DIY Sandblasting (1 Viewer)

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greentruck

greentruck

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After making a few calls from leads in the local Yellow Pages, it seems that finding someone to sandblast something like a CDN M101 is just not going to happen. If I had a bridge or something big...

Basically, for the most part it's very light surface rust, with a few spots that are a little heavier down underneath.

So I think this can't be that big a deal. I know I need a compressor, some sand, and protective gear. I've got a small compressor (2.1 CFM @ 90 psi), goggles, and a mask. I'm also a model railroader and we sometimes use baking soda to do soda blasting on a very small scale:)
I'm thinking I can get what I need from the local Harbor Freight, as there's nothing fancy about this, I'm thinking, right? And no bigger than the trailer is, even if it's a little slow because the compressor's not too big, do I have enough compressor to do the job?

Other's probably have similar issues with their surplus trailers, so thought I'd just ask here.
 
would be interested also...mainly for my rig and an eventual trailer...

i used to be into model rr ...but...my son mostly destroyed them all one day....sooo...thats on hold for awhile :)
 
Love to see you try it out, as I think self-blasting would be convenient and minimize the amount of time my cruiser is in small pieces. Don't know where, but somehow I got the idea that the size of compressor you mention is too small. That said, I have never seen mention of a "right" or "minimum" size. Maybe its a time trade-off.
 
full disclaimer: I don't know what I'm talking about, though i've had a tiny bit of experience.

I sandblasted some spots on the underside of my jeep in college. it was a really messy project, and that compressor is likely not big enough. the one I got I rented from a local place, and the compressor was so big it was on wheels (I hooked it up to the trailer hitch and drove it home)

in addition to making a mess in general, you want to be careful about the dust it creates... apparently "sand" or slag creates dust that could make you sick (sillicois I think?) anyway, you'll want to be very careful. I'd suggest making an enclosure in your driveway out of PVC and tarps to keep it from going everywhere. the compressor I rented also had a forced air line for me to use as an air supply to the mask I was wearing.

it might be outside of the scope of this forum, but i'm sure there's good resources on sandblasting somewhere on the internet.

for what it's worth, I had a shop blast my disassembled m416. they did a great job and repainted it too. it wasnt' exactly cheap, but having "sand"blasted once before myself, it was totally worth it.


as a complete aside for YEARS after I blasted that jeep, everytime I hit a large bump, sand would get knocked loose and fall out of hidden crevices!
 
How about folks that do "media' blasting...unless I have the term wrong, I think these companies do it on a smaller scale(say trailer size) Check with some local body shops or auto restorers.

Good luck
 
greentruck said:
After making a few calls from leads in the local Yellow Pages, it seems that finding someone to sandblast something like a CDN M101 is just not going to happen. If I had a bridge or something big...

Basically, for the most part it's very light surface rust, with a few spots that are a little heavier down underneath.

So I think this can't be that big a deal. I know I need a compressor, some sand, and protective gear. I've got a small compressor (2.1 CFM @ 90 psi), goggles, and a mask. I'm also a model railroader and we sometimes use baking soda to do soda blasting on a very small scale:)
I'm thinking I can get what I need from the local Harbor Freight, as there's nothing fancy about this, I'm thinking, right? And no bigger than the trailer is, even if it's a little slow because the compressor's not too big, do I have enough compressor to do the job?

Other's probably have similar issues with their surplus trailers, so thought I'd just ask here.
Click to expand...


You don't have anywhere near enough compressor to get the job done before you die of old age. Requirements start about about 9 cfm minimum and that is at 80 psi running a 3/32 blast tip. To me that is the bare minimum and to be honest, I don't know if you can even GO smaller than a 3/32 tip.

You are right in that there is nothing really fancy about it, but the number one issue is having enough compressor to get the job done, and honestly you don't.

Someone mentioned media blasting. It's all media blasting. The media part refers to what you are blasting with. It can be sand (not recommended), soda, aluminum, crushed glass, walnut shells, on and on.

Anyone interested in some quick and dirty lessons on blasting and compressor requirements should head over to texasblaster.com (no affiliation). There is some pretty handy info for the uninformed.
 
I haven't been by the local HF yet, but I was in a local farm store today. For $150, they had a kit that included the tank, funnel to load it, hose and nozzle, hood, and gloves. It requires 9 CFM at 80 psi, so my puny compressor won't be enough to feed it. But I was thinking about getting a bigger compressor anyway to drive tools to work on the truck.

By the time I factor in a big enough compressor, I'm sure things will be well over $500, but I imagine that even if I can find someone to do the job, it would cost me the better part of that.

