[Bob Carriere]

Hi Cameron

A lot has been said on previous threads but the essence is this.....

Sand blasting can be fun or a pain....... the satisfaction of watching rust disappear and seeing clean metal..... a 60+ year old piece of steel looking like new again..... on the other hand in 30C temp under a black leatherette hood.. with a jammed nozzle can be trying.....

If I had to do a full truck again I would strip it down to a rolling chassis and get it done by a contractor....... and do the detailing myself using my own machine.

Kompressor wise the bigger the better.... I use a 10 hp..... 30 cfm at 100 pounds and on a hot day we can over heat the sucker.... we use a 100 pound pressurized pot and you need a 1/2 rubber hose to maintain pressure and cfm. At start up, the motor draws 65 amps and dims the lights in the village..... well almost... a rim takes 1.5 bags of sand.... that 80 + 40 pounds....... I use white quarts at $8.00 a bag.... total loss system.... makes the place look like a Xmas scene even in July. Sand will bounce and travel at least twenty miles from where you are doing your deed..... nearest deposits will be in your shorts... and even the closed tool box behind sealed doors will have sand residue in it....... don't ask me why....

I have tried the more expensive dust free slag but did not find it cut as well as quarts sand.... the hood we use as a fresh air system....ceramic nozzle will last about 40 bags...cost about $10... as they get bigger from wear they waste more sand..... cheaper to change if more often.....

Minimum is a good 5 hp..... with the largest tank you can get for capacity.

Usually the sand pot gets empty just when you personally run out of steam..... compressor gets a break while you reload....

You need to properly degrease the clean steel...... auto shop sell a weak lye solution....sun dried... then flashed with phosphoric acid...again available at auto body shop stores.... sun dried again..... now will take paint very well on the agressive surface.....

re-using old sand can cause a lot of nozzle blockage which is a pain... also the sand will be less than 50% efficient the second time around not to mention more dusty.

I think it is a worth while tool for doing a lot of smaller items.... like a few rims at a time...... but to work fast doing a full frame axles, springs, ect. a high pressure contractor is something to consider.

A note of caution..... the dust, paint(lead) particles, rust, etc. can be very toxic and in certain (urban?) areas the sand leftover from sandblasting is considered toxic waste and can be costly to have it removed and carted to a special disposal site...... my practice reflects the rural environment and so far my 3 headed neigbours down wind have not complained.....

You can do worst using a wire brush on an electric drill cleaning parts in your house basement.

Go forth and have a blast.....

Boob