Media Blasting the Body

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Greg Spreeman
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Media Blasting the Body

#1 Post by Greg Spreeman »

I think it makes sense to media blast, maybe with soda, the entire car I'm working on. Looks like there is tons of pitting and God knows what else under the black coat of paint the PO sprayed on. So, here goes. Is soda the best medium to get the body down to bare metal? How do shops protect the metal from flash rusting after they blast the car? Anybody know of shops around Newark NJ that does blasting? What other questions should I have asked?
Greg Spreeman
1965 356SC Coupe
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Jim Nelson
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Re: Media Blasting the Body

#2 Post by Jim Nelson »

When we had our '60 Cab blasted, it was with walnut shells, and we took it straight from the blaster to our painter, who put a protective coat of primer (which kind, I don't know) on it.
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Ben Wainscott
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Re: Media Blasting the Body

#3 Post by Ben Wainscott »

Greg, not sure about soda. Recall discussion from one 356 painter about how a coating was left with a soda blast that caused paint problems down the road. The only thing I know about painting comes out of a rattle can, so I'm only providing a caution that I have heard about. Others may have more experience/details.

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Greg Spreeman
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Re: Media Blasting the Body

#4 Post by Greg Spreeman »

Thanks Ben. I'm new as well. One thing I keep hearing is that soda is water soluable and therefore a bit easier to get out of everywhere. When I take a look at the pics above, I'm thinking walnut is the way to go. Problem is, here in NJ, the closest shop is some 30 miles away so I'll have to get a tow truck down and then a tow truck back. Not a huge expense but, those costs start adding up really quickly.
Greg Spreeman
1965 356SC Coupe
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Greg Bryan
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Re: Media Blasting the Body

#5 Post by Greg Bryan »

I think that soda is not aggressive enough for a complete strip job. Soda will remove paint but little else, leaving rust.
As Jim says above, walnut shells won't remove metal but will effectively strip the body to its basic elements.
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Martin Benade
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Re: Media Blasting the Body

#6 Post by Martin Benade »

Does walnut remove rust, or is it also gentle?
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Jim Nelson
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Re: Media Blasting the Body

#7 Post by Jim Nelson »

Martin Benade wrote:Does walnut remove rust, or is it also gentle?
We found that walnut shells were pretty effective at rust removal, though most of what we had was surface rust after sitting for 20 years. The car pictured in my first response came out of the blaster looking like this:
IMG_0958-1.JPG
IMG_0958-1.JPG (64.63 KiB) Viewed 946 times
IMG_0959-1.JPG
IMG_0959-1.JPG (48.3 KiB) Viewed 946 times
better pictures on the "60 Cab project" thread in the projects forum...

WilliamVaughan
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Re: Media Blasting the Body

#8 Post by WilliamVaughan »

Greg,
If you received a body that looked like the one in Mr. Nelson's photos above, with no paint on it anywhere, and you were still in north jersey, with summer humidity, you would really have to scramble to get some sort of primer on it to prevent flash rusting. Otherwise the flash rusting would bedevil you. It is hard enough just keeping up with a 5 or 10 square feet of exposed steel surface.

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Bill Sargent
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Re: Media Blasting the Body

#9 Post by Bill Sargent »

I have personally had two 356s soda blasted and can confirm that soda will not remove rust. It is excellent at removing paint and even light grease buildup. Also good to strip something like an engine lid that you do not want hidden media later making its way into a carb. To remove rust you will need something more aggressive than soda. Once the soda blasting is complete it leaves a basic (positive Ph) film on the metal that must be removed/neutralized before painting. I used a pure white vinegar wash followed by a water power wash followed by more white vinegar and another water power wash. Power wash focused on seams both times. As others have noted, the bare metal flash rusts during the neutralizing process. I then used some of the commercial metal phosphating solution prior to paint prep. After all that I did see a little soda fuzz after a few months from a seam around the interior rear seats. No other problems.

To remove rust on the pan and other non outer body panels I used crushed glass. Which worked well. We did not use it on the inside of outer body panels, like fenders, out of concern for possible warping.
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John Brooks
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Re: Media Blasting the Body

#10 Post by John Brooks »

I saw a plastic material at a aging aircraft sustainability conference last year. It was small triangular shaped grain that looked like walnut shells, but softer. Was supposed to be superior to sand, glass, and copper oxide for paint and corrosion removal. It removed paint and corrosion but would not stretch or deform the metal by media impacts. It looked like a deburring vibration machine media but tiny.

The samples looked good, I do not know the trade name or manufacture, here is a start.

http://www.kramerindustriesonline.com/b ... -media.htm
John Brooks

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