Anyone in the GTA have a sand blaster?

[TorontoBuilder]

I have given a great deal of thought to how I shall remove the built up crud and paint on the majority of my lathe. After much thought and contemplation, I think I'm inclined to do what was previously unthinkable to me.

I'm prepared to haul the bad boy off to the car wash and to follow that up with a quick sand blasting.


BUT no I'm not an animal, so I only plan to do this for the base of the lathe, the splash guard, the end guard, the inset cabinet assembly and the motor mount bracket as shown below.

However, I don't have a media blaster. The parts will also not fit in the average blast cabinet. So I'd like to see if a member in the GTA has the ability to sand blast large parts and can help me out for a fee.

 

[Chip Maker]

If own or have access to a decent pressure washer, you could try this. https://www.princessauto.com/en/ind...er-abrasive-blasting-kit/product/PA0008557753

I know a guy who did a whole trailer with good results.

 

[TorontoBuilder]

If own or have access to a decent pressure washer, you could try this. https://www.princessauto.com/en/ind...er-abrasive-blasting-kit/product/PA0008557753

I know a guy who did a whole trailer with good results.

If I could figure out how this works and how to contain the debris and sand to filter out the water this may be a viable option. Certainly it will address the issue with dust getting everywhere and potentially contaminating the environment

 

[Darren]

Thats probably got some lead paint and maybe asbestos filler material too.

 

[TorontoBuilder]

Thats probably got some lead paint and maybe asbestos filler material too.

I'd expect so. So it needs to be done in a contained area designed for large sand blasting with a respirator on

Or that wet option perhaps.

 

[Darren]

chemical stripping is another option

 

[Doggggboy]

I'd expect so. So it needs to be done in a contained area designed for large sand blasting with a respirator on

Or that wet option perhaps.

I bought that wet option on sale at PA and used it once. Worked pretty good but unless you use some additive to prevent flash rusting, the first part you do will be rusty before you finish blasting it. Having some way to recapture the abrasive would be good unless you are getting it real cheap. I went through a 55 lb bag doing a simple pushcart. Doing anything large would be pricey. And it's also fricken messy. Wet sand and wet paint chips everywhere. If you're not sporting a significant thigh gap you are going to hate yourself if you go jogging later.

 

[Janger]

That’ll be a major pain. What about using those 3M paint strip wheels? Cheap enough to try. Oh I just read about lead paint and asbestos - maybe that is a bad idea if those things are present.

 

[TorontoBuilder]

chemical stripping is another option

Yeah I considered the chemical route, but I have auto immune disorder that makes me also very sensitive to chemicals. Every time I use stripper I have nasty reaction. Then again I get reactions to almost every chemical, every dust, most fabrics....

This will likely be what I do in the end

 

[Janger]

There’s a place here in Calgary where they have outside sand blasting do it yourself. I blasted a set of railings there once. Must be a place like that in the GTA?

 

[Janger]

these wheels with appropriate PPE and cleanup?

 

[Darren]

Yeah I considered the chemical route, but I have auto immune disorder that makes me also very sensitive to chemicals. Every time I use stripper I have nasty reaction. Then again I get reactions to almost every chemical, every dust, most fabrics....

This will likely be what I do in the end

They make some Citrus strippers that are supposedly pretty good.

 

[johnnielsen]

Have you considered cleaning it with a high pressure dry ice blaster? Crud gets knocked off and no damage to the machine.

 

[Darren]

an automotive machine shop can hot tank it as well. If they have a caustic dip tank, not a spray washer, it will take everything off. They can handle big diesel engines, so your little lathe shouldn't be an issue.

 

[TorontoBuilder]

There’s a place here in Calgary where they have outside sand blasting do it yourself. I blasted a set of railings there once. Must be a place like that in the GTA?

I like this idea... I'll have to look into that.

 

[TorontoBuilder]

an automotive machine shop can hot tank it as well. If they have a caustic dip tank, not a spray washer, it will take everything off. They can handle big diesel engines, so your little lathe shouldn't be an issue.

Now here is an idea I love.

I'll have to look into this.

I recall seeing a few auto restoration shows where they dipped who bodies into the dip and they can out clean as a whistle

 

[Darren]

Make sure that there's no nonferrous metals in the parts you drop off.

It will be dissolved, it will wreck the caustic solution, you'll get yelled at, and the machine shop owner will whip a large wrench at the overhead door.

 

[TorontoBuilder]

Make sure that there's no nonferrous metals in the parts you drop off.

It will be dissolved, it will wreck the caustic solution, you'll get yelled at, and the machine shop owner will whip a large wrench at the overhead door.

Yes I'm familiar with chemistry and had planned to strip all the brass plaques from the parts prior to any stripping.

I believe that all the parts in question are ferrous based castings.

 

[Mcgyver]

I haven't seen it, but I would try sanding it if at all possible. It probably will save you a lot of work in that the solid paint that is there and the filler, is fill and sand you don't have to do.

Sand blasting is quite expensive and I think few will want to take on restoration type work or such a small job. I've got a 600 cfm compressor and we do a fair bit of it, but we wouldn't do something like that....new stuff, mill scale, no problem but old stuff is just working a future million dollar environment problem lol.

Its actually very hard to find some who'll sand blast. May you find someone with a pot who does it out the back of a industrial unit occasionally, but as a business its really hard to keep the parade of ministries happy.

 

[TorontoBuilder]

I haven't seen it, but I would try sanding it if at all possible. It probably will save you a lot of work in that the solid paint that is there and the filler, is fill and sand you don't have to do.

Sand blasting is quite expensive and I think few will want to take on restoration type work or such a small job. I've got a 600 cfm compressor and we do a fair bit of it, but we wouldn't do something like that....new stuff, mill scale, no problem but old stuff is just working a future million dollar environment problem lol.

Its actually very hard to find some who'll sand blast. May you find someone with a pot who does it out the back of a industrial unit occasionally, but as a business its really hard to keep the parade of ministries happy.

I looked and only see like two companies in Toronto that provide various paint stripping services. Both in the west end of course.... one does have specially constructed booths for sand blasting, but they're clearly B2B focused, and most of their work is cleaning industrial fixtures used in powder coating and spray painting.

I really wanted to avoid repetitive stress related issues from all that sanding that tends to trigger flare up of dermatomyositis. I also didn't want to deal with dust in our shop. But I guess it is easier to dispose of caustic goop than dust so I will likely end up chemical peeling and sanding. Sanding alone wont work because there are already issues with debonding filler and paint.