All,
If anyone is interested, I got in touch with the nice folks at PPG and DuPont and got some pretty good answers on my worries about soda blasting. I just had to know what issues they have seen with soda blasting and issues with paint. My main concerns were not that PPG won't warranty my paint, it was that I was not doing something the right way and that would cause me to redo it. I am pretty sure that paint manufactures are not in any way going to warranty paint for someone like myself painting in his or her back yard. I have used PPG paints in the past and have always had good luck and they have seem to hold up well. I had a body shop friend that was real real pick about things and PPG is what he always used. So I figure, PPG is a good product if something happens to cause it to break down it will indeed be my fault but there is no reason to hose it up the from start with because I did not know or because of an opinion.
First off they tell me that PPG and DuPont paints are not intended to be sold to the general public. Of course any one can walk into any paint seller and get himself a box or three of these products. I am sure they know this and this is their way of covering their behind if anyone gets sick using their products because they did not understand the safety precautions. Just because some one is a professional does not mean they understand the precautions either. I watched Chip Foose spray clear coat once with a 3M dust mask. I got that on tape if you guys want to see it. I am pretty sure the masks with the pink cartridges is a sanding dust only sort of thing and you should not use them to paint in. Now I am assuming they have a huge panel of experts in paint and safety. Now that’s professional experience painting in what I feel us a dust mask not a painting mask. I see them all the time never having anything over their eyes in a paint booth. Enough of that...
I have talked to 3 different folks at PPG. All of them have pretty much the same story. I can tell that one of the persons I spoke with had a lot more experience and some personal opinions as well. This guys was the most helpful. This guy gave me the feeling that he had a lot of background in auto body painting.
So from what I can glean from my conversations and emails. PPG only recommends sand and media for blasting during the paint removal process. Their training manuals have these forms of blasting listed as something that they would "recommend". Soda blasting and the chemical dips are not listed in there. The guys I spoke with thought that this was due to the fact that only sand and (media - plastic) would only leave a speck in the paint if someone did not clean it well enough to remove all media left behind. And.. If someone were to use a dip/chemical or soda and did not clean the surface being painted it could cause problems with the adhesion of the paint. And this means anyone using something like paint stripper to remove paint, an ACID dip or soda blasting.
No one at PPG would tell me of any real instances or reported problems these forms of paint removal. The bottom line is that they are not something in their recommended list and logic would tell them it could cause issues if left behind. The most helpful guy at PPG said for someone using these processes to make sure the clean it well to insure that any no trace of it is left behind.
Now DuPont... I did get an email back from them simply stating "As long as the residue from the blasting material in cleaned off prior to using our system there should be no problem." Now keep in mind that I only talked to one person at DuPont. To be honest I did not try as hard with them as I did with PPG.
At any rate:
PPG said there are no documented issues but you could have issues if you do not clean it.
DuPont said good to go as long as you clean it.
No one said anything about warrantees. Not likely, I would have one anyway.
I am not trying to sell folks on soda blasting but it has worked well in cleaning some of my parts where a sand blaster may cause warpage. I also did some research to sure up my cleaning process after soda blasting. Diluting it with water or a solution of vinegar and water will get rid of the residue. Of course for the folks that are doing the dip, I am assuming the person that is cleaning your stuff will clean your parts well when they are done.
Now that being said:
Ok, now that is doing my research on it and I am glad I did for I feel much better about using Soda. I am sorry if you read this long response and did not find it useful. I just whish I would have had someone post this info for me when I was in the decision making process. I am assuming that most all the folks here know more about this stuff than me but if there is a chance someone need info about it here's what I found. My truck has been a learning experance for me and I learn something every day.
Thanks again to all the folks that have posted info and helped me.
My God Bless you..
