Since no one else has offered to respond, I'll offer my perspective. Many years ago I worked part time in a cabinet shop. A customer ordered her kitchen be done in a "custom design" for the finish. She wanted the ash wood "distressed". We had a subcontractor sandblast the wood. The boss was worried it would turn out to be a mess and we'd get stuck. Well, it turned out aces and as I recall we did at least two other kitchens that way. I would think soda media would be much less aggressive and maybe do an acceptable job. If it were me, I'd try it on a test piece first.
