I have had my hj47 ute tub in storage for a few years now and the paint was in reasonable nic so I thought.My plan was to sand and paint but after close inspection today realize that there is a lot of rust coming through where chips and scratches were in the paint.I really wanted to stay away from sandblasting because if you get someone who doesn't know what they are doing they can make a real mess of it.Anyones opinions or experiance with blasting be it sand soda ,walnut husk whatever just let me know what you think.Getting it done could take months and months of my restoration.Does the softer media blasting take off rust and body filler?Do you blast and seal first then carry out body work or the other way around?Any info would help!I really want this to be a top paint job and 95 % of the finish is in the prep I would like to get it right.Thanks Shamus
to blast or not to blast
- Thread starter shamuslan
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Coolerman
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Posting up a pic of the tub would help us evaluate it. Having never used soda or walnut shells I can't comment on their effectivness at rust removal, but sand or aluminum oxide will remove anything. 
With the thickness of the HJ47 panels you will not have to worry about warping unless the person blasting has never done a body before. Just find a blasting shop with experience and you will be fine.
Immediately after blasting the body needs to be air blown to remove all the heavy particles then wiped down with acetone or something similar. Then shoot a coat of primer. Now you can take your time with the body work as it wont start rusting before your eyes!
Good Luck!
With the thickness of the HJ47 panels you will not have to worry about warping unless the person blasting has never done a body before. Just find a blasting shop with experience and you will be fine.
Immediately after blasting the body needs to be air blown to remove all the heavy particles then wiped down with acetone or something similar. Then shoot a coat of primer. Now you can take your time with the body work as it wont start rusting before your eyes!
Good Luck!
I chemically stripped my hood ("bonnet" down under) and fuel tank cover to prevent sheet metal warpage. What was shocking was the distance that small tendrals of rust had crept under the paint. One small chip could create a network of rust ribbons that could be 3-4cm in diameter.
What ever you do, get it stripped and treated.
jC
What ever you do, get it stripped and treated.
jC
I'm actually pondering the same thing however, I just attended a short seminar on soda blasting vs sand blasting. Each has their fine points so in my opinion it would boil down to the operators experience and cost difference. The soda can remove paint down to the metal and not pit the paint or damage glass if you left it in place where the sand will and if the operator is inexperienced in blasting a body with sand he can cause more damage creating more body work for you in the end. The one big draw back I saw with soda blasting is it uses water so you have to clean and prime the body directly after blasting or it will almost insantly begin to form surface rust.
The guy helping me with the bodywork would not even discuss blasting. I went behind his back and blasted my bezel. Man did he drive a point home. It fits like crap now. It warped really bad. I used a silicon blaster in automotive machine shop. About an 1/8 gap on the outside of the bezel.
About an 1/8 gap on the outside of the bezel.
Actually soda blasting does not use water. In fact, just the opposite of what you said. I blasted every panel on my truck. The soda will impart a film that will hold back flash rust. You cant leave it out in the rain for 3 months, but I have parts that were soda blasted over a year ago and have not rusted at all-they are in the basement of my house. Also-the soda WILL NOT take off rust. It will remove all the paint and will not harm rubber gaskets, but you will have to sand/other blast if you have any rust that currently exists. Glass bead is effective on rust and safer to panels than aluminum oxide.
i did see a short video segment on soda blasting. i think it was "truck u" or some thing like that and it actually worked pretty well. they did have a water mister set up to help cut down on the dust flying all over. but said the water was not necessary. their recommendation was soda over sand. safer for the body panels, safe for you and the enviro and the soda "they said" left a film that may actually keep you from getting "flash rust" on the body. said if you are in a dryer enviro you could leave with the soda film on it for quite some time. just clean well before prime and paint.
steve
steve
Josie'sLandCruiser
Stop calling it a "FJ."
Hi All:
I had a 2/3s body tub sand blasted for a swap onto my FJ40. I think it is well worth the effort and $$ to get down to bare metal so you know completely what you are up against.
Regards,
Alan
I had a 2/3s body tub sand blasted for a swap onto my FJ40. I think it is well worth the effort and $$ to get down to bare metal so you know completely what you are up against.
Regards,
Alan
The guy helping me with the bodywork would not even discuss blasting. I went behind his back and blasted my bezel. Man did he drive a point home. It fits like crap now. It warped really bad. I used a silicon blaster in automotive machine shop.
Just an FYI, the bezel is actually supposed to sit about a quarter inch off the body on little rubber spacers. A lot of them have been removed by POs...like mine.
Coolerman
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I had never heard of blasting with this so I looked it up...May not damage the base metal but what about the blaster?
