Anyone ever hear of "Water blasting" for paint stripping?

[AKcharger]

Some guys at work were talking about a $300K soad/water blaster unit at Elglin AFB that is used to strip paint, they used in on Aircraft support equipment and said it  is the best. Anyone hear of anything like this used on cars? Sounds like it's a great soultion for stripping without mess of Acid dipping or warpage of media blasting...Anyone?

[kab69440]

I wouldn't recommend water blasting as I know it. I used to operate a Super High pressure blaster and with an abrasive nozzle,you can cut plate steel like butter. Even down at 5k psi, a spin-jet can evaporate a  2x4 with one quick swipe. If you've ever fired a 10 gauge shotgun, imagine that recoil being a constant pressure on your shoulder. and that's 8-10k psi, to say nothing of cranking the pump to it's limit of 35k psi. For anyone who believes that oil and water do not mix, you should see the waste from the crankcase of one of those pumps. Under enough pressure, they mix just fine and dandy.

[4402tuff4u]

It's used around here in boat yards. The guy comes around in a van with the equipment and strips the anti-fouling paint right off the bottom of the boats and does not harm the gelcoat on the fiberglass. It's used so you dont have the anti-fouling paint go airborne with the standard sand blaster. I guess they prefer if the copper latent paint goes right into the canal.   

[GreenMachine]

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[Ghoste]

It's used at our place to blast overspray off the walls and floors of the paint booths.  Definitely not for the average household use.

[Drop Top]

In the right hands its a very good way to strip your car. The main thing that dose the work is the bakeing soda thats mixed in the water. You can also use it with fine sand. But not recomended enless you have a rust problem. Its a very slow process takes all day to do an entire car. It dose as good a job as Plastic Meda but plastic is much faster. (Like soda Plastic wont warp metal eather). It costs about the same to have a car blasted with soda as it dose with plastic. The bigest problem with it is that it leaves a film on the car afterwords. To remove the film you have to wash the car down with vinager. Then with water after that. With Plastic all you have to do is blow it off/out after words.

[AKcharger]

Hmm, I gotcha just thinking of the best way to srip car down all the way to remove ANY rust. Car is still in good shape, plan it's next restration around 2010 (that sounds so futuristic)

[Todd Wilson]

In the right hands its a very good way to strip your car. The main thing that dose the work is the bakeing soda thats mixed in the water. You can also use it with fine sand. But not recomended enless you have a rust problem. Its a very slow process takes all day to do an entire car. It dose as good a job as Plastic Meda but plastic is much faster. (Like soda Plastic wont warp metal eather). It costs about the same to have a car blasted with soda as it dose with plastic. The bigest problem with it is that it leaves a film on the car afterwords. To remove the film you have to wash the car down with vinager. Then with water after that. With Plastic all you have to do is blow it off/out after words.

Does the water promote surface rust after you are done? I'd think the drying the car before you get rust would be a problem?


todd

[daytonalo]

I don't know why people are trying to reinvent the wheel !!!!!!!!!!!!! I have been sandblasting my resto projects for twenty five years !!!!!!!!!!!!

[Ghoste]

Sand still has it's place but there are specialised blasting media available today that can do a lot things that sand may not.  They all have their pros and cons but I wouldn't rule out considering something new.

[daytonalo]

For me , sand has always worked fine ! It is a fact that any other media wont remove rust , so you would still have to use sand on those areas . Plus I have a building and a tow behind diesel compressor used just for blasting !

[Drop Top]

Ghoste;
In answer to your question. The bakeing soda in the water keeps the metal from rusting. The only time you need to worry about rust on the bare metal is when you are washing off the vinager with the clean water. You need to do it a panel at a time and dry it off as fast as possable.
daytonalo;
Don't knock it till you try it. I don't like the way the sand leaves the metal after its been sand blasted. You my have had good results with sand. But in the wrong hands it can be very hard on the car. If you have a car that has been sitting around for 20 or so years with little or no paint on it. Then yes I would agree with you. But to just remove the paint so you can see what is hiding underneath. Then Plastic, or Soda Blasting is the way to go. The rust that you find on a car after it has been blasted usually will have to be cut out and replaced anyway. So theres no reasion to sand blast. Or if its just surface rust it can be taken care of in easier and better ways then sand blasting. With Plastic, Soda or Walnut Shells. It leaves the car looking like the day before it was painted at the factory. It dosent etch the metal so its easier to see what has been done from other body shops. With these kinds of Media you can also leave the factory primer in place if you so desire. Try doing that with sand blasting. Anyway you have alot invested in your Blasting room and I see why you wouldnt want to do it any other way. I used to strip cars with a D/A and stripper. That was alot of work. I had a few sand blasted. One was a compleat desaster. The other was ok. But it was better for me to go back to the D/A. I could strip a compleat car in about a day. If the paint wasn't too thick. Then when I first heard of these new ways of stripping paint, I looked into them. I found that I liked the Plasic Media the best. So that is the way I have everyone of my cars done now. In fact I used to own a plastic blasting machine. I just sold it due to the fact that I didn't have the time or room to do both the blasting and my restorations. I sold it to someone here in town and send him my work. Hes doing great with it. I wish you would be just a little but more open minded about these new mediasb and try it if its avalibul in your area.

[daytonalo]

Larry , I agree with you , soda blasting leaves the metal like the day it was stamped . Although all the cars that come in my shop are heavily rusted basket cases , so soda blasting will be like pissing on it . I do have a client that has a soda blasting business and will use him next time I have a rust free car that needs a full dip .
                                                                                                                           Larry

[AKcharger]

Hmm, I gotcha just thinking of the best way to srip car down all the way to remove ANY rust. Car is still in good shape, plan it's next restration around 2010 (that sounds so futuristic)

hmmm well the future's here, car's still in good shape, maybe 2014...

[ITSA426]

I remember, several years ago, the military was developing CO2 blasting to strip aircraft.  It sounded good because there was nothing to clean up but what came off the airplane as the CO2 sublimated and it was dry enough to simply vacuum or sweep up.

I haven't heard much about it since, so I guess it didn't work out; but I remember there being barrels of stripper and paint to clean off the floor with the conventional methods.  There are probably many other problems with freezing cold on aluminum airplane surfaces in concentrated areas.  There's a lot of surface area on a jumbo jet.

The water blasting I've seen would probably cut right through a car body panel, but removes carbon from hard metals easily.

I don't like sand on automotive body panels because I've seen it warp and stretch metal when not done well.