Sand blast a cab or not

[LT1 Burb]

I am wondering how much luck you guys have had with sandblasting. I don't really want to cough up the 1000.00 for acid dipping nor do I want to spend 4 hours driving to get it soda blasted so my options are , lots of sanding discs or get it blasted locally.

[TopFuel1966]

If the sandblaster doesn't know what he's doing he can really screw your stuff up. Sand = heat = warped sheetmetal. I'd be very careful.

[flips72]

i was afraid to let someone do mine so i took it down to bare metal with a da and 80 grit, but i did blast my door jambs,windshield frame and drip rail(after i dug out the seam sealer)but i did it myself. someone can cost you alot of time and money if they dont know what there doing, or just dont care.

[RAYDAY]

things like door jam floor fire wall you can blast pretty safe but roof door skin back of cab u r better to strip with aircraft remover and a da. you can strip big flat panels pretty fast with a razor blade to. done a ton of cars with a razor its not as bad as you think!

[55reasons]

Trust me, and if you're skeptical, look it up for yourself.

Look into Walnut blasting. Seriously.

Sand can warp the metal because silica has a higher hardness.

Walnut shell is harder than paint, but softer than steel.
You can pretty much blast the hell out of it without warping your sheet metal.

Dipping is a bad practice. There is always a crack or two that you can't get the acid out of. It will either come out one day and bring the new paint with it, or sit and eat away at the steel.

That's my .02 based on my projects.

Sand is a last resort media on sheet metal...

Repeat after me.... "Walnut Shell"

http://www.kramerindustriesonline.co...nut-shells.htm

[HOTFUN]

My dry blaster uses plastic beads for paint removal first and then switches over to silca for touching up only the heavily rusty areas. I had my 56 Bel Air 2 door sedan body done to bare metal inside and out and underside too but no front sheet metal or deck lid for $400 about 7 years ago. I plan to do the same with my 66 cab.

[66farmer]

I had every piece on the truck sand blasted. No problem the guy that did mine knows what he's doing he's done hundred's.

[55reasons]

If you know a guy that is guaranteed to NOT screw it up then sand is ok on this thick metal.

But a monkey can do a concourse job with a couple bags of walnut shell.

It depends on what/who you have at your disposal.

The guy I got my truck from has done a bunch of magazine feature cars. He has been using the same body shop forever and just on his last truck the sandblaster totally warped the bed with the sandblaster, so even the "pros" can do a number on a straight panel if conditions aren't perfect.
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[padresag]

see what happened with Alan's hood. he was lucky to save it though. depends on how knowledgeable the blaster is and if you can trust to do it
ron

[MOTOIMPAIRED]

I stripped my whole truck with these abrasive pads from Harbor Freight. They blast right through the layers of paint and dont heat up. The difficult areas I used paint stripper nd pressure washer with a follow up of dish soap and simple green. Worked like a charm just took a little time and made a dusty mess...

[Dino Driver]

From what I have seen, Soda blasting is the newest thing. Apparently they use baking soda and does not heat up the panels near as much. I have heard that acid dipping does a great job but if the company does not do a good job of neutralizing your paint will bubble down the line. And then there is trying to get all that bare metal hidden behind panels that you'll have to find a way to treat.

[Captainfab]

I'm a advocate of abrasive blasting as a way to remove all paint and rust, so that you can see just what you have, and what needs repaired. Plus it is the best way to start with a new paint job. That way nothing any previous painter or bodyman did is going to comprimise your new paint job. Abrasive blasting is also the best way to etch the metal for a superior body of the primer used......an epoxy is the best.

Of course I have an advantage as I have a friend, that has an abrasive blasting business, and he knows how to strip autobody sheetmetal. As has been already mentioned, you do not want just anyone blasting on sheetmetal. An inexperienced person can totally ruin your body parts. This is where sandblasting has gotten a bad rep, from people that don't know what they're doing. You also don't want anyone using silica sand on your body parts, nor any other parts for that matter. The silica that becomes embedded in the pores of the steel can very likely cause issues with primers that are used these days. There's my .02

[55reasons]

Originally Posted by Dino Driver

From what I have seen, Soda blasting is the newest thing. Apparently they use baking soda and does not heat up the panels near as much. I have heard that acid dipping does a great job but if the company does not do a good job of neutralizing your paint will bubble down the line. And then there is trying to get all that bare metal hidden behind panels that you'll have to find a way to treat.

I use soda blasting all the time. It works really well on aluminum, but it really doesn't cut through rust without way too many cycles.

It's great for removing paint from soft metal, or thin paint from thin metal, but I still would take walnut shell or plastic beads over it for a large job.

