The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Is Sand Blasting Best?

I have a 52' that spent its life (previous) in the Midwest salt. Needless to say, rust is everywhere. I'd like to start this Summer by disassembling the bed and begin the renewal. Is sand blasting the best way or just the most economical way? Also, what equipment would be the best without breaking the bank?
Thanks, jeff

I'm not fond of sandblasting. Messy, slow, and after it's done, you'll forever be sweeping up little piles of sand that trickle out from who knows where. Sawzall, cutoff wheel, angle grinder & wire brush, and orbital air sander did the trick for me. I used a little handheld sand blaster for a couple spots my instruments of destruction couldn't reach.

http://www.chuckthetruck.homestead.com/page1.html

I am a strong beliver in sand blasting under one condition. The truck is in total pieces and you can do the complete piece. If you just want to spot clean
than do not use a sandblaster. to bigger mess.
I have a company close by my house which has 8 sandblasting stations and you can do your own work.
.65 cent US per minute. A minut with there blaster goes a long way. You have to be carefull on sheetmetal that you don't heat it to much and get some distortion.

you can see my sandblasting results on my website.

Some very valid points here, Jeff. Excessive use of a 'blaster on thin sheetmetal can lead to distortion. Most typical home units (blaster AND compressor) just don't move the air necessary to do a quick and effective job. You may wish to just have the frame blasted professionally and use (CAREFULLY) chemical strippers/rust convertors on the shell. I've had good luck on previous jobs using professional grade paint strippers and the rust converting gels. PLEASE make sure to use adequate protective gear, long sleeved shirts, pants, boots, as well as THICK rubber gloves and goggles which seal tight to your face (a shield over them might be good as well). Also try stripping outdoors on a calm day which isn't too cold or too warm. Best of luck to you in your endeavours.

Regards,
Wannabe

You might want to check into soad blasting. Its the way to go on sheet metal. Send the frame out and get it done. You will be time and money ahead. Joe

The previous post I am sure means SODA blasting, in case you are confused. I find a lot of commercial places no longer use actual sand for sandblasting, I believe there is a danger from silicosis or something like that. Other media such as soda, plastic, aluminum oxide and probably others do a good job without the health risks of sand.
I purchased a good compressor and blasting cabinet, I find it great for cleaning up small stuff, large items like frames and large body parts I still send out. A compressor, while a large investment, has other uses; air sanders, die grinders, and even airing up tires!

Anything I could fit into the blast cabinet got scoured with glass beads. It did take everything to bare metal, but we had to be careful not to spend too much time on one area (it's better than sand, but nowhere near as gentle as plastic). Cleanup is easy, just be very careful as the "dust" is actually tiny fragments of broken glass and you do not want that on your skin or in eyes, lungs, etc.

Took my cab and body parts and had them alkaline stripped. They are dipped into a tank to remove all the paint grease,oil and what ever else off. Then had them electrolytic de-rusting,which removes the rust from cracks,and crevices, seams of metal. Comes out just like new metal, also they put a coating on so they don't rust until there painted. Don't have to worry about missing any places or stretching the metal,as if blasting. Price is comparable to blasting. Look in the yellow pages for metal strippers in your area. Got some pictures of some pieces that got done can forward them if you like to see them.

All excellent advice, though doing it all myself in the side yard has its appeal to me. But, it sounds like most of you leave the job to someone else. I won't have the luxury of taking just the frame down and having it done. My work space is very limited. So will start with all that's behind the cab. Learn and then proceed forward as reassembly is completed.
This chemical stripping interests me though. I'll check it out.
Thank You all for the input. This is the greatest forum. I hope to be able offer my experience at some point. The payback. THANKS!

Molley45,
this is the first time I have heard of this process. I thought all the dunkers were just chemical strippers. Is there a trade name for it ?

Oceansidejeff,
if you want to strip rust by yourself, here is something that I discovered. 3M makes a disk that fits on a drill,called a Paint & Rust Stripper. If you put this on a high speed drill, it will take a rusty frame down to bare metal, very quickly. The secret is to use a high speed drill. There are a number of very low cost drills available, with no control electronics inside, that turn at 2500 RPM. This combination will do an amazing job. The more expensive drills turn much slower and won't give you these results.