The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Tool Chest Media Blasting Carb's

Getting ready to rebuild my Carbs. What media have you guys used to get them looking brand new? I bought a couple sacks of glass beads that I planned to used since it doesn't "cut" and is not aggressive, per the vendor. It is designed to polish, but I haven't used it yet. My blast cabinet work horse is alum oxide, but it's pretty aggressive, I think too aggressive for carbs. Denny did an awesome job with soda, but I don't want to buy yet another tool. Deve uses sand, and god bless him, for all the warnings out there, I'm not about to go there. I just bought a new blast nozzle for my cabinet from TP tools and the box was full of warnings about not to use sand...even in a cabinet.

I don't know anybody who blasts carbs. For me, there are too many small passage ways and orifices to get clogged. You can't blast clean the passage ways because they have +/- 90 deg angles sometimes. I soak'em. If I ever did one I would think soda would be washoutable. I am guessing that anything mildly aggressive would change the sizes of important diameters. Does your bead vendor know how soft carb material is? (AL or Zink Die Cast)See what CarbKing says.

I'm talking only exteriors for blasting, we'll use carb cleaner for the interiors.

I blast everything inside and out with SAND. Of course its #1 Silica sand, about the consistency of fine sugar or flour. I run the pressure way down to 40psi. Everything is nice and clean without doing any damage to anything. If you use 1000 grit sandpaper and it smooths the work to a perfect shine, you have nothing to worry about. I can't be bothered with different grits of anything in my blast cabinet. I use it almost every day. By changing pressure I can get the super fine jobs done, or with 120psi I can get the harder jobs done. The only complaint I have with my system is, it isn't aggressive enough when trying to cut some of the older lead paints. I use it anyway, just takes a long time.

To clean, high pressure air, then a naptha based cleaner (PPG's DX-330). Like brandy new! For the smaller orifices, I use a HVLP paint gun cleaning kit that has those cleaning tools. Understand though, the smallest orifice in a carb, you can pour the sand I use into. Not large enough to clog it. That is worst case scenario.. example.. a carb that has been sitting in a salvage yard for 30 years. If the carb is in use or has been recently, I would gently blast the outside and kerosene (small parts washer) clean the inside. Providing the gold plating is compromised of course. (It almost always is).

So Allen, if you don't want Silica Sand, get something with a similar consistency, then use pressure changes to change your strength. You will be good to go!

I'll talk to my media guy...yours look pretty nice Deve.

Yeah, just find an alternative to #1 (very important that number) Silica Sand as far as consistency. You can't lose. They not only look good, but they work as if they were new. The blast cabinet is one of my favorite tools. I clean everything with it. I use a HVLP paint gun pressure regulator at the cabinet. Small, out of the way, and works great. With that system, you can actually clean a zinc plated bolt without removing the plating. Its all about pressure control.

Glass beads will cut, just not fast. I'd be hesitant to use them on a carburetor for fear of loosing some to only come out into the engine later... This doesn't seem to bother many folks though.
I've used walnut shells for delicate items, they do not cut, or if they do it is glacially slow.

I throw carburetors into my Kwikway parts tumbler. I use old bearings, nuts etc for media. About 10 minutes in the parts tumbler and they come out looking good.

I bought a carburetor on eBay several years ago that looked good in the picture. When I got it and looked inside, it looked like a car that's been driving on the beach. You never get rid of all the sand.

An original 40-50s carbs is pot metal (zinc) that has be plated. Once the plating is gone its gone and you are left with a gray zinc surface.

The throttle body is usually cast and can be blasted/plated but be careful that the vacuum passages are still open.

Getting them re-plated is an option, or polishing them and then clear coating might be acceptable... but the original plating process is pretty much impossible to get due to the toxic chemicals required.

Ken has a sense of humor! Good one Ken. My standby carb cleaner is a bag of hammers in one of those barrel drums.

Baking Soda is about the same consistency as #1 Silica sand, maybe a little finer. It should work. I would worry about Walnut shells stopping up one of the finer orifices, but what stops me on the Walnut Shell idea is the $24.99. I get 80 pounds for $5.99 and its at the local lumber yard that delivers free.

Really there is no need WHATSOEVER to argue about how to clean a carburetor among this group. You all know how to clean a carb. If I didnt have a blaster that I use on everything, I would use Carb Cleaner or Engine Degreaser. Did it that way for years. Glad I can just put them in the blaster these days. No chemicals, no misery. I have read everything on the dangers of Silica sand. Avoiding it can be MORE dangerous. What are the ramifications of using Chemicals? Besides, I plan on getting hit by a bus. That is my entire end of life planning in a Numb nutshell.

Anyone ever try this stuff??

http://www.eastwood.com/carb-renew-2.html

Is it just me or does it come in a standard 12oz can but only has 5oz in it, and cost $15?

I have tried their original formula 10 years ago and I wasn't impressed. It's just bronze enamel paint. I have not tried the 'new formula'.

This is what you really want:

http://www.caswellplating.com/electroplating-anodizing/zinc-plating-kits.html

But if the original zinc is pitted its pitted forever.

Carb finish was really only to protect the zinc.