Yes, it's a messy biz, but I have a great spot to do it by my garage where my 8 foot fence can provide a windbreak and a place to throw up some tarps to keep the media from drifting if I go with this. I just don't think that any other method will really work as effectively in dealing with the surface rust, while leaving the metal in good shape to take a finish.
 
tgreening,
Thanks for posting the link to texasblaster.com

That looks like the shiznitz. The one I was looking at was definitely the cheap knock-off. Not sure I can justify more the the cheap knock-off on my budget, though.
 
greentruck said:
tgreening,
Thanks for posting the link to texasblaster.com

That looks like the shiznitz. The one I was looking at was definitely the cheap knock-off. Not sure I can justify more the the cheap knock-off on my budget, though.
Click to expand...


No problem, and look at it this way, you will NEVER regret having "too much" compressor. No such thing! I have a pair of 5 horse industrials paralleled in one garage, and another 5 horse in my other garage. At my shop I have a 50 horse Quincy screw compressor with a 25 horse for backup. Ridiculous amounts of air at my shop and plenty at home. If I have heavy blasting to do I take it to my shop, otherwise I'm good to go at home.


Think carefully about HF knock-off. I bought one of their cabinet blasters and was less than impressed. It will be relatively functional but not without investing some time and money to make it so.

If you have a place to blast, blasters are much like a welder. Once you get one you'll find all KINDS of projects for it. Think of it as a long term investment. Try checking out your local craigslist and such. Keep an eye on fleabay, local papers for auctions etc. You might be able to pick up a good used unit for less than new, but still be ahead quality wise in comparison to HF.

Good luck.
 
Find someone blasting a swimming pool and see if they will do your small job at the same time. MIke
 
try asking them guys that do powder coating.. most places dont advertise it but offer this service..
Even with the right equipment sandblasting sucks..
I had someone come to my place and sand blast the trailer I have..it was cool seen then blast away but, damn what a mess.
There was sand blowing off of the roof until the first good rains came through.. not worth the effort and $$.

Good luck..
 
5 minutes with a sandblaster = 1 week at the beach

sand in every orifice:rolleyes:

I have a little one that I use off my large shop compressor when there is no way that I can possibly get at with one of my grinders (angle, die, etc.) Sandblasting sucks IMHO.:frown:
 
Yeah, I know what a mess it is. But this is the Midwest. Plenty of rain to wash the sand away into the lush grass. Not enough people with pools to find someone doing blasting to do a job like mine on the side.

And everybody expects stuff to rust to nothing if it runs on the road in the winter, so why bother?:ban:

I actually haven't been to HF yet. The kit I found today was probably one step below that, if anything. If I bite on something that cheap, it's because I met the marketing scenario, hoping it runs long enough to do the one job I bought it for, then it feels like a bonus if I get something else done with it.

Ah, but a bigger compressor would be golden. That's where the $$ will go, I imagine, on my budget. Next thing after get the rust cleaned up is primer and new paint and I think this is too big a job for rattlecans, at least the base coats.

Now if I can just track down one Hook - Tarpaulin, NSN 5340-01-330-2622. Darned if the back one isn't missing.
 
x2 on checking out a couple of powdercoaters. I had some rails, etc done on my INTI rack and talked to the guy about the trailer. Sight unseen, he ballparked about $600 to blast, prime and powdercoat the trailer and he does offroading and was familiar with the size of these things.
 
In Calgary we have a place on the edge of town that has several industrial sandblasters set up in a lot that you can use by the minute. They give you a hood and turn on the air. I did my powder coated winch bumper in about 45 min. Maybe if you got into an industrial area there might be a place like this. Good luck.
 
Brent,
The powdercoat thing is an idea, but nothing in the Yellow Pages. I think I'm pretty much stuck with auto body shops, which may work, but they tend to be pretty proud of their work these days (and I would be, too, with all the regs, etc).

Looking through this did remind me that the local community college has a body shop program and something straight and easy might be just the ticket if estimates from the body shop guys come in too high.

So l'm going to get my axle back together over the weekend, then see what others want to charge, then see if that kind of money would be better sunk into the gear I'd nee to DIY. Hard to say at this point. I can paint, that's no big deal, and I'm sure I can deal with a little blasting. The trailer is not that bad, really, just more than what sandpaper can deal with, so it's not like I'm cleaning up a battleship in the driveway if I do go in that direction.
 
Ask around with a few welding/fabrication shops. That's where I got the recommendations for powdercoaters here in OC.
 
Greentruck,

How close are you to Omaha? I know a couple of places that can do this sort of stuff... If it is small enough I can maybe get it done at work but no guarantee on that. Send me a PM if you like.

Dan
 
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