[Old Okie]

Thanks to my nephew I have access to a blast cabinet and a portable sand blaster. I will be doing a complete tear down of my CB400T II during the winter. I will need to sandblast lots of frame and misc. parts. I also want to refresh the outside of the motor to make it look like the factory finish. I have a pretty big compressor so I should have plenty of air. What I do not know is what blasting material to use. I just want to clean up the motor and strip the frame and misc. parts. I have no experience at sand blasting so we start with a clean slate. I have tried soda blasting with a home made rig and that was not very effective. All help appreciated.

 

[mike in idaho]

Walnut shell works well for cleaning up cruddy aluminum. Bead blasting is good on painted parts, beads are less aggressive than sand. leaves a finish that is easier to get a glossy paint job.

 

[workdogz2]

I like to start off with a good pressure washing (car wash)to remove grease and grime. Glass bead at lower pressure on aluminum,black beauty blasting slag on frame.

 

[TOOLS1]

I always bead blast the aluminum parts, and for sand blasting I use play sand. It works great, and is only $3.00 a bag. However you must run it through a screen before putting it into the blaster hopper.
TOOLS

 

[fxray]

I don't use any kind of sand, due to fear of silicosis.

I also never use glass media on any gasket surface, nor on any aluminum surface that I plan to polish, nor on any internal engine or gearbox surface.

 

[Bill H]

I use fine coal dust from Tractor Supply. 135 PSI for metal and 50 PSI for aluminum. I have a portable blaster but they make a mess and the other homes are too close. Anything that wont fit in the cabinet goes to the pros. The 50 PSI on aluminum is great for paint and powder. Blast units are different so take a hidden piece and try different pressure till your you have what you want.

Just some thoughts.

Bill

 

[Old Okie]

I am beginning to get the picture. Thanks for all the responses.

 

[WintrSol]

For the more sensitive surfaces, soda blasting may be what you want. You can go to eastwood.com and read up about blasting media, and which are best for what.

 

[Old Okie]

Bill H, Tell me more about the fine coal dust. I hope to be getting the engine back to the factory look, how do I do that.
Will soda blast clean the carb bodies??? One good thing, I have Tractor Supply close by, got to shop and see what they have.
I need new hoses for the cabinet and maybe some different sizes of nozzles(is that the right word??) I have some spare parts
to practice on, a ruined engine block, old fenders, ruined carb bodies and so on. I will need practice. How much PPE do I need
for this, the cabinet has a filter system on it. Dust mask and safety glasses enough???

 

[J-T]

Sandblasting cabinets I am familiar with have a filter (or at least a place to mount one) to which you can connect a shop vac. Keeping a slight vacuum in the cabinet keeps the dust away from the operator as well as improving visibility.

 

[Old Okie]

This cabinet has a fan and a filter mounted below the box and also a port for a shop vac.
The window is hazy and needs a new liner or to be replaced.

 

[Old Okie]

This cabinet has a fan and a filter mounted below the box and also a port for a shop vac.
The window is hazy and needs a new liner or to be replaced.

 

[Bill H]

Hi Old Okie. When I first started out I used glass beads and sand. but didnt like the results. When I started powder coating I read on a powder coating site about Black diamond fine coal dust from Tractor supply. I have an old blast cabinet I bought used. Nothing fancy all it has is a viewing window and a light. There is a exhaust port on the right side and I just use a hose going into a 5 gal bucket with a shop vac attached. Heavy stuff falls to the bottom fine stuff goes to the shop vac. The view port was cloudy and Eastwood sells clear liner for the view port so I replaced the plexiglass and put one of the liners between the glass and the cabinet. I used some 1 inch stick on insulation to seal it . When it gets cloudy I just change the liner. I wear a standard dust mask and safety glasses with no problems. I also have an exhaust fan that I use with the shop vac.

As I said I use the Black Diamond fine coal dust at 135 PSI for metal and cut the pressure to around 45 to 50 psi for aluminum . You can play with the pressure to get what you want.

My blast gun is from Eastwood and is just a stock set up nothing special.

I only use this for paint or powder I think it would be to rough for just polishing .

I have air dryers in line for moister..

I hope this helps.

Bill

 

[Old Okie]

Thanks for the response. I need a dryer for the air line. I have a small one but it may not be enough.
Going to Tractor Supply to see what they have. The coal dust sounds about right for what i want to do.