Anyone try pro sandblast equipment to strip their m35?

[Amram]

Seems to me sand blasting a whole truck can be a pain in the butt. Has anyone hired someone to blast their truck for them? What ball park numbers are we looking at for price for doing a job like that? I have been gradually working from the back of the truck forward with my needle gun knocking rust apart. I paint as I move forward. Truck is really turning around.

 

[ccequipment]

We sandblast trucks almost every week, I have a 600lb Schmidt blaster and a 250CFM comp. We use a material called sandblast mask on the glass and other items you don't want blasted, its expensive but works well. A normal truck like the M35 will take 7-8 bags of the Medium grit coal slag at $10 a bag, i buy in bulk, and it takes only about 1.5 hours or less to actually blast the whole truck. The key is the media, the normal sand you buy just won't cut it. You need something very sharp media to do the job. By the time you prep the truck, set everything up and spend about an hour to blow off the truck we will have about 5 hours in the job. I belive you can rent some bigger blasters from the big equipment rental yards if you call around and they will sell the media you need. It will be worth you while, the will have the right tools for the job including a fresh air helmet.

 

[Truckoholic]

The sand I get from Home Depot is indeed filtered Silica number 30 sandblasting sand. They usually have it right next to the play sand, but it is indeed sandblasting sand.

But yes, to those who feel it is too big of a pain in the butt to sandblast a whole truck, just try doing a few of them using other means for a while, and you will discover REAL quick that the sand getting into places it shouldn't and the mess, and everything is very worth it for the end result and the extreme savings in time spent doing the job!

Truckoholic said it right.

I have blasted a lot of truck sized projects and my experience is the same as his. The only thing I differ in is sand. I would never use sand from home depot. Play sand is just that. It is river sand that is all rounded from rolling down the river, and doesn't have good tooth to cut with. If that is all you can get, fine, but real sand blasting grit, like Green Diamond, does the work in half the time or less.

I never try to reuse blasting grit. If you are in a booth where it can be swept up and screened that might work, but otherwise, forget it. It takes a lot of blasting grit to get the job done, there is no way around it.

A commercial screw compressor and a HF freight blaster is a mismatch and won't gain you anything.

I will soon be experimenting with a 4000 PSI pressure washer with a sand blasting attachment [wet blasting]. I will report back here with the results.

 

[yolner]

I will soon be experimenting with a 4000 PSI pressure washer with a sand blasting attachment [wet blasting]. I will report back here with the results.

I had no idea this existed! Learn something new every day. The reviews are positive too. I might just skip the compressor rental and buy a pressure washer instead.

Here's a thread talking about it

http://www.steelsoldiers.com/welding-sand-blasting/4030-pressurewasher-sandblaster-attachment.html

 

[paulfarber]

If you can get enough CFM out of the nozzle the next issue is the grit. Like a pro posted above Black Beauty is aggressive for most paint/rust, but there are much more aggressive grit (and larger sized) that will go through CARC like butter.

I'd take the bed off to make sure you get under the sills and hold down bolts, and let a pro do the frame/cab/bed. IIRC I got a quote of like $400 for a box sized van about the same size as an M35.

Even if its more not having to deal with media, cleanup, as for a compressor, etc etc etc. is worth the few $100.

 

[yolner]

Well I ordered the sandblaster attachment and bought a 3100 psi and 2.5GPM pressure washer at home depot. The attachment should be here tomorrow and I'm going to do a test run when I get home from work. Stand by for pics.


EDIT: Looks like i'm going to have to reschedule the pics for tomorrow. Turns out I don't have the adapter to plug the sand blast attachment into the blast gun.

 

[4x4 Forever]

Make sure you get the antirust additive for wet blasting, otherwise you will have a 'flashrust' truck. Just remember each type of 'prep' carries its own caveats.

 

[yolner]

Make sure you get the antirust additive for wet blasting, otherwise you will have a 'flashrust' truck. Just remember each type of 'prep' carries its own caveats.

I'm planning to spray whatever I strip with phosphoric acid to keep the rust at bay. When I get a few parts stripped I'll paint them all with POR-15.

 

[zeisshensoldt]

I know some people don't like the sand blasting idea, but I'm curious what the alternative would be? Are the air needles a close second option?

 

[yolner]

I know some people don't like the sand blasting idea, but I'm curious what the alternative would be? Are the air needles a close second option?

Paint stripper, wire wheels, and lots of elbow grease. I tried a orbital sander with 80 grit pads and it barely touched the CARC.

 

[lawdog1623]

Your dead on. This is exactly what ive done. I only hit the places with loose paint or rust. I also blasted the places that had many layers of paint that had ran when drying. It helped smooth out the finish.