Home shot blasting for rust - any thoughts?

[IMD]

Hi all,

Does anyone have any experience of home shot blasting to get rid of rust. I've been looking at the shot / sand / grit blasters you can buy and connect to a compressor.

I want to do some de-rusting on a car that i'm restoring and fancy having a go myself.

I'm prepared to buy some kit, if it is indeed straightforward.

If not, anyone know of mobile blasters who would come to an industrial yard near East Grinstead to do some work?

Thanks

ian

 

[219]

I have never tried it , but I did buy the shot blasting tool from Aldi , along with their other air tools .

 

[Satch]

It is easy enough but messy if being done outside a cabinet or dedicated blasting unit

Some units have "collection bags" attached to the guns that are intended to suck away some the grit that has just been used. The key word there is "some"! Depending on the shape of the object you are blasting, that varies from quite a bit to bugger all.

In my case (complex wrought iron gates) it was bugger all so just as well I was just using dry sand

Need to be very cautious of the dust so proper respirators and eye protection. Oh and anybody downwind will hate your guts.

 

[rf065]

The grit has to be kept dry or it clogs up. If kept in a damp garage it may be more trouble than its worth.

Russ

 

[312 Sprinter]

It's incredibly messy and unpleasant. You need good breathing equipment, a lung full of dust is bad news. I'd use someone like pro strip

Paint Stripping | Rust Removal | Door Stripping | Classic Car Restoration By Prostrip Nottingham - Home

 

[malcolmsmill]

Its really easy to do, with a few words of caution / advice.

Aluminium oxide is the "grit" of choice for commercial uses, its not that expensive in a sealed shot blasting cabinet, but expensive in an "open" environment.

Aluminium oxide is best to remove deep rust from heavy metal, this should tell you that it can make big holes in thin or rusty bodywork.

My choice, for budget and ease, in an "open" environment such as blasting a car on the driveway at home is dry sand.

In the open you need a lot of grit as it is impractical to collect and clean the used material.

Best source I've found is Toys R Us and the like for "play" sand. it comes in bags, its dry and it fine; this means it blasts easily and produces a fine finish without the risk of making rust holes worse.

Start with low air pressure and increase psi to get a blast rate you're happy with, it will use a lot of sand so get enough (a bag to start and get an idea, then work out how much you need - 1 bag is normally enough).

WEAR a breathing mask, inhaling sand dust gives silicosis of the lung, oxides can be nastier - a simple mask solves the problem
Wear eye protection - you only get 2 eyes! a flip face shield is best
Put a cloth over your head - it looks daft but otherwise you will suffer from the grit in your hair (or bald patch like many of us)

After you've finished, sweep up the sand and dispose properly (not a dustbin) or be like me and use it on the garden.

 

[312 Sprinter]

My choice, for budget and ease, in an "open" environment such as blasting a car on the driveway at home is dry sand.

In the open you need a lot of grit as it is impractical to collect and clean the used material.

Best source I've found is Toys R Us and the like for "play" sand. it comes in bags, its dry and it fine; this means it blasts easily and produces a fine finish without the risk of making rust holes worse.

The use of sand as a blasting media is illegal in the UK, and several other countries, because of the danger of silicosis.

Yes it works, but is it really worth the real risk of lung disease?

 

[Spinal]

Soda blasting? Baking soda, compressor... slower than alu oxide, but has less chance to make a hole in your bodywork!

 

[donubenz]

If you have it done commercially be very careful about what they use and how they do it. I have seen sides of classic cars rippled to hell with blasters more used to cleaning lorry chassis and similar heavy stuff. Soda or the new dry ice technique is good but not for home use.
If you get a good respirator and a cheap kit give it go but I would do it on a lawn or earth as the sand and bits you remove then don't need cleaning up after.
Don
Link to dry ice method on utube
‪Automotive / Car Paint Removal - IceTech Dry Ice Blasting‬‏ - YouTube

Soda
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRLBECBiFQQ&feature=related

 

[l5foye]

No one has mentioned it but quite a large compressor is required. I would reckon you need 14cfm at the very least. I have done some blasting at home using grit and found it time consuming and messy. A wire brush on a grinder was better by far.