OT: Blasting Media!

[ford4x4fun]

I have been reeding on other forums, and wanted to know what you all use and where you order it from! I will be trying to my frame in the next 2 weeks or so.

[Ranchero50]

For a frame, pay a professional to do it. Pain and suffering factor if nothing else.

You'll need a big arsed compressor, lots of sand, tarps and a good blaster setup (better than you have now) or a lot of time and nothing better to do... I did a '55 Ferguson To35 (think Ford 8n) in my garage a few years ago. Double walled with plastic, plastic on the floor. 6hp 60g compressor, decent Sears siphon blaster, took days of blasting and I still find sand in the rafters.

Small parts I would rather electrolosys clean than bead blast.

Jamie

[averagef250]

Blasting sucks and the media isn't nearly as important as the fresh air supplied respirator, 150++ CFM compressor and having a decent blasting setup.

Sandblasting wrecks almost everything. The surface finish will never be the same, thin parts always warp and seal surfaces/fits are destroyed. Blasting will never get between flanges or anywhere that's not direct line of sight. Don't forget you'll have to clean everything very well before blasting. Electrolysis rocks. I'd expect to pay about $150 to have a fullsize truck frame lye dipped and electrolysis derusted to look better than it did new, perfectly clean and ready for paint. Pretty cool to drop off the nastiest, rustiest looking garbage and get it back brand new in a week.

When I did lots of sandblasting with my cabinet I used a product called starblast. When I did blasting on a large scale I bought cleaned beach sand in 2000 pound sacks. I could never afford commercial blasting sand in the quantities necessary to operate a real sandblaster. My big cabinet blaster only has fine glass bead in it now.