sandblasting frustraions.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 112
Likes: 0
From: Toronto Ontario
sandblasting frustraions.
well i bought a frame which i just had staightened.now it's ready for sandblasting.the guy my shop deals with seems to have fallen off the planet.he originally quoted me $150 c.a.d.I have contacted every other s.b shop in the yellow pages here in toronto and nobody wants to do it.either they dont want to be responsible or they dont do automotive jobs.I found a place that does tractor trailers and hes telling me his machine has too much pressure and will blow holes in the frame(sounds like 
to me).I finally found a guy but he wants 600 bucks(he could kiss my a**).I booked off this weekend to start putting my chassis together and now im screwed.I dont know much about the proper procedure to do the job right.I do have a sandblaster which i have been cleaning all the smaller parts with but dont know if it will properly do the job.the frame is solid other than a couple of minor spots i was going to fix after sandblasting.can anyone tell me the proper proceedure and if i could do it myself or if anyone living in my area knows somone who can do the job at a reasnable price.sorry if this sounds stupid.
to me).I finally found a guy but he wants 600 bucks(he could kiss my a**).I booked off this weekend to start putting my chassis together and now im screwed.I dont know much about the proper procedure to do the job right.I do have a sandblaster which i have been cleaning all the smaller parts with but dont know if it will properly do the job.the frame is solid other than a couple of minor spots i was going to fix after sandblasting.can anyone tell me the proper proceedure and if i could do it myself or if anyone living in my area knows somone who can do the job at a reasnable price.sorry if this sounds stupid.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 7,720
Likes: 12
From: Chattanooga TN
If you have a decent air compressor you can do it yourself. I did. I bought a $135 sandblaster from Harbor Freight. The nozzle it came with is junk. Also, don't use the valve to modulate the flow, it will ruin it in short order-don't ask. I bought nozzles from TIP, but they sold out and I believe Brut Manufacturing sells their replacement parts now. You will probably use 10 50# bags of sand or so. That's only $30 or so for sand.
Racer
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 394
Likes: 0
From: Jackson, MS USA
I concur, for about half the 600, you could get a nice blaster from Harbour Freight. You could go with the 135 siphon model, but you will not be as pleased as you would with a pressure pot. you will need about 80-100 psi with about 9-13cfm. This is not a hard job.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 112
Likes: 0
From: Toronto Ontario
in my garage at home i have a 80 gallon 8 hp 140 psi compressor.I have a gun i bought at home depot.i have sand.if i spray in my back yard at full pressure do you think it will do the job?
The ORIGINAL and bestest
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 10,009
Likes: 240
From: Toronto Ontario
Toronto Events Coordinator
Don't sandblast it, get it dipped instead. Dipping removes all rust,everywhere! I had it done at a place in Brampton called Techno Strip for $300
Techno Strip Ltd
1 Blair drive
Brampton
905 459 6196
Techno Strip Ltd
1 Blair drive
Brampton
905 459 6196
Racer
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 394
Likes: 0
From: Jackson, MS USA
Yes, you have plenty of compressor. Now you need a good blaster. I do not think you will be impressed with the speed of a siphon gun, there is just not enough pressure or volume. A small pressure pot that you can purchase from Harbour Freight or Northern Tool (more expensive, not necessarily better) for less than $200. You could easily do the frame in an afternoon, depending on the current condition. However, after you blast it, you cannot touch it without gloves. If you touch it anywhere wipe it down with some type of solvent. You will need to put some type of Metal hold on it to protect the surface, unless you can prime it right away. If you go with POR, you will not need to prime.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 112
Likes: 0
From: Toronto Ontario
Originally Posted by 7t2vette
Don't sandblast it, get it dipped instead. Dipping removes all rust,everywhere! I had it done at a place in Brampton called Techno Strip for $300
Techno Strip Ltd
1 Blair drive
Brampton
905 459 6196
Techno Strip Ltd
1 Blair drive
Brampton
905 459 6196
thank you so much im going to call them tommorrow.
