Blast Media

[chiefheaphy]

Gonna blast my frame and other parts Sat. with a rental. Any recommendations for media type? Can I just use cheapo sandbox sand from Home D or Lowes? Er do I have to get Black Beauty? Im not building a show truck here, but do want to do it right.

Tape the surfaces I dont want getting blasted?

self etching primer right after?

 

[Thunder]

For frame I would just use the cheapest media I could find. If you dont care about reusing it.

Aluiminum oxide media works better and faster but costs more reuseable.

Black diamond is fairly cheap works better than sand with no silica dust reusable.

If you use sand be sure to use a resperator or at least a dust mask and a hood.. It produces silica dust which can screw up your lungs. I dont know if the non silica playground sand at HD will be coarse enough to do the work you want quickly.
You need a medium grit 20/40 sand to clean frames.

And yes and yes to your other questions

 

[chiefheaphy]

Thnks

HUge Help. I have the blaster for 24 hrs and I dont mind a little labor. Frame aint horrible, I think I'll try to get away with the sandbox sand.

 

[4by4bygod]

HUge Help. I have the blaster for 24 hrs and I dont mind a little labor. Frame aint horrible, I think I'll try to get away with the sandbox sand.

I wouldn't recommend the sandbox sand. it will pack up in the blasting equipment, and it isn't very coarse. play sand just bounces off stuff.

you need to buy actual sandblasting sand that has the ability to shear off the rust & scale.

How big of a compressor you got? little ones are a waste of time too.

 

[Thunder]

I wouldn't recommend the sandbox sand. it will pack up in the blasting equipment, and it isn't very coarse. play sand just bounces off stuff.

Yeah thats what I thought. I have never used it or heard about using it. But I looked at it one time because It had no silica but I thought it was too fine and soft to do any good.
I usually use Black diamond for steel.
Glass bead for aluminium/soft metal.
But for a one time thing with a rental just use sandblasting sand. it is harder and made for the job you are doing. Playground sand is made for kids. Sand blasting is a slow process. Put a tarp down to collect the sand. That way you can reuse and mix it with unused sand if you start running out.
Be sure to use a resperator. A hood is better than a face sheild . Face sheilds get dusty real quick and you cant see poop. Do the job outside if possible. If not make sure you are well ventlated.

 

[chiefheaphy]

Eff sand box sand.

I jst thought it would be easier to get. The rental place doesnt carry blast media.

 

[chiefheaphy]

How big of a compressor you got? little ones are a waste of time too.[/quote]

diesel tow behind

 

[ryoken]

if your going thru the hassle to blast it, zinc chromate it...

 

[chiefheaphy]

I would

Ive been callin all around lookin for the stuff, but nobody at paint or autobody stores has any idea what im talking about.

I think rustoleum 7400 series is what im looking for. My local Ace could order it with a part #.

 

[ryoken]

Well, if an autobody supply place doesn't know what zinc chromate is, they're smoking crack while sniffing their paint...

The most common, and best self etching primer for decades... he!!, you could do a frame with about 3 rattle cans of it... just need a piss coat...

 

[chiefheaphy]

Nice

Not much room for error with that can.


Any idea where you can pick up sandblast media?

 

[Thunder]

I jst thought it would be easier to get. The rental place doesnt carry blast media.

You can get the sand in bags from a local concrete/construction supply company. Or from a local sandblasting company. Look in the yellow pages under sandblasting. Many commercial paint supply stores also carry it.

 

[ryoken]

any place that sells aggregate should sell it bagged... We use to have good luck with 00 course sand when we did mixers, dumps, etc...

also, keep in mind you'll stil want to put a standard primer over the zinc.. preferably an epoxy...

 

[chiefheaphy]

Lbs.

What is a safe amount of media to purchase? Planning on doing the Frame, 2 axles and some other small brackets and x-members?

 

[fireplug]

Definitely DEFINITELY get real media and get something coarse. Blasting gets real old real quick, especially staring at the same square inch of metal waiting, waiting...

That said, if you are renting, check out the gun and tip or tips that they provide as some grits will not work well.

And as said, use a hood, that sand gets everywhere, and when it's hot it sucks getting it down your shirt right into your crack.

 

[txfiremank5]

I've used sandbox "play sand" with great results, but it wasn't on a frame. It's possible that my results are non-typical, but it worked great on old rusty and painted parts. Also worked great on new metal before painting.

I just catch everything in a cheap kids plastic swimming pool, and then reuse it several times. I didn't get any clogging at all, and mine isn't anything close to a pro set up. I have a craftsman cheapy blaster.

But for a tough job, (or if i was doing a frame) I would at the very least get something intended for blasting with.

 

[grimjaw]

I used Play Sand from Lowes when I blasted my Hummer rims. The paint they use is very tough. It took about 4 bags per rim. I would have liked to use Black Diamond or Star Bright but the driveway needed the sand. I am thinking of building a blast box so I can use better (high dollar) grit.

 

[chiefheaphy]

Black beauty

I got 800lbs at 15 bux a 100lb bag today. Better to have more than enough than not enough.

 

[kp texan]

We always use Black Beauty on our tug boats at work (I actually loaded 2000 lbs. of it in our work truck today, haha). I think it might be more for regulatory reasons but I've also heard it does a really good job.

-Wes