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Sandblasting

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73MidgetLigon

73MidgetLigon

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Sandblasting makes a big mess, so you need a good area to work outside away from anything you don't want to get dusty. You also need proper respiration gear. A siphon feed sandblaster like the one at HF is very inefficient. You need a pressurized tank that is of similar size or bigger. It forces the sand out as it mixes with air.

I would only sand blast rusty metal. Make sure the person is careful not to distort the panels if using a high pressure sandblaster Plastic media blasting is much cleaner and less damaging for removing paint. Sandblasting does not remove grease very well, so you need to pressure wash the underside and suspension parts first. You might want to get some experience before you tackle an entire car body. There is also the problem of all the residual sand that gets inside every crevice. You have to get that out or it will reappear at the most inopportune time, such as painting.
 
Aside from having media dispursed all over the place for the lack of a proper media blast booth. One thing you need to keep in mind is media type to use. For instance steel shot media will warp your body panels, Glass bead media will take forever! There are many media types inbetween steel and glass.
The pros to taking it somewhere and having it professionaly done is I.M.H.O. NO mess to clean up afterwards Aside from some media spewing out of the "nooks and crannys" easily cleaned up with a shop vac. Then there is the assurance that {Hopefuly the person knows what he/she is doing and will not warp anything.} and will do a thourough job.
The cons are ......... you guessed it .... the $
the loading and unloading your parts and transport.
Only you can deside what is best for you!
I have a blast cabnet and a protable blaster as well, essential tools to have for restorations. Having said that, I only use them for small parts and spot blasting body panels... for a whole body tub I would use a professional blasting company. But then thats me.
 
A Bugeye has thick steel body pannels and is awfully hard to distort with sand blasting.

Miss Agatha was blasted and so have Tonys cars. In my opinion it is the way to go.

We must have four times as much steel as modern cars.
 
/bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/iagree.gif
 
Yep, I don't have any desire to do it - its hot & filthy work..& worth $400 for somebody else to do it...especially if he primes it also.
 
Oh yea, two part epoxi primer.
 
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