Sandblasting day!

[Brad B]

The nasty looking stock air cleaner on my BMW 2002tii finally got a redo. I purchased a top of the line sandblasting cabinet to go with my hand held sanblaster and removed the 35 year old paint and a couple of poorly applied touch up layers. I used a fine blast media which made very quick work stripping the paint. All I had to do afterwards was a quick 600 grit sandpaper wipe down. Then I primed and painted with Krylon rattlecan. The results are good, but certainly not concours. I even resisted the temptation to repaint a couple areas that aren`t so perfect. Actually, I`ll just call it `applied patina` to match the rest of the car. That`s my story and I`m sticking to it. Anyway, I did this all in an afternoon. Poof.



The deluxe kit.





A "before" on the air cleaner. It`s not horrible, but a little tatty around the edges and certainly not smooth from so many years of nicks and scratches. It`s not the most glamorous of pieces but it`s factory oem and that is what I want to stick to.







Probably 10 minutes later.









My helper, Sparky. The safety equipment mystified her. And she really wanted to get into the cabinet.









Primer. The new Krylon spray nozzles that are adjustable really work well.







I was actually rather impessed with what went into making these air cleaners. This is all hand made. Look at all the welds and brazing. And the internals are fairly complex as well. Now days it would be vacuum formed plastic and take about 10 seconds to make. This took some real time to craft and is pretty heavy stuff.







Ta daaaa. Like I said, not perfect, but better. After these shots I gave it a wipe down with Zaino AIO.

[Ron Ketcham]

Brad, sure you are aware, but others may not be.

I was pleased to see that you had the necessary safety equipment when you did the work.

If one is using sand, be sure and wear a respirator, a dust mask at the very least and a face shield.

Silicosis from the dust. I mainly use glass beads in my blast cabinet, so not a problem.

For larger things, like an old m/c frame I am in the process restoring, I do the frame outside , using a sipon feed system, with sand.

I wear a 3M canister respirator, heavy gloves, face shield, etc.

I am in the process of purchasing a new 80 gal, 220v twin cyl compressor, as the single 110v, 21 gal tank just won`t keep up and the cfm is not there, let alone the pressure to really do things quickly.

Am also buying a 20 gal pressurized blaster, and with it I will use soda bicarbonate most of the time, as I make some side bucks restoring old brass hardware from old houses being restored.

After I blast them, use my metal buffing bench unit, with heavy wheels on one side, fine polishing on the other.

This speeds things up as well, since I use stick rouge for that sort of polishing.

I have learned that no matter what one uses as a medium for blasting, the best cleaner before priming a part after any blasting, is acetone.

Then apply a coat of acid etch primer (can get in rattle can at O`Reilly`s), then scuff and apply the surface primers.

Without using the acid etch, there can be rusting and delamination down the road.



All that said, you did a nice job on the part!



Grumpy

[C. Charles Hahn]

Nice work, Brad! Love your Snap-On cabinet :chuckle:

[Darkstar752]

Very nice Brad! How long did this whole project take?

[E300Diesel]

Nice job! The "cabinet" is priceless.

[Brad B]

Very nice Brad! How long did this whole project take?

Maybe 5-6 hours or so. A lot of down time while things dried.

[Brad B]

Brad, sure you are aware, but others may not be.

I was pleased to see that you had the necessary safety equipment when you did the work.

And Sparky did, too!

I am in the process of purchasing a new 80 gal, 220v twin cyl compressor, as the single 110v, 21 gal tank just won`t keep up and the cfm is not there, let alone the pressure to really do things quickly. Am also buying a 20 gal pressurized blaster, and with it I will use soda bicarbonate most of the time, as I make some side bucks restoring old brass hardware from old houses being restored.

Wow, that`s big-time. Cool. But I can make you a deal on a slightly used Snap-On kit. Wink.

After I blast them, use my metal buffing bench unit, with heavy wheels on one side, fine polishing on the other.

This speeds things up as well, since I use stick rouge for that sort of polishing.

Yes, I have a dedicated Baldor buffer as well. It`s a fantastic must-have.

[Ron Ketcham]

How`s Sparky handle the noise of the compressor?

Enstien, a cat who thinks he is a dog, just wonders around the shop while I am working, but once the compressor or a grinder starts, "he`s outta there"!

Grumpy

[Accumulator]

Brad B.- Man-oh-man, one more project nicely done!



Ron Ketcham- Ah, good tip Re the acetone.

[Brad B]

How`s Sparky handle the noise of the compressor?

Grumpy

Sparky wasn`t so keen on the sand blaster noise, but she loves being chased around by the air compressor nozzle. It`s funny, she even sits next to me as I use the air wrench to take off lug nuts. She likes to inspect them one by one as they come off. But rattle a paper bag at her and she runs. Strange puppy.