Hi Tom-
Nope- that's a recipe for silicosis. Plain sand will degrade very fast and
the dust is vicious. I'd stopped at a local shop that does paint removal on
big tanks to see if they'd sell me a couple hundred pounds of grit- they
used a big sand pit and I noticed that most of the worker guys standing
around were hawkin' up nasty gunk frequently.
There are a variety of abrasive media such as aluminum oxide, walnut shells,
glass bead, etc, depends on what you need to clean off and how soft the base
surface is. I tried just about every method in stripping the car and found
aircraft stripper (methylene chloride) followed by a wire brush on the
grinder for the surface rust worked the best for me. Its about $20/gal at
the local auto store. The media blasting works well where you have deep rust
to dig out but is messy, slow and easy to warp a panel if your pressure is
too high. It worked great on the frame (was messy and slow though). Its
great in a sealed tub for cleaning off axle shafts, brackets, etc, where it
can be contained and dust controlled. If you do use media blasting, try to
bag everything in the vicinity + an extra 10 feet that could be damaged by
having cutting grit in it because the danged stuff gets everywhere (think
beach)! But if you get it in your ball joints or steering rack, well, you
can see where I'm going... just my t'uppence...
Good luck!
"Any drive you don't return from on a tow truck was a good one..."
Jon
'77 (mostly) 1500 "Ol' Yeller"
FM66043 7U
Nass #104 VTR #14429
www.yankeespitfire.com
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-triumphs@autox.team.net
[mailto:owner-triumphs@autox.team.net]On Behalf Of T. S. White
Sent: Tuesday, June 17, 2003 12:29 PM
To: Randall Young
Cc: Triumphs
Subject: Sand Blast Media question
Hi Listers,
The thread on sandblasting prompts a question from me. I am removing my
engine. My engine compartment needs serious attention. I thought it
would be good to strip it by sanblasting with aluminum oxide.
I called a local shop and they don't use aluminum oxide. They said they
could do it with fine sand. Is that a good idea?
Thanks,
Tom
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