Baking Soda Blaster

[expeatfarmer 591]

Does anyone have experience of using a baking soda blaster for cleaning up alloy castings and delicate items ?

[Wristpin 400]

Yes, I've used it with a total loss pressure pot blaster but its quite messy and extravagant on soda.

I usually clean up alloy castings and carburettors etc using fine glass beads in a cabinet. When the beads start to loose their effectiveness for paint removal etc I drain them into a sealed bucket and then reuse them for delicate items. Never caused any damage.

[expeatfarmer 591]

Thanks, I want to clean up some engine bay  parts on a Ferrari in situ without risking grit everywhere.

[Wristpin 400]

In which case Soda blasting should be fine for your job albeit a bit messy. You will need plenty of soda granules but there is a number of auction site sellers doing it by the sackful rather than the rather expensive small buckets from the likes of Machine Mart and Sealey.

Edited October 28, 2016 by Wristpin
typo!

[expeatfarmer 591]

It amazes me the price variance you find between suppliers, 1 company want £75 + delivery for a 25Kg sack, another will deliver for £19.50 for the same thing !

[Stormin 4,458]

I'll not ask as to which supplier you will be using. 

[Mister Mad Mower 64]

Over here in Blighty , i use Mortar ( Brick ) acid ( used to remove mortar spills from new built brickwork ) .It can be brushed on and it bubbles up removing any and all corrosion .

A wash off with a pressurised garden plant sprayer with washing liquid and warm water gets rid of every trace .A quick squirt over with sprayable penetrating oil gives a nice finnish.

On occasion i have had to polish the aluminium up afterwards with a Brillo pad ( soap impregnated wirewool pads ) to remove black spots .

But at around £20 per gallon it goes a long way .

Maybe an idea to do this prior to soda blasting to save on the soda .

[Wristpin 400]

Brick acid on alloy will produce a spectacular reaction and liberate some noxious fumes. Not advisable.

[Mister Mad Mower 64]

24 minutes ago, Wristpin said:

Brick acid on alloy will produce a spectacular reaction and liberate some noxious fumes. Not advisable.

But it is a cheap way of cleaning the parts of years of corrosion , watered down versions are commercially available sold as aluminium cleaners but again at much higher prices than the std brick acid which are mainly Phosphoric acid based nowadays , making them ideal for aluminium .

You could make a mix of Phosphoric and Hydro Fluorohidric acid to make a cleaner and brightener at the same time ,but i just go for the brick acid and coat of oil to brighten and protect

The once common Muriatic acid ( Hydrochloric acid ) isnt found so often any more in brick acids , though i supose some manufactureres will still be using it.( should have pointed this out in the 1st post , SORRY .)

 

From wiki - In addition to being a chemical reagent, phosphoric acid has a wide variety of uses, including as a rust inhibitor, food additive, dental and orthop(a)edic etchant, electrolyte, flux, dispersing agent, industrial etchant, fertilizer feedstock, and component of home cleaning products. Phosphoric acids and phosphates are also important in biology

 

Edited October 28, 2016 by Mister Mad Mower
extra information

[ranger 373]

Many years ago I used cement powder in a hand held grit blaster to clean the Webber carbs on my H120, it left a nice Matt finish.

how about alloy wheel cleaner? There used to be a product called, I think "Alli Brite", If I remember correctly, it was a mixture of Hydrocloric & hydrofluric acid,(very dangerous) although I would imagine it was very watered down, you sprayed/brushed it on, then hosed it off, it removed all oxidisation and left a very nice finish.

[Mister Mad Mower 64]

There are those little hand held blasters with rubber caps and a collection bag to stop the blast medium from going every where , but they are a slow way of cleaning .

But would enable the use of kiln dried sand ( what block pavers use to fill the gaps betwwen the blocks ) this is nice and light and is used on aluminium wheels etc to remove old paint .

It is a little too light for cast iron and steel rust so maybe a cheaper and faster alternative to soda as the kiln dried sand is around £7 per 25kg bag and is available from DIY stores .

And could be used with the recycling blast guns .

Not sure if the dust from the soda would be collected or just blow out and make a mess though .

 

[Wristpin 400]

5 hours ago, Mister Mad Mower said:

There are those little hand held blasters with rubber caps and a collection bag to stop the blast medium from going every where , but they are a slow way of cleaning .

But would enable the use of kiln dried sand ( what block pavers use to fill the gaps betwwen the blocks ) this is nice and light and is used on aluminium wheels etc to remove old paint .

It is a little too light for cast iron and steel rust so maybe a cheaper and faster alternative to soda as the kiln dried sand is around £7 per 25kg bag and is available from DIY stores .

And could be used with the recycling blast guns .

Not sure if the dust from the soda would be collected or just blow out and make a mess though .

 

Thought that sand was virtually outlawed due to risk of silicosis (if that's the right word?)

[Twinsport 29]

Greetings!

 

I have used sodablasting for years.

 

It's a mess and I have found that the price for having it done by a company equals the cost of materials. I think the greatest advantage is that since the soda is not reused, the parts that go for blasting is not required to be cleaned first.

 

The soda does leave the aluminium with a matt, dull surface so I usually clean the parts with a pressure washer, dry them and blast them with aluminium grit. Cast parts gets a very nice surface from that. A surface that is very close to what it may have looked like when new.

 

An example of this is the valve covers from My Zündapp:

 

 

/Steen

[Mister Mad Mower 64]

On 30/10/2016 at 9:51 PM, Wristpin said:

Thought that sand was virtually outlawed due to risk of silicosis (if that's the right word?)

I would imagine that anyone on here would be aquainted with the use of both safety goggles and dustmasks when carrying out such tasks .

And i would imagine that the sand dust , should it get into the lungs would be a lot less damaging than say - Glass bead dust , Aluminium oxide dust , Cement dust etc .

See - https://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3697.pdf

Which does state that soda blasting is a more friendly way of going about it , but the article is in relation to blasting on an industrial scale  such as my nephew undertakes .

And if a recycling gun and PPE are employed i suspect the risk would be in the 1/2 a thou scale on a micrometer .

And of course , if done on an infrequent basis then the risks are even lower , as you would be entering the same environment as would be found on any wind swept beach around the globe .

I dare say vehicles travelling the dusty American desert highways will have more of the silica dust floating around in side them than could be experienced from a recycling blast gun fitted to a small compressor .

Heres a reminder about wood dust also , more pet related as i take it we all know the dangers of woodworking , but have you ever thought about the pets ?  - http://www.searchdogsne.org/reference/Medical/cedar_pine_toxicity.pdf

 

All we can do in this life is attempt to get on with it , as otherwise we would just have to give in .

NEVER ......

 

Edited November 1, 2016 by Mister Mad Mower
Extra information

[Wristpin 400]

I bookmarked this a while back with the intention of making one for my blast cabinet - time for action!

Simple Dust Trap for your Blast Cabinet -- less than $20!! - page 1 - She Shore Is Purdy!! - The Garage Gazette