eesh, soda blasting.... trust me, it's a HUGE part of the marine biz.... it's all the rage these days.. takes about 4x's longer than sandblasting with standard 00 sand... it's good in some circumstances when ya want to be gentle... but there are cases where it can screw ya.. not to mention it's pricier..
I use to use a 1000 lb blaster alot to blast the mixers, dozers, etc.. I always found it to be fun... We had full air-supplied helmets, etc..
But just for record, I personally know of quite a few pro sandblasters that have died young..