Any body do their own media blasting?

[dan12580]

i got a quote to media blast my bronco. top, bottom, inside and out. after i woke up i started to look into things to do myself. eastwood has everything from $30 to $1000 for blasters. i was reading the reviews for the $30 blast from a bucket and guys are saying they are doing cars. would be a cool thing to have around but ive made it 34 years into life without one so itll probably be a one time use thing. ive got a good compressor. plenty of space. and dust/cleanup is not an issue. i plan on taking the body off and using something more aggressive on the frame. what did you guys do/use? or does anyone know or recommend anyone in the houston/austin/san antonio tx area? thanks.

 

[STD]

It's not hard just time consuming. Make sure you don't stay on flat panels for a long time. I have 3 different sand blasters and they pretty much do all the same thing. I have done a lot with the gun in bucket type as well. keep the bucket filled and you will be fine

 

[fatboy]

What do you mean by a "good compressor"? It takes a lot of CFM to run a blaster. I have a pressurized pot blaster that holds maybe 100 lbs of media, I do frames and hard parts. Did the inside of the tub on my current project but do not have the guts to try on any panels. It is hot, messy and loud. You will have grit everywhere for weeks. Syphon type blasters do not do good with water in your air lines, pot blasters are better but will still plug depending on media. Get a good respirator, face shield and coveralls that you can tape at the wrist. wear a hat or a veil type blasting hood to keep the grit out of your hair. you will want glasses behind the face shield (yes double eye protection). It is great to see the results though.

 

[NicksTrix]

make sure you wear a respirator. you can get silicosis, which you don't want.
if you don't have enough compressor you'll get frustrated quick.

 

[englewoodcowboy]

I can tell you I had my tub soda blasted and it took him a day and a half to do everything. 13 hours total. I have a hopper feed sand blaster that I did my drive train with and when I started I had the same thought as you, after blasting my front end and rear end along with the arms, knuckles etc I soon realized a professional to do the tub was the cheap way to get it done plus no chance of me warping the metal...

 

[Pat B]

I'd suggest having it done. My ground up resto cost about $600 to blast and I didn't have to clean up the mess. I did do some blasting at home. 2 hours to clean up after a 30 minute blast job kind of cuts into the do it myself value

 

[Timmy390]

make sure you wear a respirator. you can get silicosis, which you don't want.
if you don't have enough compressor you'll get frustrated quick.

DITTO......

I blast a part or three here and there. Got the 110lb media blaster from Harbor Freight....I use playground sand from HD or Lowes (whoever has it on sale). I screen it through a screen door mesh before use. Respirator is a MUST as well as making sure the wind isn't blowing the dust in the direction of your wife, kids, neighbors, or anyone you don't want to get Silicosis.

Compressor is the engine that powers the process.....you need as BIG as you can get. I run a Quincy 2 stage with 80 gal tank.

Depending on media you need a bunch of tips. PGS seems to eat them up fast.

I blast in the yard so cleanup isn't that bad. I got an old kids swing set frame I can put up and then hang my parts.

Tim

 

[doghows72]

My two cent would be DO NOT USE playground sand. Very very bad for your health. There are many good medias out there designed to do the work quicker faster and safer.
I do this everyday at my powder coating shop. Kleen Blast or Black beauty is the best for fast removal, it is available in different grit so watch that. A good compressor is a must at least a 7.5 HO motor on a 60 gallon tank or you'll be doing a lot of waiting.
I have a guy that I work with sometimes that owns that dustless blast system you see on TV. Find one and hire them, it will save you hundreds of dollars over DIY no to mention the hours spent on clean up. They will typically do and entire vehicle for about $700. Most will come to you as well.
Just my opinion hope it helps with you decision but as always it is very gratifying to do it yourself!

 

[bstein]

I have been in the oil and gas protective coating industry for 34 years and I can bore you with media types, profiles and the math to calculate HP to CFM bla bla ... Send it out and be ready for panel replacement.
Get some good primer down ASAP to reduce the flash rust as well.
Good luck

 

[DuctTape]

I tried it with a pot blaster and gave up. Takes a lot of air and my compressor (20cfm I think?) wasn't up to the task.

 

[dan12580]

I'd suggest having it done. My ground up resto cost about $600 to blast and I didn't have to clean up the mess. I did do some blasting at home. 2 hours to clean up after a 30 minute blast job kind of cuts into the do it myself value

$600? where are you? i was quoted $1800 from a guy in houston with me removing panels to make it easier. he did say he adds a primer to the media to help fight against it rusting before painting. that was the only guy i talked to so i have no comparison. i had planned on doing walnut shells for the body. and something more aggressive for the frame. i would be doing it in an open pasture behind the barn so mess will not be an issue and cleanup will happen next time it rains.

 

[doghows72]

Look up Dustlessblasting.com and look for a local dealer. My guy did an entire Samurai, top, bottom, fenders hood everything for $800. The bed had a liner sprayed in and he got that out too.!!

 

[Crawdad]

I have a new 5 hp two stage IR 80 gal and it does ok with my blast cabinet. I also have a 100 lb gravity fed pot blaster and it does fair too. All on a 220 feed. I pd a lil over a grand for the compressor and about $250 for the cabinet and pot. With all that invested it still doesn't keep me happy enough to do a whole bronco tub. I mean it can but it will take many hours and hopefully my compressor won't die. A 7.5 HP two stage motor is a minimum to sandblast adequately.

 

[Wyflyer]

I got a quote from this guy in San Antonio to come to my house and blast my tub in my rotisserie in my driveway for 650.00
He'll come to me and I dont' have to move the body. His first quote was high but we kept talking and it kept getting cheaper.

http://www.blastedclean.com/

 

[Broncobowsher]

No matter what, never ever blast in the garage. Roommate did that with a chevelle back in '99. I am still fighting the sand in the toolbox. Made a horrid mess out of everything in the garage. Had to toss every spare filter we had. Some still got into his fuel system and stuck the valves in the fuel pump. Bigger mess than you can imagine.

 

[The Mule]

I have a dustless blasting unit as a second business and $1800 for a bronco tub and frame is really good profit, but the work is extremely dirty and physical. I use 40/70 crushed bottle glass, water, and hold tight 102. This "slurry" will take nearly any coating off with ease and doesn't run the risk of warping sheet metal surfaces. It takes between 1200-1600 lbs of media to blast a bronco and at least 12 hrs, and that's everything including top. I'd make some more phone calls. You can get it done for around $1k, less if your just doing topside. If you have more detailed questions feel free to PM me.