Removing Paint

[Laid_Out_50]

I was wondering what knd of blasting would be best for removing the paint from the cab of my truck. What do you guys think about sand and soda blasting?

[mylow53]

from what i understand soda may not get the deeper material off and sand if done incorrectly may warp large surfaces like you roof or hood... i had a pro do my cab and even then there was some hand sanding. no warpage... total truck cost not including primer around 1400 bucks.. any one else try soda?
GT

[Rack Man]

I believe the guy who did my truck used walnut shells....suppose to work well and not warp panels...but you need to be careful with whatever media you choose...

[robin58]

I would never consider soda. I know it's a hot topic that often spurs lengthy and heated debates but nearly all paint manufacturers won't warranty paint over that kind of media. This is one of the few "polite" debates on the topic and provides the pro's and cons:

http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/once...ng-162700.html

Also has some discussion of other methods.

[OrrieG]

I have always done my project my hand, 3M purple disc and/or 80 grit. It takes time, but not as much as dealing with straightening up body panels or redoing paint. Too many horror stories about warped panels.

If blasting is done right not problem, if done wrong, "gee I'm sorry" and lots of panel replacement and bodywork. Get references and talk to people that have used anyone you consider.

[Bigblue29]

Not to get too far into a soda vs. sand vs. other material debate. We use soda blasting for stripping paint and char at work quite often and does a good job a removing foreign material without damaging the surface below. Its seems to work quite well... although honestly we've never done a car. Very interesting to think about. Wouldnt a surface blasted with soda which was cleaned properly produce the same results after the paint was applied?

[mr48chev]

I don't see an issue with soda blasting the paint off and have never seen anything written such as Robin58 mentioned.

I have seen demonstrations of soda blasting on cars that didn't have any glass or trim removed nor covered and the results were no damage to those pieces. In the right hands you can remove one layer of paint at a time if so desired.
With anything, the quality of the finish paint and it's durability depends on the prep work and how the metal was cleaned before the first coat of primer was applied.

I've seen pretty good results with the so called walnut shells and the guys I know who went that way were happy with it.

I've seen some very poor results on sheet metal with sand blasting and a few years ago saw one cab that had been sandblasted and warped to the point that the metal was warped beyond repair.

As with any other outside work you have done on your truck you need to first ask to see examples of the shops work along with asking around to see what the feedback is on said shop.
Good shops are usually more than happy to show you examples of their work and explain just how the process works. Not so good shops often don't want you to see much of anything that they turn out before you have your work done.

[mr48chev]

I waited too long to edit the above post and it looks like I stand corrected and have my education today.

Borrowed off IH8MUD.com and it appears that the poster borrowed it off the Nova forum.
Here's what google turned up this morning:
This is a cut and paste from a Nova forum.

"Well I contacted Sherwin Williams Automotive paint and this is what Rose Gasper, Customer Service Rep, had to say. "Application of a primer with minimal acid congertration such as etching fillers, vinyl wash, or metal preps, will react with sobium bicarbonare. This will emit carbon dioxide potentially causing blistering of the paint and then total delamination of the paint and undercoats".
Then Rose Gasper wrote the following steps must be adhered to. Observe recommendations specified by the company that produces the soda and the maufacturer of the equipment used. Then before applying any refinish materials, thoroughly clean the surface with soap and water, preferably with a pressure washer, then dry. The third step is to inspect the surface for any white residue. If a residue is found repeat the second step. The last thing is after the surface is thoroughly clean, and no residue is found, follow manufactures specific recommendations for bare substrates.
I hope this answers any questions you may have."

The preceeding post in the same thread stated:

"Warm water and vinegar will remove the residue. I add in a red scotchbrite and have had great results with small parts. I havn't done a full car yet. I also don't know any paint company that is going to warranty a paint job. When I was painting full time we had a problem with a color and called the jobber, they did replace the paint but wouldn't cover our time wasted."

With that I would venture that the extra steps in cleaning and prep need to be taken if one is to sofablast a body.

Then I found this thread on Hotrodders.com

http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/once...ng-162700.html

[robin58]

That would be the same link I posted in #4 above

I agree no paint company is going to warranty a private at home paintjob, but to me it's indicative of the fact there can be issues after using soda blasting. Most of us painting at home do so under less than ideal circumstances and it's hard enough as it is to achieve good results. Getting hampered further with potential contamination issues to me only makes it even more complex. With all the other methods available to strip a paintjob, to me it just makes sense to chose the path of the least potential problems.

Like I said above, this topic usually gets heated which is why I steer clear of them. I followed debates on this topic for a while at hotrodders. Each time you had a handful saying they never had problems and you had professionals, a paint manufacturer and a Ford rep saying don't do it. When professionals with nothing to gain monetarily from others start warning, I tend to listen.

[mr48chev]

It shows that it pays to do one's homework before going out and using any of these medias to clean a body.
Thanks because you may just have saved me some grief down the road when I haul my cab off to be stripped by one method or another.

When some of these magazine writers say that "we sent the body off to soda blasted" before sending it to the paint shop they don't bother to tell that the painter had to do xx number of hours of prep work to make sure that the first coat of primer would stay on the metal.

[robin58]

FWIW similar warnings exist about painting over some rust treatment products. And I can personally attest to the fact that my epoxy failed where it came directly in contact with some.

[turp mcspray]

Fwiw.. I restore stuff for a living. To keep this short, 90% of the cars I have done in the last 15 years have been soda blasted. I have had zero problems. And I will leave it at that!

[50adrod]

I used Black Diamond blast media from Tractor Supply. the trick is to take your time and dont get crazy with the pressure. just like anything else you can srew it up if not careful. a DA sander can warp panels if not used right. I had great results with it and it is safe, no silica. the best thing is to get all the rust gone and prime only clean bare metal. I only use SPI epoxy and there instructions say do not soda blast.