Dustless Blasting Inquiry

[3739ford]

Did a search and read the two threads on Dustless Blasting. I had a guy come look at the 39 Pickup today and quoted me a price for doing both sides of each piece once I get it dismantled.

Anyone had bad experience doing this? The guy stated he has done several cars with nothing going wrong.

I have been cautioned by many not to get sand blasted as the heat will warp the metal. I have a big wide open farm already with sandy soil so blasting outside is not a problem.

[Newc]

Hi; I use a low pressure and have never warped my own metal. Love the outside Summer time for blasting. Newc

[Tinker]

Only thing I can say if they come to your house lay-down tarps ( a couple tarps would have done it) or get ready to to remove sand (glass). Most just washed away. After a month I didn't see anything (sandbar living florida coastal at the time, grass would have been even faster), if you have land just do it in an area that's open. Worked great for me. No warps and clean pieces. Great system.

thread I did
https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=170854

[1948F-1Pickup]

Dry Ice Blasting Services Inc, Birmingham AL

[flatheadmurre]

Originally Posted by 1948F-1Pickup

Dry Ice Blasting Services Inc, Birmingham AL

Dry ice cuts very little...

If i would sort them from most to less abrasive it will be:
Sand
Glas
Soda
Dry ice

Adding water to the air keeps the heat down to prevent warping and helps with the working enviroment.

[pooch]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

I was a commercial car body sandblaster for 25 years.

No heat in sandblasting.

If there is any, the air stream cancels it out.

I have sandblasted intensely on one side of a sheet of steel and held an IR gun on the other side.

No extra heat at all.

Sandblasting stretches metal.

The trick is to not over stretch the panel, but let it relax down to its normal state.

Take a piece of flat sheet steel and see how far you can bend it before it overbends and work hardens and does not spring back, the same with sandblasting, work the panel to no more than the work harden.

Of course I was doing it for a living , so I was using 175 CFM and a 5/16 nozzle and 100 PSI.

With a lesser blaster or any of the toys from HF, you will never damage a panel even if you tried.

When I hear of 40 PSI and a 1/8 nozzle I laugh, a guy would take all day to do just a single panel.

Never ever sandblast a slightly concave surface, although old fords are pretty strong and will probably survive a concave stretch inwards.

And never ever sandblast over any internal reinforcing ribs or through holes on to the outside skin from inside.

The suck in concave stretch will look exactly like it was blown inwards from the outside.

[flatheadmurre]

Whatever that water in the air does it works...if it acts like a cushion for the impact of the abrasive or deals with heat.
And the rust inhibitor in it keeps the metal from flash rusting after your done.
I have 2 setups a regular norclean unit and a clemco softclean the later with glas can do very thin sheetmetal with no issues.

[pooch]

Yes, I believe the water cushions the impact of stretching the metal.

[3739ford]

Tinker, your thread was one of two I read and I am glad you responded since it has been a little while since you had yours done wanted to see if anything showed up.

I was really hoping no bad experiences as I was really wanting him to come to me rather than me take all the parts. I have a spot behind the barn just perfect for blasting.

I was actually thinking about letting him do the 63 Impala in a couple of weeks to see how things turned out. Since the pickup is sitting behind the barn and in full sun right now is not a good time to be out all day with no shade.

Thanks for all the responses I really appreciate them. I am a family man like most, but with a passion for very deceased rusted carcasses with limited funds.

[19Fordy]

Use chemical stripper on sheet metal.
Use sand blasting on other parts like the suspension and frame.

[1948F-1Pickup]

Originally Posted by flatheadmurre

Dry ice cuts very little...

If i would sort them from most to less abrasive it will be:
Sand
Glas
Soda
Dry ice

Adding water to the air keeps the heat down to prevent warping and helps with the working enviroment.

Is that a fact?
Dry ice blasting was used to clean the turret of the USS Monitor, which was
under the Atlantic for 150 years. Exactly how tough do you think 3739ford's cleaning job will be?

[flatheadmurre]

Dry ice blasting is used for cleaning machines from grease tar and other difficult stuff and leaves the paint intact...common in food industry to since the big benefit is that it leaves no abrasive after it´s done.
Perhaps different sizes of ice pellets do a big difference in how tough job it does.
But from what i´ve seen it´s a very good way of dealing with sticky stuff on fragile surfaces.

[TagMan]

A good friend of mine used a guy that just had started in the dustless sandblasting business. The guy had the pressure cranked up to "get 'er done" ASAP and warped his hood, hood and the door panels.

If you use this system, make sure you or whoever's doing itbe aware of what the high pressure can do to sheet metal.

[rotorwrench]

I'm surprised the EPA hasn't put a ban on dry ice (frozen CO2) blasting the way they lament about power plant emissions. I guess the government needs it too much to do that.

Dry ice works in two ways. It works in the normal way as a solid shot onto a part to abrade the surface materials off and it also works in another way as it quick freezes the crud on there causing a split second temperature shock which actually aids in removal of unwanted surface materials.

I like that new laser method of crud removal. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLaBFkeHG0A

[3739ford]

Beam me up Scottie, I want one of those Laser's! I would do the whole truck myself.

That's a little high tech for here Bubba would be trying to tan cow hides with it.

[rod father 1944]

I had to do some metal work on sheetmetal that had been blasted by the dustless method and it was very difficult, The metal had been hardened by too much pressure.Never use more than 40 pounds and keep the tip at an amgle to the work. I use paint remover first to take off paint.

[BrianCT]

Originally Posted by rotorwrench

I'm surprised the EPA hasn't put a ban on dry ice (frozen CO2) blasting the way they lament about power plant emissions. I guess the government needs it too much to do that.

Dry ice works in two ways. It works in the normal way as a solid shot onto a part to abrade the surface materials off and it also works in another way as it quick freezes the crud on there causing a split second temperature shock which actually aids in removal of unwanted surface materials.

I like that new laser method of crud removal. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLaBFkeHG0A

Since CO2 is removed from the air to make dry ice it is a zero sum change.

[pooch]

Ask a greenie how much CO2 there is in the atmosphere.

You will be very surprised how little they know.

They usually start at a guess of about 10 %.

After you say lower a a few times and they guess some more, you can finally inform them that it is only 39 PARTS PER MILLION.

[rotorwrench]

I used to make dry ice but back then I had the compression box and the big bottle of liquid CO2. I just use the deep freeze to chill parts these days. When I was still living in the four corners region of Colorado, they drilled wells for CO2 so they could pipeline the stuff down to a gas plant near Amarillo, TX. They had to use stainless steel pipe for that gig. I would like to have a very small percent of what that cost in my pocket. I'd never have to work for money again.

The EPA says that there is too much in the atmosphere but their percentage is still breathable. A person may not want to try and breath the emissions from an electric plant though. At least not until it's mixed in the air a little better. There is a reason we don't carry CO2 fire extinguishers in the aircraft and it doesn't have anything to do with is being a green house gas.

[mrtexas]

Originally Posted by pooch

Ask a greenie how much CO2 there is in the atmosphere.

You will be very surprised how little they know.

They usually start at a guess of about 10 %.

After you say lower a a few times and they guess some more, you can finally inform them that it is only 39 PARTS PER MILLION.

Umm it is about 400 ppm, used to be 300ppm.