Denny, if you remember, most of the old timers used an agitated tank for cleaning carburetors. I gave several guys old air operated wiper motors to build an agitator with. The carburetor tumbling in the parts tumbler works on the same principle. The junk in the tumbler sloshes the solvent in all the little corners. As for the Zenith carburetors in my GMCs, the only way to get the passages clean is to drill out the lead BBs and clean them with a pipe cleaner. It is the parts tumbler I sent you a picture of several years ago. I thought you might build yourself one. I like the idea of throwing stuff in the basket and forgetting about it. And I don't have to smell the solvent during that time.

Deve, its not a joke. The nuts in the parts tumbler are 1/4" and the bearings are about the same size. I remove the float and needle and seat. The junk doesn't hit anything that hard when it is immersed in solvent. And its the best way I know of to remove years of Tetraethyl Lead buildup in the fuel bow.

Interesting Ken. I would like to see this tumbler you made. I am always interested in home made helpers that are innovative. My bad!

Ken's description reminds of those little jewelry cleaners you see at jewelry stores. Very small vibrations in cleaning solution is very effective. Bet if you mounted two hand sanders upside down and attached a tub to them would be pretty close. Much more action with wiper motors I'm sure. Talk to Mike at Mike's Carbs...his method hot tank, bead blast, shaker.

Mike's Place

I like how he is selling non-plated carbs. I don't think he has much choice without spending lots of money on special plating. Allen I didn't see from that link his methods. I had access to one of those Jewelry cleaners and they work really great, but the one I used was too small for carbs. Always looking for intelligent, clean methods for doing jobs like this.

No his method was via short conversation. How about this...take two small low rpm motors, machine a shaft with 1/2" offset so when motor runs creates a circle. Mount a bearing on the offset shaft and somehow mount a turkey pan or your 3 gal HF parts wash to each bearing. When you run the motors with the offset shafts you get a vibration action. Use springs to keep the pan upright. Or you can just call Mike, and ask him what he uses for the shaker!

Get an ultrasonic cleaner. They are big and cheap and will fit the fuel bowl/cover of a carb.

It will clean to bare metal quickly.

Yellow Chromate plating is moderately cheap and easy. Lots of places do it. A carb fuel bowl and cover should be about $100 to do.

Deve, I didn't build the parts tumbler. It is about a 50 year old Kwik-Way. Denny was talking about building a parts tumbler several years ago and I sent him some pictures of the Kwik-Way. But I don't know what I did with the pictures. Here are some quick cell phone pictures. One shows the entire machine. The box on top of it is a microwave and has nothing to do with the machine. I also took a picture of the basket down in the machine and a picture of the junk that is in the basket. To work properly, I run the tank to where about half of the basket is immersed in solvent.

https://plus.google.com/photos/1081...7526546978&oid=108197707187186692269

To plug up the passages go to the local fishing shop, get a $1 bag of round lead weights. Tap into the hole.

Sometimes an aluminum rivet will to the trick (they are sized in 64ths) but you usually have to order by the 100.

Melt lead with a soldering iron to cast a new plug? Never heard of it... and you also need a 200W iron.

Ken that picture looks almost exactly like the paint shaker at the local lumber yard. I wonder if they are using a similar 'engine'. Thanks for the pics.

When I did my motorcycle carbs, I bought a cheap handheld and used baking soda. It did a great job, and any residual soda in the channels will dissolve.

If the carbs are really bad, you will still need to use carb cleaner or whatever to get into the channels and jets...

Tool:
https://flic.kr/p/to1fhp

Before and after of the bowls:
https://flic.kr/p/t6qy2G

Body after shot:
https://flic.kr/p/tkEA1L

Gus, did you try that low buck soda blaster. I did, without much luck. Got a big compressor, about 18 CFM's at 80 psi. What were your settings, and thanks for posting it.

I don't think my neighbors will apriciate it


I've used Berrymans

Thanks for the report

I have an older 60 gallon that puts out 15cfm. I probably had it set to 110-120psi since I think that was before I had a regulator on it.

The tool is a real piece of junk and I had to shake it quite a bit to get the soda to flow, but if you only have one or two (or 4) carbs to do, you can get it done for $20 in an hour or two.

And if you do it just before it rains, your neighbors won't even know!

It wouldnt be hard at all to adapt your blast cabinet to have a "divert valve" from the sand or whatever in the lower cabinet to a siphon system where you can put a large coffee can or something in the cabinet filled with baking soda or whatever. Hmmmmm. Or better yet, a second lower cabinet bin (5 gallon bucket under the cabinet). Doesnt matter if they mix really for most purposes.

Naaaaaaw! A paint gun pressure regulator works great to dial in all the pressure from nothing to 120. With that capability, 40 psi and #1 silica sand and it just doesn't get any better. The 40 psi makes the CFM irrelevant to a point. Most compressors can put out 40psi all day.

I didn't come by this information over a year or two. I got so tired of trying different media and getting sub standard results. For me, the final answer and the end of the misery of testing is over. I can devote my time and effort to moving ahead with my projects. If I had any faith in the CDC and the ignorance of the government in general, maybe things would be different. Naaaaawww!! LOL!

Now that my motor machine shop has weighed in on the actual numbers, it's ALL good.

Just got around to uploading a bunch of pictures and thought those who are reading this thread would like photos...

Before:
https://flic.kr/p/t3YtWG
https://flic.kr/p/vX9qL5

After:
https://flic.kr/p/vXgFbT
https://flic.kr/p/vhTN84

Done with soda@50psi. If you want to remove the factory varnish, more time or more pressure will do it and make it look like the motorcycle carb I posted earlier.