[55reasons]

Originally Posted by Captainfab

I'm a advocate of abrasive blasting as a way to remove all paint and rust, so that you can see just what you have, and what needs repaired. Plus it is the best way to start with a new paint job. That way nothing any previous painter or bodyman did is going to comprimise your new paint job. Abrasive blasting is also the best way to etch the metal for a superior body of the primer used......an epoxy is the best.

As has been already mentioned, you do not want just anyone blasting on sheetmetal. An inexperienced person can totally ruin your body parts. This is where sandblasting has gotten a bad rep, from people that don't know what they're doing. You also don't want anyone using silica sand on your body parts, nor any other parts for that matter. The silica that becomes embedded in the pores of the steel can very likely cause issues with primers that are used these days. There's my .02

I couldn't agree more.

[55reasons]

I should mention also that Walnut shell can be used without inhalation concerns. (unless you have a nut allergy)

[Captainfab]

Soda blasting isn't all it's cracked up to be either. It is just too difficult to get all the soda out from all the nooks and crannies. Plus some of it becomes embedded into the metal pores, similar to using silica sand. I know PPG will not guarantee their paint if the substrate has been soda blasted. There are a couple other paint companies that will not as well, just can't remember who they are at the moment.

[55reasons]

Believe it or not, if you use a water jet (waterpik used for cleaning your teeth with pressurized mouthwash solution) with vinegar on the soda blasted pieces, you can actually neutralize it and get it out of the pores, but yeah, it has a very limited application.

it even foams up like the old elementary school volcanoes..

It's good for use on aluminum wheels that are going to be powdercoated. Powdercoat doesn't seam to care about the soda.

[aerotruk63]

1987 a guy sand blasted my cab who's daily work was blasting tractor trailer frames. When we brought him the cab and placed it in his make shift booth constructed of stacked and piled Sea Containers he took his hose about 50ft. away from the cab and started blasting. Took it all down to bare metal without distorting the panels.

[LT1 Burb]

Thanks guys, I guess the roof and back of cab would strip fairly easily but its the rust on the floor boards that really needs to be hit hard.

[kieth]

We walnut shell blasted my cab and all parts of the truck. Was not crazy expensive and it left a residue of oil on the parts so they did not immediately rust. Kieth

[chevyguys]

I use plastic media stripping... It's fast and cheap, and to have it professionaly done it was 275.00 for my cab in this area. I've been using this process for about 12 years now and LOVE it. Nice clean parts. Easy to prep with excellent results. Here's some pics...

[Captainfab]

Hmmm interesting. I've always been told that plastic media does not remove rust. I don't see a speck of rust on your cab.

Originally Posted by chevyguys

I use plastic media stripping... It's fast and cheap, and to have it professionaly done it was 275.00 for my cab in this area. I've been using this process for about 12 years now and LOVE it. Nice clean parts. Easy to prep with excellent results. Here's some pics...

[55reasons]

Originally Posted by Captainfab

Hmmm interesting. I've always been told that plastic media does not remove rust. I don't see a speck of rust on your cab.

Here's a quote captured from another site that sells various different kinds of blasting supplies:

"Within the past 10 years or so, industry has been slowly converting from sand as a blasting agent to chopped nut shells (almonds and walnuts are very popular) and plastic media blasting agents. Body and paint shops are using walnut shell media blasting agents more and more for the removal of paint. This is because of the sharp edges on the crushed walnut shells which help to remove the paint much quicker. Plastic will remove the rust without digging into the underlying metal. This means there will be less panel repairing required when the media blasting is completed. Plastic is slowly becoming the media blasting agent of choice because it is easily recyclable and less costly than sand.
Typically, used sand was discarded as hazardous waste, because the paint chips mixed with sand can’t be easily or economically removed. With a small reclamation system, plastic media can have the rust and paint contaminants easily removed, thus making the media recyclable."

[lucifer]

It all comes down to how competent the person doing the blasting is!

Getting any job done properly is contingent on the operator doesn't matter if its painting, welding, concrete sidewalks, roofing,etc.

I had my truck completely sandblasted inside and out with zero disptorion or problems of any kind.

[kieth]

Originally Posted by LT1 Burb

I am wondering how much luck you guys have had with sandblasting. I don't really want to cough up the 1000.00 for acid dipping nor do I want to spend 4 hours driving to get it soda blasted so my options are , lots of sanding discs or get it blasted locally.

You could blast the floor pan with sand where the heavy rust is, one usually bead or walnut shell blasts the body so it will not warp the body panels. The floor pan is heavily formed and made from thick material so sand blasting it will not deform the floor . Kieth