Sand blasting

[Smokeater88]

I am trying to take my 72 c-10 to bare metal. It has had 4 paint jobs one right over the other and 3 different colors. I have been through hours of sanding and a ton of sand paper. My question is can I blast the creases and hard to get to areas. I understand sand blasting can warp metals I only want to do small areas door jams and then eventually the frame. I have no experience with blasting or types of media. I have read about soda blasting and sand blasting using glass, sand walnut shells, and I'm not sure where to start. Any suggestions or how to would be great! thanks

[sneaky]

what about some "spray" paint remover? i think its sold as "aircraft paint remover" i've had great success getting paint off from hard to sand areas. just spray grab a beer and let it work its magic, wipe off after about half an hour, respray if needed.

[Bhelton]

I would have it blasted, you'd have a ton of money in paint stripper and a mess.
If you can find someone to soda blast it, that would be the route I'd go for the simple fact of just washing it down and priming. Sand blasting you'd be cleaning sand outta cracks so it doesn't come out in your paint. Good luck either way you go
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[towbar]

Originally Posted by Bhelton

I would have it blasted, you'd have a ton of money in paint stripper and a mess.
If you can find someone to soda blast it, that would be the route I'd go for the simple fact of just washing it down and priming. Sand blasting you'd be cleaning sand outta cracks so it doesn't come out in your paint. Good luck either way you go
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soda blast for sure.....dont have the issue of imeadiate flash rust as you do with sand blast.....also sand heats the metal up and can cause warping if not done by someone with experience. paint stripper can wick into lapped seams and wreak havok on a new paint job down the road too.

[fastlane]

try a razor blade, my dad just figured he'd give it a shot on his corvette, worked like a charm. took him about 3 hours to do the whole car down to the primer.

[69chevy lwb]

i would avoid a razor blade it can dig into the metal leaving nicks that can show up in your paint

[Tx Firefighter]

It's very common for restoration shops to liquid paint strip the panels and sand blast the jams and edges. It's a good method if you don't have absolute confidence in the blasting guy to not make a mess of the large expanses of sheetmetal with the process.

[Orange Crate]

Be aware that when you use soda blasting and then you try to use an acid etch primer you will have trouble with the primer. You body shop man should be able to help if you let him know it was blasted with soda.

[54belair]

I had the same issues with my truck---three paint jobs, two of them appeared to be baked on.

I sanded most of the panels and blasted all the non flat surfaces------and used over a gallon of stripper. Took a lot of time, but Im confident with the results. I bought a blaster that would hold about 90# of sand at a time. The whole process is a PIA--but it works. With the small blasters you need to use a VERY fine silica (not even called sand).
So far I have used nine bags of sand and I still have to blast the frame (figuring another four bags at least for that.

All said and done, I still like doing it myself, the blasting companies dont take the time to properly care for your project (for them, time is money) rsults, including blow thru isnt their concern alot of the time.

If youre blasting or stripping it down to bare steel, dont forget to dig out all the old seam sealer. It may look good, but a small split or crack can let water in.
Use a good seam sealer when replacing it.

[Rochlow]

I've done the razor blade trick on two cars. A 49 and a 50 merc. Buy a few packs blades and change them often. Use one of this flip out blade holders.
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[quick60]

Id never blast another vehicle body. I was assured that "this guy was the best, never warped a panel ever, top notch guy, etc etc." Warped the crap out of my roof and passenger side quarter on my 72 Nova. Floor pan, door jambs, chassis, yea maybe, but never any smooth panels again for me. Good luck.

