home sandblaster & body metal

[twisted_offroader]

Is there such a thing as a portable sand blaster, that a person can use in his garage. To strip the paint and loose rust to see where the rust damage is to the metal. Where can I buy the metal for the body, a body parts store, or would it be a metal store.

[yjcanibul]

my guess is no ,   try consolidated compressor in the SE , do-it-yourself , they open M-F and Sat - 6 bays ... I did my willys rims there and the paint/rust/cobwebs disappear like magic ... what a rush ...

not sure I would use it on a thin surface, an object with none metal trim or small objects ... it blasts out a hose the size of a household vacume ...

there are metal replacement panels available for most jeeps ...

what is it your blasting ...

[FiEND]

princess auto sells a handheld sandblaster...

does it work? not sure, but for $21.00 and a big $5 bag o sand might be worth trying if you dont have much to do.

how much $ is consolidated (ball park)?

[cotaman]

consolidated = $75/hour.....

[cuzican]

There are small portable sand blasting pots available from PA. Will work if you have a compressor with enough CFM.

On body panels you have to be careful cause the sand blasting can heat the panels and cause warpage. I've had success with fine sand and enough patience to not try and clean everything off at once.

[FiEND]

consolidated = $75/hour.....

is it like a car wash, pay by the minute or flat rate?  bonnie's stock bumper took less than 5 minutes to blast by a friend.  if I did it, probably 1/2 hour.  if it's reasonable, i wont have to bug my friends next time.

[cotaman]

i believe a min 15 minute charge

[rws]

Considering the mess and inconvience of having your own sandblaster it is so much easier to go to a do-it-yourself place if you want to clean large pieces like bumpers or axles.  If you do many small pieces than the table top type blasters work O.K.

[yjcanibul]

I did 6 willys rims both sides sparkling clean in 40 minutes ... so under 7 minutes a rim and I had to stop and degoggle , flip 'em several times etc to check things out cause I am a rookie and always will be ... consolidated provides the gloves/head gear - ear plugs etc to do the job - just bring your overalls ...

bumper end to end should be totally doable in 15 minutes ... I'am originally from east coast so watching rust disappear is a personal rush  

[Giffer]

i dont know if any of you watch the show "from wrecks to riches" but the did a car with baking soda. it came out perfect, and i imagine its easier on the thin steel and it is easily washed away because it breaks down were sand doesnt. it also works for preventing rust. this is just what i saw on the show, price and how 100% it is i really dont know.

[twisted_offroader]

Does that DIY garage up by the airport have a sandblaster? I think its called U-Wrench or something. You say consolidated compressor is a DIY shop like U-Wrench right. I will have to check them out.

I am doing a three quarter ton rust bucket.  I will need to definately cut out area's and practice my newbish welding patching skills. But I need to be able to lift my box up to get at the frame, and diff. Do they have lifts at Consolidated Compressor?

I found a few things online with internet searches.
Found this site, has reasonable priced units
http://www.automotivepartsnetwork.com/store/pc/viewCat_P.asp?idCategory=62

Princess Auto
5 gallon siphon - Working Pressure 65-125 PSI/Air Consumption 90 PSI: 5.8CFM Average, 23 CFM continous   $80

5 lb ($120) & 10 lb ($180) Pressure Sandblasters - Working pressure 85-125 PSI air consumption 6-25 CFM uses with 5HP air compressor or higher.

I guess all you do is hook up a $500 - $1000 ac, lay down some protective tarps, buy the sand, protective gear and you are good to go. Can I just do it by using a electrical orbital sander. And just lower my overall cost.

[rws]

Sandblasting works good on things like bumpers,rims,axles, etc.  To do body panels there are things like liquid rust remover or the sand,cut,weld,fill method.  The quality of the repair is directly related to the amount of time you want to spend on it.  To remove the box on a rust bucket truck be ready for broken bolts,studs,etc, your best option here is a good penetrating oil (not WD-40) and impact tools.  Tons of info on the web.

[twisted_offroader]

Thanks for the info, I always use liquid-wrench, and soak the s*17 out of bolts. All I am really concerned with is the body, the under carriage will just get coated in mud anyway. I just think it would be cool to have the frame and diff painted black.

[rws]

I painted my axles and undercarrage black when I did the gears.  Looks awsome until it get covered in mud, then the rust starts, then in a couple of months it dosn't look so awsome anymore.  Next time I would put several coats of chassis paint on it instead of just one.

[01sahara]

I used the equipment at Consolidated yesterday. It is now $95 per hour. I was slow at first but it gets quicker with some practice and don't hold it to close to the item. In 1HR I did an entire utility trailer top, bottom, fenders, rims and hitch. It is clean back to bare metal no rust left. The equipment worked great. I would recommend it if you are prepping any heavy steel that has rusted for paint. This was would have taken an enormous amount of time with a grinder.  Now the trailer is in the garage and primed with six cans of red oxide primer, ready for paint tonight.

The plan tonight is a good coat of Tremclad on the bottom of the trailer. Then Gator Guard the top of it. If I have enough Gator Guard left I will do a light coat on the bottom as well. This should seal things up so no recurring rust for a long time.  

Thanks to Ian who came out and helped to remove lights, flip over the trailer and be an extra set of hands. You are paying by time so take help if it is a big job.

Blair