From Wiki:
Copper(II) oxide is an irritant. It also can cause damage to the endocrine and central nervous system. Contact to the eyes can cause irritation and damage to the corneas, and potentially can cause conjunctivitis. Contact to the skin can cause irritation and discoloration. Ingesting cupric oxide can lead to central nervous system depression, liver and kidney damage, gastro-intestinal damage, circulatory system failure or damage to the vascular system. Inhalation can lead to damage to the lungs and septum. Inhalation of fumes of cupric oxide can lead to a disease called metal-fume fever, which has symptoms similar to influenza. Prolonged exposure to cupric oxide can lead to dermatitis, and can cause a toxic build-up of copper in people with Wilson's disease. Handling copper(II) oxide should be done in well ventilated area, and care should be taken to avoid contact with the skin or eyes. After handling, one should wash thoroughly.[1]
Think I'll stick to sand and a respirator rated for it....
From Wiki:
Copper(II) oxide is an irritant. It also can cause damage to the endocrine and central nervous system. Contact to the eyes can cause irritation and damage to the corneas, and potentially can cause conjunctivitis. Contact to the skin can cause irritation and discoloration. Ingesting cupric oxide can lead to central nervous system depression, liver and kidney damage, gastro-intestinal damage, circulatory system failure or damage to the vascular system. Inhalation can lead to damage to the lungs and septum. Inhalation of fumes of cupric oxide can lead to a disease called metal-fume fever, which has symptoms similar to influenza. Prolonged exposure to cupric oxide can lead to dermatitis, and can cause a toxic build-up of copper in people with Wilson's disease. Handling copper(II) oxide should be done in well ventilated area, and care should be taken to avoid contact with the skin or eyes. After handling, one should wash thoroughly.[1]
Think I'll stick to sand and a respirator rated for it....
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Thanks for the replies,can't get anymore than one pic to post and it says my album is full?does the walnut shell remove rust?and is it easy to clean after?
2 Winers ago some SOB, sprayed my new paint job on my truck with some nasty paint striper, I waited till summer to get it repainted, so it stared to rust . I didn't want to sand blast it, so I used that gizmo you see in the first pic. Removed all paint and primer (right to the shiny metal). I did the whole truck inside and out side excluding the insde of the box. This thing works good on the drill and doesn't cause any damage to the metal. The second pic you can see the damage , it doesn't show the rest of the truck, but that stuff was everywhere.
I would use it on a 40 in combination with blasting the hard areas areas.
I would use it on a 40 in combination with blasting the hard areas areas.
The guy helping me with the bodywork would not even discuss blasting. I went behind his back and blasted my bezel. Man did he drive a point home. It fits like crap now. It warped really bad. I used a silicon blaster in automotive machine shop.
Some people would point out to you that your bezel is on upside down but, I'm not one of those people.
Interesting on the copper oxide. Cupric Oxide is, however, not the same chemically. It is a biproduct of smelting copper.
Here is a link to the "KleenBlast" co. web site MSDS is available there.
Kleen Blast
REGARDLESS OF WHAT PRODUCT YOU USE PLEASE DO CONSULT THE APPROPRIATE MSDS SHEET FOR THE PROPER HASMAT PROCEEDURES (IF ANY) AND SAFETY EQUIP REQUIRED.
Here is a link to the "KleenBlast" co. web site MSDS is available there.
Kleen Blast
REGARDLESS OF WHAT PRODUCT YOU USE PLEASE DO CONSULT THE APPROPRIATE MSDS SHEET FOR THE PROPER HASMAT PROCEEDURES (IF ANY) AND SAFETY EQUIP REQUIRED.
Coolerman
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I am using the rubber bushing. But was unaware that there is supposed to be a gap. I will do some more research on that issue. I have always preferred the look of the bezel upside down. I pray to the Cruiser Gods on a daily basis. Hoping I will not be struck by lightning. I may choose to conform so I can stay in this community. 
Conform with Cruiser...grow hair long if you need to
The guy I use for media blasting uses a media called "star dust". He gets it by the 55 gallon drum, but the stuff works great. He laughs at the automotive stuff I bring him. His shop will often house sections of bridges which he blasts. He uses some crazy type media for that though. The media he uses for my parts are like tiny little balls of iron, but he's blasted hardtops/fenders/complete bodies without warping any of the metal.
what about glass?
you can get crushed glass for blasting. it's less damaging the copper oxide. you can also change the tips on a quality sand blaster, reducing flow so that it doesn't beat up your metal so much.
prime your pieces right away, as you can almost watch it rust. i've never used walnut shells but apparently the oils in the shell protects the metal from rust, to some degree. walnut shells are very expensive.
blasting is a incredibly violent process, you can easily do damage. if you are careful you can make old junk look new.
it's also a good way to determine if something is worth repairing. any metal that is left will be worth keeping.
eric
you can get crushed glass for blasting. it's less damaging the copper oxide. you can also change the tips on a quality sand blaster, reducing flow so that it doesn't beat up your metal so much.
prime your pieces right away, as you can almost watch it rust. i've never used walnut shells but apparently the oils in the shell protects the metal from rust, to some degree. walnut shells are very expensive.
blasting is a incredibly violent process, you can easily do damage. if you are careful you can make old junk look new.
it's also a good way to determine if something is worth repairing. any metal that is left will be worth keeping.
eric