[weaintscared]

I'm using soda on the stuff I want to blast I works well and don't hurt you like sand, they say it's safe around windows on trim.
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[D.PASSMORE]

I used this shop on some items, not far from your location.

http://www.autorestorationdepot.com/

Media Blasting: I use this shop too.

http://www.allamericanpowdercoating...._Blasting.html

[All#sMatching71GMC]

There are a lot of good comments on this thread, and I had to add mine! lol So, here goes my two gold nuggets...
I sand/media blast for a restoration shop, I've done cars back into the 20's and 30's, the older the vehicle, the thicker the steel...(for the most part!) I guess quality control today, doesn't know the definition of quality!? When it comes to the 67-72 Chevy trucks, they are tanks. Truly the last of the good sheet metal in my opinion.
Dry, recycled sand is almost like a soda blast...almost, you still have to deal with sand in EVERY spot you can think of, and spots you didn't think of!
When doing a hood, roof, or trunk lid, it is important to do the edges at a regulated pressure, and the pressure varies with whatever piece your working on so I'm not going to say any certain pressure. It's common sense to avoid any surfaces that can be done with your DA or sand paper. If you have a lot of pressure while doing the edges, your over spray can warp the big panel areas. Always keep in mind your over spray, and don't ever stop in one spot. If it's a panel area, angle your spray pattern so it's not directly hitting the area, and again keep the pressure down! It takes more time, but you love your truck, and that makes all the difference! The key to blasting sheet metal is learning to pressure down for differing thicknesses in metals. One things for sure, when your done, you know what's left, and what your up against! The pics are a 2 door Chevy wagon, firewall and front frame rails/cross member sand blasted.

[Smokeater88]

Thank you for all the replies they are very helpful. Im really leaning towards sandblasting since I will be buying a blaster and doing it myself, I also intend to sand blast the frame. I definetly will not be blasting anywhere I can use my DA and elbow grease. All #s what is dry recycled sand and where can I get it.

[All#sMatching71GMC]

Originally Posted by Smokeater88

All #s what is dry recycled sand and where can I get it.

Well by recycled sand I mean sand used once or twice and it's almost a powder. Buy some play sand from the depot, lay it out on a tarp to make sure it's dry, use it on heavy stuff, save it, re-use it. Or find a blasting shop that will sell it to you...seems like alot of them are using black beauty for the health reasons, so used sand is hard to find. It's best to have a blast room, or a big, heavy duty tarp to lay under and around your job. When using sand, you can then reclaim it if you looking for a softer blast on the metal, and again pressure always has a lot to do with it.
Condensation, is the enemy of where the sand and air meet @ the mixing bowl or valve, any water in your airline or sand will clog up the works, and make blasting a pain in the... The less restrictions in your line to your blasting pot will also mean less moisture, and a filter/separator in the line is nice for headache free blasting...especially if using a little cheapy unit...Eastwood makes a cheap little 100lb pressurized blaster for the hobbyist, I don't like the deadman valves, or ball valves. But for those with little air, it's ideal and reasonable. Just STEAR CLEAR OF THE SYPHON JOBBERS!
Getting setup to do this, won't be cheap, but remember you get what you pay for, and we all are ballin' on a budget! lol
I recommend only using a pressurized blasting tank. There is more than one make out there...I prefer the Lindsey w/at least a 100lb hopper. The Lindsey's have a separator tank on the side of the hopper, so no real need for the separator in your airline, which can be a pain to get working right. They aren't the cheapest, but if you got lot's of good air, with a lindsey your in business! You'll be doing all your buddies stuff on the weekends! lol Could even help pay for itself too!? You can find them at auctions, even ebay, in a variety of sizes...I know they make a couple of smaller ones, and they all use the same valve on the bottom of the hopper, you just have to fill them more often on those bigger jobs.
When it comes to sandblasting, your setup will take some homework to get it right for you. A good start would be a compressor with around 100CFM and the bigger the air/holding tank the better. A lindsey will make your time blasting a whole lot easier, they have big air lines and good valving, and can be completely rebuilt. The separator is a HUGE bonus, and they have various size nozzles for any size job...Just my experience with it anyway! Hope the info helps! Oh yeah, and get a good hood and respirator...sand ain't fun to chew on! lol

[Rochlow]

I bought a cheap blaster from TSC to do my frame, wheels and cab. When I did the cab, I didn't hold the nozzle at a 90 degree angle to the panel. I tried the keep at least at a 45 degree angle. I have to say that the blast has paid for itself already.
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[hilljob26]

I used wire wheels on a 4 1/2 inch grinder..took some time. but I only used about 4 wheels on the whole body.I just kept flipping them over to get the most bite outta it