Sandblasting Equipment

[haulnazz15]

Hello all. I've been a lurker for a few years regarding the Kubota/compact tractor information, but was always able to find the answers to my questions via search. However, I have a project that I'm looking to get done this coming weekend and need some advice/tips regarding sandblasting.

Here's the project:
Stone wall approx. 25'Wx7'H, is inside the living room of my home, and was painted with bright red latex paint many years ago by the previous owner. I want the natural stone (blue-grey) back. I tried the less invasive methods of paint strippers and wire wheels, but it took many hours of working at it just to get a few square feet of stone cleaned up. Not to mention a few gallons of expensive paint stripper which mainly just turns the paint into goo.

Here's my plan: Hang plastic drop cloth from the vaulted cedar beams across the room (approx 6' away from the wall) creating a somewhat-sealed blasting room, which will have a door to the back patio for dust relief/air hose/etc. I intend to cover the couple of wall sockets with tape to avoid contamination, and tarps/sheeting on the floor to reclaim blasting material (coal slag - black beauty). In any case the room has tile flooring, so I'm not too worried about making a mess and I know that stuff will get everywhere even with decent precautions.

The question: I own a 20 gallon pressure blaster (never used), but it is set up to use 3/8 air line. I don't own a compressor large enough to support this or any other sandblaster, so I will be renting a tow-behind diesel air compressor. The issue is that the tow behinds only seem to be available with 3/4"+ air connections with the universal couplers (for jack hammers), so I'd have to rig up a reducer to go from the large size to the small size air line. Is this even feasible, or should I just rent the larger blast pot from them, too, where the connections will already mate up?

Will be wearing full suit/cartridge respirator, blasting hood, welding gloves.

Any suggestions/tips/better solutions? Rough estimate on time to sandblast?

 

[DutchHenryBrown]

:welcome:I WISH you the best of luck with your project.:thumbsup:

 

[mbrule]

Going to either take a long time with that small pot as you will either have to use a very small nozzle or keep refilling it.

You are going to make an AWFUL mess in your entire house, but you seem comfortable with that.

You will get it done much faster with their pot and a larger nozzle but you will use A LOT of media.

Trade-offs either way.

I would try a course wire cup brush in an angle grinder if it were me.

It will look nice when you finally get it cleaned up!!!

 

[haulnazz15]

Going to either take a long time with that small pot as you will either have to use a very small nozzle or keep refilling it.

You are going to make an AWFUL mess in your entire house, but you seem comfortable with that.

You will get it done much faster with their pot and a larger nozzle but you will use A LOT of media.

Trade-offs either way.

I would try a course wire cup brush in an angle grinder if it were me.

It will look nice when you finally get it cleaned up!!!

I pretty much thought the same. I figured renting the bigger sand pot (250lbs cap) would be the way to go on this bigger project. I believe I've read that the #3 (3/16") tip will run through about 250lbs/hr, and I have 450lbs of it, so if I reuse it at least once I should be okay. Why do you feel it will make a mess throughout the entire house? The sheeting should seal off the rest of the house as it will be taped to the floor and ceiling/walls. I have tried the wire wheels and wire cups with little success (over 5-6 hours to clear a 3x2 patch), even after using paint stripper to loosen the paint's grip on the rock. The issue is the uneven surface of the rock, where the wire brushes have difficulty getting to. I suppose I can run the bigger blaster for 10-15 minutes or so and see what the affects are in terms of it getting too messy. The doorways to the rest of the house will also be taped over, so dust/etc will only be able to settle in this one room (all furnishings removed).

Believe me, if I thought there was another way short of tearing down the entire wall and re-rocking it I would! Here is a photo of the wall:

 

[CliffordK]

Heat guns are also effective at loosening paint, although they may be best with a smooth surface and good scraper.

I would try to make a similar test-wall, and do some tests before investing too much in any one process. The sandblasting will undoubtedly also score the stone and grout, but it will also be good at getting into cracks.

