Sand blasting

[69 gmc]

I want to do sand blasting myself and from reading a few different threads I have noticed that most who have done it themselves say that they would rather pay to have it done again. What is bad about doing the sand blasting yourself?

[dmack91]

Just my 2 cents worth.

I bought a small blasting cabinet and it works great on small projects. So, I decided to sandblast a motorcycle frame I had that I was working on. I used the blast gun out of my cabinet and made an open-air spot to work and capture the sand.

It took me 5 hours. Absolutely sucked. My 5hp, 25 gallon compressor couldn't even think about keeping up.

I guess if you have a very large compressor and enough capacity to keep up with both the air and capturing sand, it could be OK.

Also, look up silicosis, and then invest in a very good respirator.

[fakerwade]

Originally Posted by 69 gmc

I want to do sand blasting myself and from reading a few different threads I have noticed that most who have done it themselves say that they would rather pay to have it done again. What is bad about doing the sand blasting yourself?

What are you thinking of blasting? (frame or body panels or???)

[oldblue1968chevy]

Yeah what're you blasting?

If its something more than brackets etc PAY SOMEONE it blows

[Holt]

i have a 60 gal ingersol rand air comp. it keeps up ok. but i bought a small syphon blaster, think it holds 60 lbs i think. the problem is even using the biggest tip that comes with it it is very slow going. great for tailgate hinges, door hinges, things of that size. u won't even make a dent trying to do the frame. *just my experience*

[LEEVON]

Ok if you need to be talked out of it, here are a couple of take-it-from me experiences:

1) turning the wrong valve and spraying 10lbs? of sand directly into your previously clean garage.
2) dropping the nozzle while wearing shorts, to find out that indeed your flesh can be blasted off.
3) washing sand out of your orifici (plural for orifice) for a week.
4) making about 3 trips to the store for more sand, while getting close to the cost of a pro.
5) clogging
6) more clogging
7) using enough electricity to power a Ted Nugent concert.
8) do I really need to continue?

Around here I can throw a rock and hit 5 blasting places. If it's any more than a small spot it's not worth it!

[Vintage Windmills]

What is the approx cost of a lwb rolling frame if you take it somewhere?

[85chevy383]

Originally Posted by Vintage Windmills

What is the approx cost of a lwb rolling frame if you take it somewhere?

I paid $300 for my lwb frame and epoxy primer

[doubleb's69]

Originally Posted by Vintage Windmills

What is the approx cost of a lwb rolling frame if you take it somewhere?

A sandblast/powdercoat place near me wants $250 to do my shortbox frame, trailing arms, and control arms and that doesn't include primer.

[biggestjohn]

Not to mention that it is noisier that heck!!

In Indiana, it gets so humid, that by the time you get half way done, its starting to rust again.

There is one bright side:

The next time that you wash your hair, you can scrub your scalp real good!!

[mbgmike]

Pay someone .Yes it costs money. Everyone seems to want something for cheap. If you want to waste time buying cheap ass equipment like most , go for it. Even if you are doing alot of blasting work you need high dollar equipment. you can mess around with all these harbor freight and similiar equipment The shop we have a 3 phase portable huge ass 15 hp compressor and a professional pot that cost as much as most compressors but I personally would send it out. You won't regret it. Its a nasty job. $250 to shoot a frame. We pay less but thats still worth it. people have to realize car and truck restoration costs money.
My vote is to pay them. We take it in and its done. Small parts that we decide not to bead blast in a cabinet sometimes cost us a couple of cases of 7 up. Of course we are in a industrial area

[Jeffs70]

as most have said, small sand blasters suck. best to have someone do it, if its a big project

[gysgtc]

I agree with Leevon. I did mine this summer and would pay someone if I had to do it again. I think I'm still getting sand grit out of some of my orifices. I've got a ton of black grit behind my garage so neighborhood cats think it is a giant litter box.

[cdowns]

it is a very dirty job no doubt about it

i've blasted stuff for a very long time
have perfected my technique to get the most out of my time when i blast so i dont waste time product or energy

the way i look at ity is if you only plan to do on project in your lifetime it is not worth it

inin the longrun i've saved many tens of thousands of dollars by being able to sandblast things myself

[jhwkns]

It's no big deal. I'd much rather run my sandblaster than a shovel.

