Slick 60's

Any suggestions on what brand, model and such on sandblasters. I want to be able to strip my frame and body so versatility is key. Thanks for your help ahead of time because i know you guys will and are all a bunch of great guys. I maybe semi new but i dont feel that way with the help you guys give me. i am done being sappy.
Jason Nelson

Get one of the pressurized tank ones. The bucket blasters work for small stuff but take way too long for anything else. Also make sure you have an air compressor that is up to the task. I have a tiny 6.5HP 20Gal and it cannot keep up, I spend more time waiting for the tank to pressurize than blasting. I bought my blaster at TSC by the way, don't know if its any better or worse than any others.

Hire it done. Sandblasting is a hot, dirty, sweaty,nasty job (been there done that). Also the health hazard of inhaling the silica dust. I gave my blaster to a friend in the paint & body business and have lived happily ever after...................

I have one of the small Harbor Freight jobs. Looks like an LP tank on legs. Takes a lot more air pressure than you'd think. I have run silica, sand and shells through it. Have worn out a number of tips, so get extras.

I wear an old coverall that has elastic wrists and ankles, and the hood that came with the blaster. It's not a job I look forward to, so I let stuff pile up until there are enough items to make the setup worthwhile.

With these little cheapies you will spend a fair amount of time adjusting, tweaking and fiddling with the feed until it works. Hot humid days are worst. Some guys are able to filter and reuse the blasting media, I have never had much luck with that. Also make sure your air compressor has a line dryer or water trap - wet sand is a pain to try to dry out.

YMMV,
Doug

All the above info is true, very true. I did my intire truck, All body parts and the chassis, with a pressure blaster, compressor that puts out 30 cfm of air with a dryer system. I had all that was needed to do the job and i will hire the next blasting job of that size when the time comes. Be sure to get some one that knowes how to proprely blast. but a dryer system on a compressor is a good idea even if you are not going to use it for blasting. It is important for spraying paint and keeps air tools rust free. plus there are some prewtty good rust inhibiters like por 15 and www.eastwood.com has a rust encapsulator that works really good.

Lonnie

I used to sandblast redwood signs, grave stones and glass for a living.

If I ever do a car I will rent a trailered 125cfm compressor and a 100lb pot.
I would only do the bottom or frame if the old paint is thick.
Everyone says you will warp panels sanblasting but if you can finesse and get good with one I think you could stand far away and strip a body.

Honestly I would use a chem stripper.
I blasted a hood on my Fairlane 6 years ago.
Even after a ridiculously thorough cleaning I still get sand pouring out.
I bet a truck would weigh another 700lbs with all the sand that will stay in.

I never tried finer mediums like walnut shells, soda or plastic. Only silica sand.

I use regular masonry sand in my cheapie blaster but it has to be dry and you may have to pour it through a screen first to get out the small rocks, but it sure is a lot cheaper than silica.

Heavyhauler, do you recommend a chem stripper?

I agree with Jakdad-hire it done! Thanks, Lyman.

I actually will argue for a siphon feed blaster. Not for large jobs -- hire those done.

But for little stuff, a siphon feed is more reliable (just feed it clean, dry, CORRECT, blasting sand.

Its really handy to have ANY SORT of sandblaster sometimes for the occassional part, and you hate to trouble with a pressure tank blaster that always it giving trouble. n

At least that's my experience.

Oh -- I DID blast a whole hood with a siphon feed. Had a very good air compressor attached and it was OK. I could have used the pressurized tank, but I was worried about warp. Never have that trouble with a siphon feed.

goonie wrote:Heavyhauler, do you recommend a chem stripper?

Autozones Airplane remover is fine.
I used 2 gallons on my 70 Torino. It had very thick paint. After about 70% was off I DA'd it with 180.
This was a rust free car so if you have a lot of rust and want it gone I guess blasing is the way.

I also borrowed a 3500psi trailered pressure washer from work once to remove undercoating from the same car. It didn't work at all. No matter what HotRod mag says it didn't even remove any of it. It did however strip the chrome of one of my wheels
I used the airplane remover to do the whole car undercarraige. It was slow work but it did work.