Soda Blast Experiment

After seeing Andrew's thread on his resto, I started playing around with soda blasting using what I had available.

I really like it! (and I've sandblasted with sand, glass & walnut to compare it to)

Couple of things to note:
1. I used regular old baking soda from the kitchen, regular cost where I live is $1.00/lb. It goes pretty fast, if you have a lot of cleaning to do, I'd suggest maybe considering the Harbor Freight 50 lb bags. I think it comes out to about 30cents a lb. and being purpose specific, I'm betting the granular crystals work better.

2. Wear a mask and do it outdoors, (you can hose it all off afterwards with water). Be prepared to be engulfed in powder.

3. I used a Harbor Freight spot blaster intended for using sand, in its stock form, I felt it used the baking soda too fast so I made a little restrictor disc from an aluminum can and put a smaller hole in it. I used a metal punch to cut it from the can so it fit perfectly between the blaster body and reservoir.

4. I ran the blaster at approx. 80 psi, (I have a vertical 5HP 60gal compressor that easily kept up with the cfm needs.)

Here's a quick video I did trying it on my 1965 Honda S90.

http://s889.photobucket.com/albums/ac96 ... last-1.mp4

George

 

Nice job, George! I like the ingenuity with making the gun suitable for soda. Yours looks way more effective than any gun I've made.

 

I use the Harbor Freight blasting media in my Craftsman "homeowner grade" cheapo sandblaster with about the same results. Except for intermittent clogging of the "media" tube, it gets similar results. It's fun "spraying clean."

 

wow, that would be handy. Can you use a blaster like this on Aluminum parts without any issue? Will it take a pealing clear coat off too ?

 

From what I've tested, it works great on aluminum, although I don't know how it will work on clear coat. My guess is if the clear coat is peeling then the coating adhesion has already been compromised and it should work quite well.

On my next iteration of soda blasting gun, I will take Fitz's lead and modify a sandblaster set up I have to run it on the Harbor Freight Soda Media. To eliminate the stops and starts/clogs that seem to occur with that system, in the past I rigged up a station where the sand container is suspended above my work. Gravity in combination with the suction created by the compressed air results in a really consistent stream of abrasive.

When using it with sand, I use my trash can as the "blast cabinet", with a barbeque grill mounted inside midway with the item to be cleaned resting on it. The set up works pretty well, about 85% of the blasting media stays in the trash can.

Good Luck, let us know how it turns out.

George

 

1- Yes, I've used it on petcocks, carb parts and all sorts of aluminum. It really is like "spray painting clean."

2- Sometimes. Some old clearcoat is really on there, I recommend Aircraft Paint Remover or NAPA/Permatex spray gasket remover, both truly nasty BTW.

Brilliant; I gotta do that. I've been putting small parts on the hopper filler hole screen, and just holding the bigger ones in a rubber welding gloved-hand with just a sheet of visqueen spread out to catch the media.

Keep in mind-- true, industrial soda blasting is the only way to get the kind of results Wiz gets on whole motors. But the DIY rig is great for smaller stuff. I did half of the inside of an alternator cover as a before/after sample; I'll get some pics of it up when I have a chance.

 

I've got to get one of those. Good info - thanks for posting.

George, which system has the starts/clogs issue? (the one you demonstrated or does the sandblaster setup you have have that issue?)

 

Hats off to GFONTES, you sir, are going to be responsible for a lot of clean parts all over the world. I can't wait to try it on my carbs and the inside of my brakes backing plate.

 

Mine does; but it's nothing more than a plastic hopper with a "media hose" attached to the bottom. The fitting where that hose attaches has a hole in it to allow airflow in, but if the hopper isn't above the level of the blaster nozzle, it clogs a lot. Moreso with soda, but it clogs with sand too. But then again the whole thing was like $60 and was bought for stripping paint off cedar shake siding.

I figured "what the heck" I'd try some sode blasting with it and it works well enough to continue the practice, despite fighting the occasional system clog. I had to play around with the different size tips that came with the blaster to get the best results.

 

The suction sandblaster in its standard configuration had the starts and stops. Then when I suspended it, (the reservoir actually hangs over my head when blasting) I haven't had a problem since, (except maybe the sand gets used up faster.)

The soda blaster I used in the video works well, but the reservoir is smallish so you'll be filling it up often. Also, you need to "shake it" in a forward motion when it starts getting empty to keep the baking soda over the outlet port.

So I'm thinking if I use the sandblaster unit with suspended reservoir and modify it with some restriction or maybe just use a smaller nozzle, I can use the Harbor Freight Soda media. I'll document my attempts in any case.

I also have a thread I will be posting soon on different methods to get the outside of our carburetors to match the "zestfully clean" interiors.

I've experimented with an ultrasonic cleaner & diesel, a rotary rock tumbler using stainless steel media, water & Dawn, vibrated in a vibratory bowl (used for cleaning shell casings for reloading), blasted using walnut shells and blasted using soda.
The carburetors I used for testing are from Honda Spree Scooters. (I'm also restoring one). I have been purchasing them on ebay (usually the most disgusting and filthy ones if possible) to test with. They are also the cheapest because their appearance scares folks away I've had some surprising results...


George

 

I have been kicking the idea around of buying one of these. Please post your results so we can see the results with your different methods. Nice thread. Thanks

 

George, very impressive.

I love your idea of buying gross carbs on ebay to play with - might even be able to break even if you put the shiniest testers back up for sale :idea:

In any case, I would definitely appreciate more pics of your gravity fed media bin that you've described.

Keep up the great work!

 

Here is a nice although not cheap at $130. Looks like it could be easily suspended from a ceiling pully to aid in delivery

 

That does look nice, but you're right, at $130, it just doesn't seem to be a very great buy. For the money, it would be alot nicer to make a blasting cabinet to reclaim media easier.

 

yes but blasting cabinets are not portable and take up a lot of room. Your item size is also quite limited (can't fit an engine or even a bicycle rim into a two foot box). A cheap plastic sand blaster is about $55 and although plastic has it's place I prefer the sturdiness of a metal hopper. I like the wide open access on the top for filling with media. Also Georges' garbage can idea is very creative for reclaiming media, a rubbermaid trash can and old grill top....good to go.

 

I've gotta get a garage soon so I can do all this stuff Awh man you guys make me jealous. The things I could do with the tools in my own house

 

This could fit an engine/frame and could me made for less than $100...
DIY Blasting Cabinet

Just a thought, but it definitely seems like a better investment than a cheap blaster considering you can let the media drain into a 5 gallon pail at the bottom where your media feed hose would go.

 

that is sweet, I like it, but if you can build that for under $100 I'll take 10 of them ....anybody else want one?

 

There are a number of corners to be cut from the pattern this guy has, namely using anything other than 3/4" subfloor, not caulking every single orifice, or installing a pricey light source.

I definitely like his idea of making a shop-vac port so you can easily remove the dust from the air within the cabinet.

We'll see if I can meet my $100 goal this winter, and I'll include pics with my results.