[no moa]

I been blasting for years, i bought a 80 gallon 2 stage compressor for blasting, and i have a TIP 20 gallon blaster. I did my frame, took a couple hours. Its very dirty, nasty job. I only blast outside. Even with the garage doors closed, sand still gets in there somehow. lol
Get a good mask, and blasting hood, you'll be glad you did. (FYI i think you can rent a blaster and hood, the local renting place here i get my sand from, rents all of it and its reasonable)

[eurospec1]

Its really not that bad to do it yourself, in the middle of doing my cab as we speak, it makes a mess but beats the 125$ an hour for 5-7 hours i was quoted by the local blasting shop.

[68gmsee]

Yep, even small jobs can be messy but after what I find out they charge around these parts it may be cheaper to buy a compressor and all the equipment than doing my whole truck by a commercial sand blaster.

Not saying I would do it myself but they must be sandblasting with gold dust in these parts. Check around for prices in your area first.

[GRX]

My preference is glass beading. But yeah, I agree. With big jobs like frames or body panels, I'd pay someone. Smaller parts are another matter. I do them with a siphon in my empty driveway then sift the beads through a screen and re-use until it's dust.

[odog]

If your gonna do it and rent stuff to do it, rent a 185 cfm compressor. Its a screw type compressor and doesnt run out of air. I sandblasted the low boy trailer at work a couple of years ago and it wasnt to bad. with the 185 I never had an air problem. I did it outside so the mess want a problem. WEAR A MASK, the ricocheting sand hurts the face, a dust maks is a great idea, I didnt wear one, but I should have, silicosis is not a good thing.

[69 gmc]

Paying to have it done sounds like the most time efficient approach

[blkcorvair]

Originally Posted by 69 gmc

Paying to have it done sounds like the most time efficient approach

Depends I suppose. On what exactly your blasting.

I have a blast cabinet that I blast every small part with. it can be slow, but I usually do a part or two a night, than paint and theyre ready the next day. Sometimes the turn around from a pro is a bit longer.

Bodey panels however I would opt for a pro. Just not to risk warping otherwise good metal. I do have a pressure tank (100 lb) I feed it about every 8 minutes or so re-using approx 60 lbs of media. I use it for parts parts under 4' in length and bring home a large 4' square box to blast in. (with no bottom, I put it on a tarp.)

I stay clean this way, but it does take a long time and I alway have to talk myself into starting and cant wait to finish once I do. My 60 gal compressor has trouble keeping up.

Anything bigger than that I wont bother to attempt. In fact the pro guys love the at home units that eastwood and harbor freight sell, because most get so frustrated they opt to go pro any way. (And also have a new appreciation)

[72gmcshorty]

I found a place that builds dump truck boxes near me. They have their own blasting and paint booth. Got my blazer frame blasted and painted for $200. Maybe find something similar. I have also blasted my own frame at an open air do-it-yourself place. If you go that route, make sure to dress correctly. It does get messy. It is also very tiring.

[leddzepp]

Originally Posted by 69 gmc

Paying to have it done sounds like the most time efficient approach

x 100.

[webfoot]

I don't think it is that bad. For 4-5 hrs of filthy work I'd rather spend that couple hundred dollars elsewhere. Sand is $10/100 lb bag around here so I don't see how it almost adds up to a pro cost by doing it yourself. 70 grit works great, get the white silica stuff, the play sand is for kids & cats to play/poop in.

1 word of advice - strain that sand 1st! I have found lots of larger size grit in sand before and a regular kitchen strainer catches all these contaminants. It takes less time to strain a bag of sand than it does to stop and get your tip unplugged. You will also want a moisture separator right next to the blaster, even if you have one on the compressor. You will be working the piss out of that thing and as the air cools down the water is condensing and making your life harder.

Wear a respirator and as much clothes as you can, preferably a hood. (shorts? no!) Silica dust is a health hazard, moreso than launching it at your bare leg at 100 psi+.

To do something big like a frame, make your blasting experience easier and scrape all the old caked on grease and undercoating off. Sand will not remove this as efficiently as good ol fashioned elbow grease. Took me ~3 hours tops to blast the frame for my GTO which is also a full frame. I sandblast everything removable, fenders, trunklid, core support, etc etc.