Here is my first hand experiences.
PLASTIC will NOT take off anything but paint. I took my body to have the last little bit blasted blasted off, after I had gotten sick, to a guy who had been sand and plastic blasting for almost 20 years. I had placed my sweaty hand on the freshly sand blasted front cowl. It oxidized and left my hand print in light surface rust.... PLASTIC did NOT take even it off and only paint on the small section I had done. The guy is also a fellow friend in the car club and he gave me a 5 gal bucket of new plastic to try in my bead blasting cabinet. Its good on paint or maybe some other delicate material but NOT for anything else.
Silicate sand is cheap, and if you buy the BLASTING sand it is sized and works well. Extra fine, fine or Medium. I prefer the fine in the blasting cabinet. Medium o rusted chassis. At $6.50 for a 100 lb bag its a good buy. Its also better to see a little sand "sift" out from a crack somewhere than have the "leeching" of soda chemicals. Plus Soda and dipping is expensive...and you deal with paint warranties. I do understand, that like everything else, there are some good ones....and some bad ones out there. Let your conscience by your guide...and your pocketbook.
May I add a comment about warping metal. ANY blaster worth his salt will know, or should know how to blast sheet metal. I've had many many pieces blasted and I have also blasted them myself and never had a panel come back worst than it was to begin with.
If you do it yourself remember to not stay in the same place to long and keep moving...you know, in...out,...in out...
Except for perhaps dipping, sand blasting is the only way to get rid of RUST. Yes, there is "some" metal removed but very little. If it blows through a piece of metal real easy I would not want to repair and put that piece back on a vehicle just to say its "all metal"!
May I add a word of caution about flap disk and grinders. Watch carefully what your doing with them or you will have little "divets" every time you "hit" it to the metal to sand/grind. I've seen this happen more than once....not counting the lesson I learned myself......I couldn't see it till I "stepped back" and the light hit the metal just right.
Whew, thats my .03 cents
Last edited by Achipmunk; 11/25/2010 9:58 PM. Reason: spelling
