.Also be cautious if others are in the area because the stuff can remain in the air for awhile and dangerous for them! Personally I would look for a professional to get that part done.You may spend more $$$ trying to do it yourself than it would cost to have it done! Good equipment and products are not cheap and it takes both to get a quality finish! not to count the experience of doing it!
I have done blasting before in construction work,on a few vehicles and lots of parts.I will be the first to tell you it AIN'T NO FUN AT ALL! As a matter of fact If I were having a car done I sure would not take it on myself to do it! It would get farmed out to someone else! To put it lightly it can and is a PAIN IN THE ***! If you decide to go ahead and do it yourself you will soon see exactly what I am talking about.
 
My 2c is to get the 90lb blaster. It's not that much more expensive and the time it will save you is significant. The Eastwood and Harbor Freight 90 lb units are the same. They both have large openings on top to dump the media through.

The 40lb unit, has a small opening at the top and it comes with a funnel to pour through. It's a slow process, and you have to do it more than twice as often than with the 90lb unit.

Also get the best hood you can afford. I have a HD model that has a mesh screen in front of the plastic window. It really helps keep the view clear.

I also agree with the poster above that if you can swing it, have it done by someone else. The process sucks!
 
yeah i have 2 80 lb air tanks it would be done in a shop but ive been thinking bout it n i agree i think i'll let the pros do it i think i will do the engine bay, door jams... i found a place locally that will blast the outside of the car for $500 n $1000 for the whole car
 
ok then after i blast the small areas the engine bay door jams ext and it is bare metal wut is the best stuff to use next some say a sealer or etching primmer or dont use the ecthing primer cause it draws moisture im not to sure on wut to spray the bare metal with
 
Epoxy primer.And dont wait to apply it.As soon as it's clean,cover the bare metal.
 
After it is stripped down then apply a good epoxy primer all over it. I used some junk called metal prep that wasjust wiped on with a rag and it helped but the car still got surface rust and that had to be removed. Most people now days go ahead and use epoxy primer then sand to metal the areas they need to repait. I have seen some local area cars after blasting that was epoxied primered and they looked really good. What you are talking about doing sounds like a good idea! Do some small areas like under the hood area etc.
Enough to justify getting the tools. Be sure to explain to your Wife how much you saved by doing it that way and She will be happy you saved some $$$ for Her to go shopping with! LOL And the end result you got your car blasted,some really neat tools etc. Also when buying tools! It is always good to upgrade to the next best level in most cases.Sometimes a couple more $$$$ initially saves a lot of heartache later! Be sure to post some pics and keep us posted on the project. Hell If we wereclose we could come over and help you out and have a few brews after it is done.
That is what we need to do! Guys that have projects going on and need a little help,some other Mopar A Bodies Only neighbors and members set it up to pull a tackle the project day. Bunch of guys get together and get as much work done in a day as can be done then afterwards a little food and breweskies and car talk! I am not real fast but I am GOOD and I like to help others.
I actually noticed some guys on the H.A.M.B. site doing this building a truck,they set up a date and guys that are free and want to work all come over and they get after it. They seem to make work pretty damn well so why can't we.
 
Well, since everyone else seemed to go off on different tangents in response to your question, let me give you an answer.

You are looking for what media to use... not what size compressor and what not.

For what you are wanting to do, clean metal without sheet metal damage... go with either walnut shells or plastic.

Stay away from sand, black diamond, and glass beads. Glass beads would work fine, but they are pricey unless you have a way to gather up the media and use it again.

Also... run an inline moisture separator to keep the media and metal dry.
 
Glasurit DP90 is one of the best Epoxy primers out there.........it's not the cheapest, but this is an area cheapest is not always the best. :toothy10:

Buy it with the reducer ......4:1 ratio.
 
so blast it spray with epoxy primer then should i spray on etching primer or will it be ready for paint after the epoxy primer and no need for the etching primer thanks for all the help out there
 
No etch over the epoxy......spray the epoxy on the bare metal, use your filler (depends on how straight you want it), high build primer, and start blockin.....additional coats of the primer depending on how straight you want it.

Between all coats scuffing and or sanding will be necessary:toothy10:
 
I’m probably crazy, but I’m going to try sandblasting. I’ve got the blasting rig pretty much assembled. But I’m darned well going to use the correct blasting suit: airtight, with an external breathing air source. I have seen people who had silicosis, and it is a really terrible disease.
 
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