will it be just bare metal after?detials?any help much appreciated.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 2,672
Likes: 1
From: New Cumberland PA
It sounds like everyone is busy and doesn't want to make the time to do a single small job. Keep looking. Call some custom body shops and see if they will either do it or if they will be generous enough to tell you where to take. Many business in my area that sand blast do not advertise and they are impossible to find except word of mouth. A frame should take a couple of hours so you should be over a minimum labor time they have. The problem with blasting is it takes a big air compressor and a place to to it. I hung around a body shop for a couple of years when I was a teenager. The shop did some custom frame off work and eventually bought a huge deisel powered air compressor. That unit was about 15' long and 7' wide and could feed a lot of sand.
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The ORIGINAL and bestest
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 10,009
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From: Toronto Ontario
Toronto Events Coordinator
Originally Posted by allautomotive
thank you so much im going to call them tommorrow.
will it be just bare metal after?detials?any help much appreciated.
will it be just bare metal after?detials?any help much appreciated.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 2,545
Likes: 3
From: 406ci SB, AFR 180 Heads - 490 HP @5,600 RPM 529 lb-ft @ 4,100 RPM
If you have a chrome shop in your area, give them a call. If they have a big tank they can dip it also, then must have all rust removed before they can re-chrome anything...?
Safety Car
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 4,176
Likes: 7
From: Jennings LA
you can also rent a decent sized sandblaster for about $100.00 from a rental place, our local welding supply house rents them. there is no comparison between the home blaster and a comercial one. it is on a small trailer with a gas powered engine. it will cut your blasting time in half. and the sooner you are done with that messy job the better
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 1,995
Likes: 110
From: Garland Texas
If you do sandblast it yourself get a good faceshield and mask. A dustmask won't do. A paint respirator would be best. If you can taste or smell sand Stop. You don't have enough protection. Cover all the skin you can. Gloves are a must. Also someone to rinse you off before you go in the house.
Mike
Mike
Race Director
Joined: Apr 1999
Posts: 10,866
Likes: 717
From: Beverly Hills/Pine Ridge Florida
I'd rather suck a rotten egg than sandblast a frame. 
It's a MISERABLE time consuming, HOT job.
If you can find a "dipper", that's the way to go. I would gladly pay anyone to sandblast a frame. It's something you'll do once, and never again.
You'll have a mess. You'll be picking sand out of you hair and ears for days. You need protection....hood, respirator, etc. Chuck
It's a MISERABLE time consuming, HOT job.If you can find a "dipper", that's the way to go. I would gladly pay anyone to sandblast a frame. It's something you'll do once, and never again.
You'll have a mess. You'll be picking sand out of you hair and ears for days. You need protection....hood, respirator, etc. Chuck
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 1999
Posts: 2,675
Likes: 13
From: Sudbury MA
I agree with Chuck and others about dipping vs. sandblasting. You may not be able to get into all the nooks and crevices with the sandblaster whereas the dipping gets into every square inch and has the added benefit of leaving a protective coating EVERYWHERE on the frame. Seems like a much better alternative than blasting and hoping you get all the rust and then hoping you get paint everywhere quickly enough before new rust begins to form.
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 81,241
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From: altered state
St. Jude Donor '05
Originally Posted by gator79
you can also rent a decent sized sandblaster for about $100.00 from a rental place, our local welding supply house rents them. there is no comparison between the home blaster and a comercial one. it is on a small trailer with a gas powered engine. it will cut your blasting time in half. and the sooner you are done with that messy job the better
If you decide not to dip it, this is the way to go.Pic of a frame on another car I have after I blasted, metal prepped and sprayed with POR-15
Ignore the pic of the 73, its attached to my scanned image-Don't know how to cut it out...
Freshly sprayed with POR-15, carfeul-this stuff is toxic
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,562
Likes: 2
From: Spring Texas
Another issue with blasting is that you end up with sand inside of your frame. Its hard to get out, and may come out at an inopportune moment, such as when you are painting it. Don't ask me how I know.
Orville
Orville