Is sandblasting a frame with some surface rust a good idea?

It's not a bad idea...

please elaborate...

Pics?

yes, I HIGHLY reccomend sandblasting (they don't use sand anymore, it's glass, or plastic beads, or walnut, or pecan shells) just AVOID "soda blasting", as it adds an extra step before you can paint it,...and if your painter did NOT know that, and just shot it, your paint could start peeling FAST.

I HATE chemical strippers as you can NEVER get all the stripper off, it'll stay stuck in crevices and recesses, and then when you put paint on top of that, it starts "stripping" your brand new paint job

blast it: fast, easy (you just drop it off), no mess or work on your part, and you get clean bare metal free of rust, ready to prime and paint.

Great, thanks for the reply. I go to school at Cal Poly SLO and we have sandblasters available for use at school. Might take a couple frames I've found down there and blast them clean. I'll post some befores and afters.

What about blasting a crankset? I found a Sugino Mighty Comp set on one of the frames that has a little surface corrosion....would a quick blast help that out also?

-Steve

If the frame is really thin, glass bead blasting is easier on the metal I wouldnt do the crankset
do the bead blasting for aluminum.....

After reading many posts.....no chemical strippers near carbon, no sandblasting carbon....Can paint be sandblasted off the Ti of a Ti and Carbon frame as long as the carbon is protected, wrapped up in towels or something like that?
I have a Serotta Ottrott that is painted black and white with flame decals....I would like to strip the paint so the Ti is visable and repaint the tubes. After reading a lot of the posts around here, sounds like I need to stay away from chemical strippers so I don't screw up the carbon. Also, it sounds like the safest way to paint carbon is to scuff off the gloss, paint and clear coat.

Sandblasting with surface rust is not a good idea. Sandblasting with a more appropriate media is a great idea.

What kind of media are people using? I'm using aluminum oxide in my blaster. I like it because its reusable and quick, and not as damaging as some other varieties. I find it helpful to strip paint with a stripper first as some of those older paint jobs are _very_ durable.

My SS is at a bodyshop I deliver to. They didn't mention a price, maybe it's a buddy deal. They aligned my car for $20, so I imagine it may be somewhere around that. Anyways, they're using 80 grit glass beads. I will also post blasted pics if they don't prime it first. All that gold against the silver steel should look pretty cool.,,,,BD

You have as keen an eye as I, and a similar wit.

Good to know---I think I am just going to "scuff my existing finish and prime & paint over that---however, I guess there is there a weight penalty to this option?

The only time it may not be a good idea is with a very old, very badly rusted frame. The metal could be so thin in some of the pitted areas that sandblasting will create pinholes.

Blasting might be a good idea as an inspection procedure alone. If a frame pinholes from blasting, there's NO way in hell I'd attempt to ride it. The pinhole is only the thinnest part of the rust
breaking through. The actual damage could be MUCH worse.,,,,BD

Since I am buying a new 60 gallon compressor I bought a small sandblaster.
Living out in the boonies I can blast away without worry of the mess.
Now, what medium should I be using? Aluminum oxide?

for delicate metals, or where you don't want much surface distortion use a soft plastic bead, like polyethylene (pet), you can also use natural media like walnut, almond or pecan shells, run lower pressure, and use a tip with a larger aperture .

I would avoid glass media IF the piece is going to be painted or powdercoated, as I believe it makes the surface smooth and "slippery" (at least this is what my powdercoater tells me) but could be ok if the piece is going to be polished. (a test panel will tell all here)

as in the above post, baking soda (this ain't arm and hammer like in your fridge, it's more like super coarse salt) can also be used with almost NO surface distortion, BUT, if the piece is going to be painted or powdercoated there is a neutralizing wash step that must be performed or adhesion suffers (readEELING IN SHEETS)

now, it's extremely wasteful $$$$$$ to just blast and not be able to re-collect the media, so blast on a tarp up against a wall so you can recover the media, because you will find that you'll empty that small sand blaster in about 1 minute and the frame will about 1/10th done, so either recover the media so you can collect and refill, or buy 9 bags of blasting media.

I like the above idea about using media blasting as a diagnostic procedure, to determine the integrity of the frame,..and I doubt using any of the above media that you could remove a measurable amount of metal, even if you just sat there for 10 minutes in one spot, with any home sized media blaster.

industrial units are another story and can be set up to cut through anything, like your boot with your foot and all in less than a second, if you don't pay attention and miss.

most places that offer media blasting really know their stuff, pay em a visit with a small part, get a quote and ask some questions.

I've seen first hand the effect of glass 80 grit on steel. It's no different than steel beads, or small particle
style sand. Nothing slippery about it, just a smoother satin finish. Aluminum oxide leaves a rough almost cast finish, which if you're using professional filler primer, then it will hide it just fine. When I get mine back from the shop, I plan to use 400 on the steel, then rust killer, then primer followed by paint. I also stripped my Shogun with chemical stripper. Nothing dripped out and the paint still looks fine 2 months later.,,,,BD