Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Framebuilders
Reload this Page >

Sandblaster- Maybe I need to be talked out of it!

Notices
Framebuilders Thinking about a custom frame? Lugged vs Fillet Brazed. Different Frame materials? Newvex or Pacenti Lugs? why get a custom Road, Mountain, or Track Frame? Got a question about framebuilding? Lets discuss framebuilding at it's finest.

Sandblaster- Maybe I need to be talked out of it!

Old 11-19-15, 06:50 PM
  #1  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: NE Ohio
Posts: 2,576

Bikes: 1992 Serotta Colorado II,Co-Motion Speedster, Giant Escape Hybrid, 1977 Schwinn Super Le Tour

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 448 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 112 Times in 85 Posts
Sandblaster- Maybe I need to be talked out of it!

So now I have 2 frames that I want to refinish and both will need sandblasting. Yea,I could take it to a commercial outfit or for $50 Harbor Freight has a small 20# pressurized unit.So can I do as good of a job? Maybe kinda fun to do it myself!
Tandem Tom is offline  
Old 11-19-15, 08:37 PM
  #2  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,441
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 33 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 4 Times in 3 Posts
I think there is a lot to be said for having a sand blaster. But frames are big and you probably don't want to consign the space for a cabinet that size. Blasting in the outdoors on that scale, not sure I want to do that either. I certainly wouldn't do it with some of the more toxic media.

On the other hand, if you take it out, unless you prime immediately after the blasting, you won't have the activated surface to bond to, so home blasting would be better.
MassiveD is offline  
Old 11-19-15, 10:33 PM
  #3  
Randomhead
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Happy Valley, Pennsylvania
Posts: 24,335
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Liked 3,643 Times in 2,485 Posts
i used one of those once. I wasn't particularly impressed. You still want to use something other than sand as a media. Sand is too abrasive
unterhausen is offline  
Old 11-19-15, 11:52 PM
  #4  
Lapped 3x
 
taras0000's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: 43.2330941,-79.8022037,17
Posts: 1,723
Mentioned: 13 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 325 Post(s)
Liked 23 Times in 20 Posts
If you're able to use baking soda instead of sand, it will be really hard to screw up. Soda blasting is gently on the metal. I had an aluminum frame refinished once, and the blaster I took it too used soda. He first blasted an empty coke can with it to show me and I was impressed. No damage to the can at all.
taras0000 is offline  
Old 11-20-15, 10:36 AM
  #5  
Senior Member
 
Andrew R Stewart's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Rochester, NY
Posts: 17,960

Bikes: Stewart S&S coupled sport tourer, Stewart Sunday light, Stewart Commuting, Stewart Touring, Co Motion Tandem, Stewart 3-Spd, Stewart Track, Fuji Finest, Mongoose Tomac ATB, GT Bravado ATB, JCP Folder, Stewart 650B ATB

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4153 Post(s)
Liked 3,751 Times in 2,245 Posts
The blasting box is the less costly aspect of sand blasting. The compressor and dust collector will triple the actual cost. Do your math.

I suggest chemical stripping first followed by shoe shinning with emery cloth and only blasting as the last step and on the not fully stripped surface only. In fact this blasting step is best dn jut before the repaint is started. I let my painter do this last step. Andy.
Andrew R Stewart is offline  
Old 11-20-15, 02:47 PM
  #6  
buy my bikes
 
mrv's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Michigan
Posts: 1,799

Bikes: my very own customized GUNNAR CrossHairs

Mentioned: 19 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 518 Post(s)
Liked 418 Times in 246 Posts
I'll second the chemical strip. Use sandblasting carefully and judiciously, if you get access to a cabinet or take the H.F. route.

Here's two frames I chemically stripped before painting: Gunnar & Cannondale link
The Gunnar was sandblasted to removed corrosion and clean up tight corners. And with the nice tubing, blasting as sparingly as possible.

Here's a few other frames: hack-projects link
- from these I learned sandblasting without stripping first is not a good use of time. You can slop on the stripper and let it sit. Clean it up. Repeat.
The reddish Peugeot in the photos got quite a bit of blasting, but it corroded pretty quickly as it's a VERY low carbon steel. Funny bit of the story: I got done blasting, and was happy with the consistent finish, and was about to move to powder coating. I did the standard, shop recommended TSP wash to clean it up. I did a pre-heat to dry it out. Took it out of the pre-heat and it had a light corrosion EVERYWHERE! Back to the sandblast cabinet. Wiped it down after with a mild kind of solvent (from Duplicolor) used for degreasing before painting. No photos yet, but of all my hack-jobs, it's the one I'm least happy with.

my two cents and worth at least half.
mrv is offline  
Old 11-20-15, 07:39 PM
  #7  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: NE Ohio
Posts: 2,576

Bikes: 1992 Serotta Colorado II,Co-Motion Speedster, Giant Escape Hybrid, 1977 Schwinn Super Le Tour

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 448 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 112 Times in 85 Posts
Made a trip to Harbor Freight today and for $50 I walked out with a pressurized unit. Stop by Tractor Supply and picked up a bag of Very Fine abrasive. So tomorrow I may give this a try and set up outdoors.
Tandem Tom is offline  
Old 11-23-15, 02:04 AM
  #8  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 1,739
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 25 Post(s)
Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
Tom - for a lot of reasons, I won't ever put a frame tube anywhere near sand media blasting. Have seen too much damage from them. Fairly easy to find a shop in most areas with ability to do the cleaning task using soda blasting or similar media such as walnut shells. These guys can easily remove the top coat off of a car without damaging the primer...and they almost always are geared up to handle large items (like cars) so a bike would not be a problem.
ksisler is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Refreshing
Framebuilders
5
01-03-18 11:14 AM
Tandem Tom
Commuting
8
01-12-17 04:14 PM
DemonToes
Bicycle Mechanics
12
05-19-16 10:42 PM
escarpment
Road Cycling
15
07-23-14 06:24 AM
ModeratedUser04122018
Bicycle Mechanics
16
08-30-10 10:20 AM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.