Rubber is supposed to be good at protecting anything you don't want to blast, so you may be able to paint a rubber paint on the floor and other surfaces, and it may in fact be less destructive to surrounding surfaces than other methods.

I don't sand blast much, but I wasn't impressed at the speed of sandblasting with a small nozzle when I tried it years ago.

Keep an eye on craigslist for a good used compressor.

 

[haulnazz15]

I know the sandblasting will eat the grout a bit, but I'm going to do my best at keeping the blasting on the stone and keep it moving, and leave the grout as-is. I have no problem going back over the grout/joints with a grey or dark grey paint to cover any leftover red on the grout, but I just want the stone back to natural. I swear I'd have to bite my tongue pretty hard if I ever met the person (most likely woman) that ever decided to do this in the first place!

 

[Iowan]

Call two or three media blasting contractors and get estimates for doing the work, talk with each of them in-depth about the media, there techniques and the clean up. after this it will ether give you more insight on how to do it or help decide that you need a professional. If you use silica sand you might need a HASMAT team in your house when finished!
Good luck, Iowan

 

[haulnazz15]

Call two or three media blasting contractors and get estimates for doing the work, talk with each of them in-depth about the media, there techniques and the clean up. after this it will ether give you more insight on how to do it or help decide that you need a professional. If you use silica sand you might need a HASMAT team in your house when finished!
Good luck, Iowan

Lol, well I got a few quotes ranging anywhere from $800-$1100. I can rent the entire 300-lbs blast pot/hood/dehumidifier/185CFM compressor/blast helmet w/air for $240 per day. That's a lot of rental days to make up by calling in a professional. I'm using black beauty (coal slag) which doesn't contain silica, and isn't as affected by humidity/moisture as most other abrasives. The respirator should eliminate any health concerns from the dust/media. I may call some professionals, but I doubt they'd be too forthcoming about their processes when they could charge for their services, it's worth a shot I suppose.

 

[CliffordK]

A unique type of sandblasting is dry ice sandblasting.

It would require some special equipment, but the only waste is what is blasted off of your wall.

You might need an outside air source if doing it inside.

 

[Willl]

Hello all. I've been a lurker for a few years regarding the Kubota/compact tractor information, but was always able to find the answers to my questions via search. However, I have a project that I'm looking to get done this coming weekend and need some advice/tips regarding sandblasting.

Here's the project:
Stone wall approx. 25'Wx7'H, is inside the living room of my home, and was painted with bright red latex paint many years ago by the previous owner. I want the natural stone (blue-grey) back. I tried the less invasive methods of paint strippers and wire wheels, but it took many hours of working at it just to get a few square feet of stone cleaned up. Not to mention a few gallons of expensive paint stripper which mainly just turns the paint into goo.

Here's my plan: Hang plastic drop cloth from the vaulted cedar beams across the room (approx 6' away from the wall) creating a somewhat-sealed blasting room, which will have a door to the back patio for dust relief/air hose/etc. I intend to cover the couple of wall sockets with tape to avoid contamination, and tarps/sheeting on the floor to reclaim blasting material (coal slag - black beauty). In any case the room has tile flooring, so I'm not too worried about making a mess and I know that stuff will get everywhere even with decent precautions.

The question: I own a 20 gallon pressure blaster (never used), but it is set up to use 3/8 air line. I don't own a compressor large enough to support this or any other sandblaster, so I will be renting a tow-behind diesel air compressor. The issue is that the tow behinds only seem to be available with 3/4"+ air connections with the universal couplers (for jack hammers), so I'd have to rig up a reducer to go from the large size to the small size air line. Is this even feasible, or should I just rent the larger blast pot from them, too, where the connections will already mate up?

Will be wearing full suit/cartridge respirator, blasting hood, welding gloves.

Any suggestions/tips/better solutions? Rough estimate on time to sandblast?

A small 2-3 HP portable compressor.