sandblaster recommendation?

[MrJoe]

I have several attachments (plow, harrow etc) that need a good cleaning to bare metal before painting. A friend has recommended using a small sandblaster to do this. Any comments or recommendations on size or manufacturer /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Check this out:

Sandblaster Discussion


OOPS! The first time I posted the link it was to the wrong site. The link is now corrected and points to a very recent sandblaster discussion. Sorry about the confusion.

 

[frederic]

For sandblasting the rust off my crewcab, I purchased a $14 home depot sandblasting kit, put playsand into my shopvac canistor, and had at it.

I used the shopvac canistor instead of a pail because it made for easy retrieval from the driveway. Sand goes everywhere! But it worked out fine for me.

Play sand is not a good media though - it's granular size is not consistant enough for consistant performance. Occasionally it clogged too - but that's not a function of the sandblasting kit, but rather the sand.

For a one off, or just a few projects, the $14 sandblaster kit is just fine. If you're going to be doing repairs like this very often, you might want to purchase something more heavy duty.

 

[MrJoe]

Bob: thanks for the link, although it took me to the NH web site. Am I misdirected?

 

[RonMar]

They are pretty simple and most any sandblaster will work well if fed enough pressure and clean dry media. I have one from Sears that works well. It came with a easilly moved sand hopper with a filter inlet screen(makes re-using sand easier as it filters out rust scale/paint chips). It was not very expensive. They work the best with high pressure air. The real key is a air compressor large enough to supply the required volume at that high pressure. My compressor is small, 5HP/25GAL. It works great for about a minute then the pressure falls off and the compressor can't maintain peak pressure under continous use. This is fine for doing small projects, spot blasting work and cleaning up the BBQ. If I was needing to blast an entire large structure such as a brushog deck, I would want a MUCH larger compressor.

 

[jwstewar]

I'll second the one from Sears. I used my Dad's on Monday to clean up some lawn furniture. It did a pretty decent job. Wish it would've been cooler though so that I could've put long sleaves and such on. My 6HP - yeah right - 33 gal. did OK, but I did have to stop and let it build pressure back up a few times. It is the first thing I've done that the compressor hasn't kept up. First time I ever really noticed it getting hot - of course it was sitting outside in the sun in 90+ degree heat and running for 15 - 20 minutes at a time. It never shut down or anything, but I did keep an eye on it. I did give it one break to let it cool down though.

Now if I could just figure how to use the cheapy paint gun that I bought as easily as the sandblaster.

 

[jeffinsgf]

Joe, if you have a pressure washer, consider a sandblasting attachment for it, instead of a dry sand blaster. Some of the problems just mentioned are eliminated. Namely, you don't need a huge air compressor to get the job done, and it is a lot less messy, since the water eliminates the dust. I guess it isn't really less messy, since you have sandy water everywhere, but it is a different kind of mess and one you don't have to breathe. I think it is signficantly faster, too, as the water pressure works on the rust and crud as well as the sand. I bought one last year and used it to strip all the parts on an old Jacobsen fairway mower. It did a remarkable job. I went through a bunch of sand, but I am guessing no more or less than if I had used an open air dry blaster.

 

[redalrt]

Interesting subject. sand blasting attachments to air compressors and pressure washers.

I'm pretty new and I'd like to get my l'il Beaver III looking good. Is sandblasting a good option to remove all the paint from the tractor, including the engine area?

What precautions should I take to prevent sand from getting where it's not supposed to be. I like the shop-vac/sandblaster attachment idea. How does that work?

Thanks in advance.

 

[AL_Josh]

I used to work for a sandblasting company. We mainly blasted and painted Shrimp Boats. We did cleanup the ocasional tractor. The owner of the shipyard collected them. I know we did 4 or 5 John Deeres and a couple of White brand tractors.
First we would pressure wash the tractor. Then we would just tape off everything that could be damaged.You have to use duct tape or the sandblaster will eat through the tape. Two layers worked best. Cardboard works real well to protect things. Like radiator, wiring, and any joints that you do not want sand in. Sand will get in places no matter how good you prepare. Depending on how much presure you are going to use, be careful of cast parts mainly the exhaust manifold.
We would never take the paint all the way off. on the engine or the transmission. We would just sweep off the loose rust and dirt off. If at all possible take the body peices off. set them aside so you can blast them down to bare metal. Becareful not to heat the body panels up to much because you can warp them. After you blast the panels we then bondoed the dents in them.
After blasting we would then use a three coat painting process. First a coat of zinc primer(which is a rust preventer). Then a coat of primer. Then a finish coat. We would paint wires and everything. We would tape up stuff that did not need to be painted like connectors, engine placards. and labels.
Then we would buy the stickers and it would look as good as new. Actually it would have a better paint job then from the factory.
The equipment we used is probly a little bigger than you have access to but the process is the same. We used 850 cfm diesel powered compresors and 600 pound blasting pots. Then we used an airless paint rig.
I will try to find some pictures. Hope this helps.

 

[AL_Josh]

Also a good coat of grease on threads of things during the painting process will save you a lot of trouble. The paint will make a little shell that can be peeled off like an orange. Do not put grease on things before you sandblast. It will just make a mess.

Good Luck.