soda blasting

[lg69riv]

im more of an old school type when it comes to restoring a car
when you dont use blasters you use circular sanding.

My question is

What are the perks of soda blasting?

Is it worth the money?
Does it remove paint faster than a circular air sander?
What are some of the weaknesses besides rust removal?

Im thinking about getting one but dont wanna waste the money if its not needed


thanks in advance,
Lou

 

[rcull]

I haven't used soda blasting yet, but one big advantage is you don't have to pull chrome or glass.

I use glass beads. The nice part is getting into corners, it cleans them out easily. When your using an orbital sander you are usually using a fairly course paper and remove some metal. On large flat surfaces, I expect you can rip the paint off just as fast with an orbital sander but the finish on the metal will need attention where with soda the metal is apperantly untouched.

 

[65specialconvert]

It's quick,fast,no swirl marks & like Bob said it wont hurt chrome or glass.$775 to have mine done by a mobile guy.Get a big one & start your own business:thumbsup:Remember it's not plain baking soda:bgrin:

 

[lg69riv]

haha. Ill stick with state inspections, emissions, foreign and domestic right now.

body workis a weekend project that i enjoy with my son for fun not for money.

Thanks for the replys.

 

[ahhh65riv]

If I was to go into business and buy a blaster....Ya know what's cool? DRY ICE BLASTING!

Unless you plan on completely disassembling and/or using a rotisserie you will never get all the sand, glass, or soda beads out of the seams and crevises. Then that stuff just sits there and collects moisture from the inside.

With dry ice (CO2) it simply evaporates, and there is no residue- just what you scaled off. I can see how the EPA will make this the enviornmental friendly thing of the future.

http://www.coldjet.com/en/information/what-is-dry-ice-blasting.php

Depending on the area you are removing paint from, you might also consider a chemical stripper or wire abrading.

 

[showchrome]

I did soda blasting with my 53 Skylark.
The advantage is the smooth surface of the metal afterwards, so less grinding.
You can see how the car looked when brought to the garage and the result in the showroom section under 'showchrome''
Art

im more of an old school type when it comes to restoring a car
when you dont use blasters you use circular sanding.

My question is

What are the perks of soda blasting?

Is it worth the money?
Does it remove paint faster than a circular air sander?
What are some of the weaknesses besides rust removal?

Im thinking about getting one but dont wanna waste the money if its not needed


thanks in advance,
Lou

 

[JZRIV]

What are the perks of soda blasting?
Is it worth the money?
Does it remove paint faster than a circular air sander?
What are some of the weaknesses besides rust removal?

Im thinking about getting one but dont wanna waste the money if its not needed


Lou

Lou,
The soda blasters that can effectively strip a car and not take days on end require a big air compressor. Big compressor means big money. The ones I've seen locally are like 50 -70HP diesel driven. Note the size of the hose in the pic someone else posted. That hose is going to a really big compressor. Way bigger and more expensive than what the average jo would ever consider.

Those small hobby soda blasters are a waste of money....unless you have very small projects.

Now having said that, it is my personal opinion that soda blasting is probably the best method to strip a car; however maybe not the cheapest if you compare it to sanding or chemical stripping by hand and doing it yourself.

I am going to have my car soda blasted but I intend to chemically strip the paint off all the easy surfaces so it will save some money while at the blaster since they charge by the hour. Its very difficult to strip paint by hand in door and trunk jambs and any other tight places and this is where the soda blasting really shines. Any remaining soda depositis will dissolve in water with a good washing.

A commercial soda blaster will remove paint faster overall than any sander and won't do any damage to the metal. Yes a sander can remove paint fast if you aren't worried about damaging the metal.

There are really no weaknesses of the soda blasting process.

In summary, strippping a whole car with soda is the way to go unless you are on a very tight budget but its a job best left to the guys who invest in the right (expensive) equipment and do it everyday to pay for it.