Sandblasting

[Theoriginalsilverado]

Hey guys!
So I'm planning on renting an industrial sandblaster to sandblast my truck. It's $300 for one day. I'm planning on renting it for one day and blasting my whole truck. I'm going to use glass beads for the project.

My question is how much media will I need to sandblast the whole truck? When I say the whole truck, I seriously mean the whole truck. The chassis is empty- no motor no cab no bed. I'm going to blast the chassis, rear end, cab- in and out, the bed (which has a wooden floor so I don't need to blast the floor), all the suspension except for the rear leafs which is already done and painted. I may even blast my rims and engine block, depending on if I reuse my rims and if I have the engine ready for that by then.

[Orion88]

Unless you know what you're doing you will likely warp your flatter panels (especially the bed) from the heat created by the friction from the blasting. At least this is the case for sand, but since glass is made from silica i would think it would have the same effect. For the $300 to rent the blaster plus the money you would spend on media it really wouldn't be much more expensive to take it to a professional. It's a PITA job so it's usually worth the extra cash.

[hartbraker]

I'm not sure how much glass you'll need as I typically use sand when blasting... however, I think you should realize there is a very GREAT likelihood that you won't have enough time to sandblast the amount of metal you're talking about in a day. You would have to have a helper or equipment, things already set up on stands ready to be blasted and material sitting there waiting and you'd still likely be there for longer than 12 hours. That's no small task. However, good luck, and I hope another forum member is more knowledgeable with the type of material you're using so he/she can get you headed in the right direction.

[motornut]

going all out?make sure you have a good/proper mask.

[Nin92]

Originally Posted by Orion88

Unless you know what you're doing you will likely warp your flatter panels (especially the bed) from the heat created by the friction from the blasting. At least this is the case for sand, but since glass is made from silica i would think it would have the same effect. For the $300 to rent the blaster plus the money you would spend on media it really wouldn't be much more expensive to take it to a professional. It's a PITA job so it's usually worth the extra cash.

This ^^ media blasting is dirty nasty work. For that price you could have a professional to do it and not have to worry about any of the hassle but still get the reward. I'd be worried about oil canning the sheet metal with the heat from blasting as a novice as It doesn't take much to do. You'll be much happier in the end with just about as much spent.

[Theoriginalsilverado]

I would have it done professionally, but unfortunately the sandblaster I plan on renting is the only sandblasting service available on the island. (I live in Newfoundland) There is nowhere that you can take a car or truck to be sandblasted. There is just one company that offers their sandblaster to be rented. And this company is actually trying to sell their blaster at this time, so if it's bought, then I'm out of luck. Plus right now it's been rented for a whole month for a large industrial job, and if the guy renting it thinks it's cheaper to buy then rent then I may never get to sandblast my truck.

And about warping the metal with friction and heat, is it really that easy? And that's why I was going to use glass, the company actually recommended it to avoid that exact problem..

Thanks for your help,

[Just call me Sean]

Buy that sucker, practice on your truck, then start your own buisness and become the only sandblaster on the island.

[79Betty]

Originally Posted by just call me sean

buy that sucker, practice on your truck, then start your own buisness and become the only sandblaster on the island.

cha!!! Ching!!!!!

[Theoriginalsilverado]

Originally Posted by Just call me Sean

Buy that sucker, practice on your truck, then start your own buisness and become the only sandblaster on the island.

Haha not a bad idea. Unfortunately I'm only 16 years old, any money I make will go towards my truck, and I'm still in high school hahaha

[ont_guy_38]

I did auto body work for years and yes I have seen many vehicles that were sandblasted and not even repairable after that. You will be fine with the chassis though.