shot blasting a bare block

[scooby-KILLER]

as titled

im thinking about blasting 1 of my bare blocks and wanted to know if i would need to plug/block cylinders/oil/water ways from the beeds or can i just use an air line and blow it all out after blasting??


cheers

[M/PORT]

I wouldn't chance it mate but if you do it make sure you tape everything up as much as you can, Plus when Machinist's clean blocks from swarf (In your case blasting media) they use solvents as the swart ect can stick to oil left inside and the solvents will brake it down so it cant.

[chip]

As above, prevention is better than cure in terms of the shot going everywhere, make sure its sealed up tight.

Personally I would just stick to a chemical dip though to clean it.

[Nemesis]

Just use a wire wheel attachment on a drill instead, you'll get a perfect finish for painting. Probably cheaper/quicker to do it that way too

[Cavalier-C20LET]

Just use a wire wheel attachment on a drill instead, you'll get a perfect finish for painting. Probably cheaper/quicker to do it that way too

+1

[Tathan]

using shot or bead is a bad idea, using soda on the other hand could be a very good idea. Try it.

[chip]

Interesting comment about soda, presumably nice and sharp for removing paint but water soluble so easier to get rid of?

Not heard of that before, sounds great in principle though!

[Tathan]

Yeah, apparently you can use it to remove paint and rust from a car and it won't damage the window rubbers!!

[scooby-KILLER]

some good info guys thanks,

only reason i was going to blast it was because i can do it at work for no cost but wasnt sure on how clean i could get it once it was blasted,

i think i will stop being lazy and get the wire wheel out but the only problem with that is getting into the nooks & cranys will be a bit of a pig i would imagine?

chip what roughly cost wise would i be looking at to have a block dipped?

Tathan i know O about the soda option but it does sound good have you try'd that method before?

thanks

[Tathan]

I've seen a man do it at a trade show - he soda blasted a carb and inlet iirc and it was ****ing gleaming afterwards, looked straight out the factory, and he didn't even strip anything down or tape it up, it left all the fragile bits intact. And like Chip says, it's sodium bicarbonate which is very water soluble so easy to get off.

Quick google found this thread - look at the pic!!

BMW 2002 FAQ - Harbor Freight Soda Blaster(s)

[scooby-KILLER]

I've seen a man do it at a trade show - he soda blasted a carb and inlet iirc and it was ****ing gleaming afterwards, looked straight out the factory, and he didn't even strip anything down or tape it up, it left all the fragile bits intact. And like Chip says, it's sodium bicarbonate which is very water soluble so easy to get off.

Quick google found this thread - look at the pic!!

BMW 2002 FAQ - Harbor Freight Soda Blaster(s)

just had a quick look at the link bloody good stuf by the looks of it, so is it the same in respect that it is used in conjunction with a gun/compressor and still blasted the same as shot blasting?

cheers Tathan

[Tathan]

You can buy the things off ebay for less than a couple of hundred quid iirc, then add air from compressor and you're away. If you've already got a compressor then it'd be a handy little service to offer to other Miggers which would soon pay off the initial cost. It works a bit different to shotblasting I think - it isn't gravity fed from a hopper it's a pressurised mixture that's sprayed but yeah, basically the same idea. Or there are plenty of folk around who'll do it for you.

[scooby-KILLER]

You can buy the things off ebay for less than a couple of hundred quid iirc, then add air from compressor and you're away. If you've already got a compressor then it'd be a handy little service to offer to other Miggers which would soon pay off the initial cost. It works a bit different to shotblasting I think - it isn't gravity fed from a hopper it's a pressurised mixture that's sprayed but yeah, basically the same idea. Or there are plenty of folk around who'll do it for you.

ah ok excellent chap,

think al look into the kit as i would use it a fair bit for my self not really interested in dealing with other people or having there bits to be done and then being phoned 10 times in the space of an hour with the " is it done yet?" lol

you dont know of any 1 of hand in scotland that offers the said service do you?

cheers again chap

[Tathan]

No idea sorry.

Millar Soda Blasting (MSB) 40Kg Soda Blaster | eBay

That's the one I was thinking about when I looked.

[scooby-KILLER]

No idea sorry.

Millar Soda Blasting (MSB) 40Kg Soda Blaster | eBay

That's the one I was thinking about when I looked.

spot on chap al go and have a nosey now

cheers

[c20letian]

Just use a wire wheel attachment on a drill instead, you'll get a perfect finish for painting. Probably cheaper/quicker to do it that way too

+2

[paddy>gsi/turbo]

bloke in unit next to me gets his engines ice blasted.

will post a pic up tomorrow.

[scooby-KILLER]

bloke in unit next to me gets his engines ice blasted.

will post a pic up tomorrow.

very interesting pictures would be good as i havent heard of this method before

& for every 1 saying wire wheel etc i wouldnt have botherd posting if i wanted to do it that way, wire wheel isnt the best for those hard to reach place's hence why blasting would be as it gets EVERY WHERE

cheers for your replys folks

[Tathan]

they use frozen carbon dioxide, works well because it just sublimates away leaving no residue.

[scooby-KILLER]

very good method by the sounds of it,

same principle as using an icicle as a weapon melts and leaves no weapon llf

[paddy>gsi/turbo]

dosent harm wiring etc also

theres videos on you tube. pal pays 200 to have 8 subaru engines done.was getting silly quotes at first