Bead Blasting

[68_R/T_Eric]

I was wondering if anyone knows or works for a good company that does Bead Blasting in or around the state of Utah? I'm just trying to way my options to start restoring 68 charger R/T

Thanks

-Eric

[Dave22443]

If your doing small parts, you may want to consider getting your own blasting cabinet.  I did and I love it.  It's fine to send out the big items for professional blasting, but there are hundreds of smaller items I've found I wanted blasted and it was a lot more economical to do it myself.  I've done valve covers, jacks, rims, air cleaners, suspension parts, hood hinges, door handles, etc.

Pick one up off eBay and have at it (media sold seperately).  Then go to Sears and get yourself one of those do-it-yourself powder coating guns (along with a cheap yard-sale oven) and your all set.

[rare69]

if you are going to restore a car you would be money ahead to buy a cabnit and do it your self, it will pay for its self in no time.

[Khyron]

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=45998

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=92597

[OttawaCharger]

I did just that - I went out and bought a sand blast cabinet at Princess Auto and assembled it. 
Question is Now what do I do.    What I mean is, can you guys recommend a specific media?
I saw glass media in two different courseness levels but I imagine that glass will dull quickly and not cut.  Sand on the other hand seems cheap should I use it or try something more exotic? 
Also, my cabinet didn't come with a dust collection system and blows rusty dust out the seams.  Would it ruin a shop vac to use it with all that ultra fine dust ?

[Charger_Fan]

Are you wanting to sandblast the car body, or just parts?

[Dave22443]

OttowaCharger,

  Not sure what others would reccomend but I'll give you my experience.

Glass = Great for polishing, bad for cutting off rust.  Yup, polishing.  I had an old set of center caps off my brothers jeep and we hit them with the glass and they shined right up!  Tried to strip some clear coat off some aluminum rims, didn't work so well.  I don't use glass anymore.

Sand = Cheap, cuts well and last a good time.  However, it retains moisture which quickly becomes a problem.  Wet sand will clog up the gun and make you cuss.  I used sand when I first started.  I don't use sand now.

Black Slag = Reasonable cost, lasts a good time.  Cuts pretty well and doesn't hold moisture like sand.  This is what I do all of my sanding with now.  It will leave a satin finish on metal which works really well if you are powdercoating you own parts.  However, it can leave residue so you have to clean it good with thinner before you powedercoat or paint.

Whatever you get, try to find a local supplier.  You can buy it online, but shipping will cost you more than the material, so watch it.

As for the dust problem, when you are running the gun, you are basically pressurizing your cabinet and all that air has to go somewhere.  What I did was take my old shop vac and put on two paper filters.  I then joined three hoses together that allows me to place the shop vac outside the garage.  I then connect to the vac portal on the side of my cabinet to pull out all the extra air and dust.  I put the vac outside for two reasons.  One, to cut down on noise and two, to keep any dust that does get past the filters out of the garage.  That dust is very fine and it can't be good to breath it. 

As for what it does to the vac, well, it gets pretty dirty, but so far it hasn't died and shop vacs are relatively cheap compaired to breathing in all that crap. 

-Dave

[Steve P.]

I love mine. So far I have only used sand and not yet tried the vacuum. I have a large water separator at the compressor and another one right at the cabinet inlet. I have no problem with wet sand at all and I live in Florida. You know, land of humidity.... 

I did buy a cheep shop vac at Home Depot. I will try it very soon. My buddy laughed when I said I was blind in the cabinet most of the time.. He has allways used a vac. and his cabinet stays clear. Live and learn..

Anyone here ever tried walnut shells??

[OttawaCharger]

Charger_fan - I'm looking to clean up parts with it.  Not the whole car.

Dave - That is exactly what I wanted to know!  Thank you very much!    And good idea on the shop vac.   I'll double up on the paper filter and see about locating it away from the cabinet.

472 R/T- Interesting cabinet.  I think my cabinet is going to be one of my favourite tools 

[rickhemi]

OttowaCharger,

  Not sure what others would reccomend but I'll give you my experience.

Glass = Great for polishing, bad for cutting off rust.  Yup, polishing.  I had an old set of center caps off my brothers jeep and we hit them with the glass and they shined right up!  Tried to strip some clear coat off some aluminum rims, didn't work so well.  I don't use glass anymore.

Sand = Cheap, cuts well and last a good time.  However, it retains moisture which quickly becomes a problem.  Wet sand will clog up the gun and make you cuss.  I used sand when I first started.  I don't use sand now.

Black Slag = Reasonable cost, lasts a good time.  Cuts pretty well and doesn't hold moisture like sand.  This is what I do all of my sanding with now.  It will leave a satin finish on metal which works really well if you are powdercoating you own parts.  However, it can leave residue so you have to clean it good with thinner before you powedercoat or paint.

Whatever you get, try to find a local supplier.  You can buy it online, but shipping will cost you more than the material, so watch it.

As for the dust problem, when you are running the gun, you are basically pressurizing your cabinet and all that air has to go somewhere.  What I did was take my old shop vac and put on two paper filters.  I then joined three hoses together that allows me to place the shop vac outside the garage.  I then connect to the vac portal on the side of my cabinet to pull out all the extra air and dust.  I put the vac outside for two reasons.  One, to cut down on noise and two, to keep any dust that does get past the filters out of the garage.  That dust is very fine and it can't be good to breath it. 

As for what it does to the vac, well, it gets pretty dirty, but so far it hasn't died and shop vacs are relatively cheap compaired to breathing in all that crap. 

-Dave

same opinion, black sand is maybe the best, as per dust , I use a wet and dry vacuum, cheap one from home depot, put some  water iinside and will collect most of dust in the water , that way filter stays clean longer.
Be carefull, the dust is very harmful, and might cause cancer, use always a good mask and keep kids away.

[OttawaCharger]

Water in the vac - another good idea! Thanks Rick.
I've tried it with a paper mask and I think that I'll be investing in a carbon filter mask sooner than later 

[Steve P.]

Are you guys talking about BLACK BEAUTY??   


How about walnut shells??

[Dave22443]

Sorry, I've never tried walnut shells.  They are not easy to get in my area so I've never had the chance.

[Steve P.]

i HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT AUTO PAINT SUPPLIERS HAVE OR CAN GET IT. (caps).. Sorry//


I want to try it. I have heard it leaves no residue and is easier  on sheet metal parts.

I have been using sand, but it leaves silica and it needs to be cleaned off before priming and painting..

[bull]

I use glass in my Harbor Freight cabinet but as said it really does take some time to get rid of the rust, unless it's pretty superficial.

[tecmopar]

I don't know where your cabinet is but mine is inside the garage/shop. Its been in use for about 8 yrs. now and still works great. Heres my set up-- The Large Harbor freight cabinet with a Craftsman 16 Gallon shop vac hooked to it BUT the trick is to get an extra hose and exhaust it outside. I actually have 3 hoses so I can place the vac itself outside. Without the vac your working blind real fast, and it keeps the noise level down. Also they sell cheap paper filter wraps that go around the filter. These help a lot because you don't need to clean the filter as much, just change the paper one. Change the inside glass shields often so you can see what your doing, they get torn up pretty fast. As far as media goes, for heavy steel/iron parts like bumper brackets, exhaust maniflds, chassis parts, anything thats not light steel, sand is fine. For Aluminum parts you want to use Glass bead. For sensative parts like cams, gears, electrical you use Walnut shells, and for light steel/tin use plastic media. The "Black Beauty" is aluminum oxide and very coarse. It cuts a little better then sand but its expensive, a bag of blasting sand is about 3.00. Good luck and have fun making your parts look new again. Another tid-bit is if you plan on painting these parts, do it as soon as you can after removing them from the cabinet as all steel parts will "Flash Rust" in about 15 mins. unless you live in Arizona or some other very dry area.

[Steve P.]

Very good info. Thanks, I'll bookmark this one..

I thought the Black Beauty was coal slag??  I know it is hazardous...   

[68_R/T_Eric]

I already have a 110 pound blaster from harbor freight and it works great for parts and everything on the small scale.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=38375

I'm acually looking for a place that will do my whole car. I was wondering if anyone had found a good place that does whole car bead blasting or anything along those lines?

[68_R/T_Eric]

Then go to Sears and get yourself one of those do-it-yourself powder coating guns (along with a cheap yard-sale oven) and your all set.

Thanx I was wondering what would be the cheapest way to go with powder coating and i was getting stuck on the oven part. I don't think my wife would enjoy me cook'n Mopar parts in the Kitchen! Yard-sale is a great idea

[Charger_Fan]

I'm acually looking for a place that will do my whole car. I was wondering if anyone had found a good place that does whole car bead blasting or anything along those lines?

That's sorta what I thought you were asking. I don't know of any place locally that can do it, but you could try asking around here; http://www.websitetoolbox.com/tool/mb/moparsofutah/

[Dave22443]

One note on that oven Eric, once it becomes a powdercoating oven, it will always be a powdercoating oven.  NEVER powdercoat in an oven you plan to cook food in. 

[Steve P.]

A buddy of mine made his own rotisserie and then went to SAM'S CLUB and bought a 10 x 20 canvas garage. It sets up just like a car port only it has 2 sides, a front and a zip in door. He said it was tight, but he did it at home in his driveway and it cost him 1/6th what the cheapest place was around here. When he was done with the rotisserie he sold it and made back everything he spent on the hole works.

I know he was sweeping up the spent sand and reusing it too.  Car turned out great...

[d72hemi]

I was wondering if anyone knows or works for a good company that does Bead Blasting in or around the state of Utah? I'm just trying to way my options to start restoring 68 charger R/T

Thanks

-Eric

Eric,

Call Jack Haris auto body, in Kaysville. If he can't do it, he will know how can. He does great paint work also. Where in Ut do you live? I am up in Roy (Hill AFB), have you been to the Mopars of UT website, they would know a lot of local (UT) information? I think it is www.moparsofutah.com sorry I cant verify that site at this time, The computer system I am using at this time restrics all "unknown" websites. I want through hell to get access to this one.  Good luck! By any chance are you the guy that lives around the corner from me, that often rides a motorcycle? he has a 68 R/T that he is working on, not to mention other Mopars.

[68_R/T_Eric]

Hey Guy's,

Thanks for all the good leads I appreciate the good tips and everything. I'll have to do some more searching around and all let you know what i find out.

  I actually live down here in Lehi, my dad is Oldguy on the site here and i just picked up this 1968 charger R/t out in ft Duchesne about a month ago and i am just looking at my options.

Thanks again and I'll try not to cook up some mopar parts in the oven here at home

[Spike]

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