Soda Blasting
- Thread starter Dale
- Start date
dlc
Well-known member
Whatever you do, don't sodablast a car. I can tell you many horror stories.
Will67
Well-known member
+1000 on do not soda blast a vehicle
timewarp
Well-known member
Do tell us the stories, why not soda blast a car?
Why not?
I have heard that it works well??
dlc
Well-known member
No amount of washing with any chemical that we've tried will remove the soda residue. And then there's the whole other issue of the soda that gets in the nooks and crannies that will rear it's ugly head later. I've seen many cars that were soda blasted that the paint was peeling off less than a year later. I'm sure someone will come along with a story that's entirely opposite of what I'm saying but I'm just telling my experience with it. There are paint companies that won't even warranty their paint if applied on a vehicle that's been soda blasted.
You're wrong. There IS a chemical that the paint companies will warranty their product on.
Too many people try to just blast the car with water, or vinegar or some other neutralizer.
There's a soda blaster here in town and I've worked with him, I've done stories with him, and I've worked at YearOne who had paint come off a car because they didn't follow his directions to clean the car after... they were trying to cut costs.
I've also talked to several high-end resto shops in the area who have used him, have followed his directions and have had perfect results. They're repeat customers. And builders in that price bracket don't screw around trying to make things work--either it works, or it doesn't.
-Brad
79firebird
Well-known member
DO NOT soda blast a car. most people i know as well as my self had had probs a fue years down the road. The ONLY way it will be fine is if you sand it after its been blasted to make the paint and primer stick. Most times 2-3 years later the paint peals off the car in sheets,
Karnage
Well-known member
+1
I restore cars for a living and having been bitten with soda blasting I refuse to touch a car that has been soda blasted.
Soda leaves a film that is near impossible to remove, I have tried water, vinegar, acids and nothing will completely remove it reliably.
It also doesn't key the surface or remove rust, so the surface still has to be abraded. The other issue is that soda + moisture = a super alkaline solution that is more corrosive then most acids.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with sand blasting if it is done by a professional that know what they are doing.
This is getting good. I've heard the pro's and cons for each but haven't used a soda blaster.
Will67
Well-known member
Go to any classic car forum. Cameos.net or pro-touring.com or corvette and type in soda blasting in search you fill numerous threads about it. There was a franchise you could by into in 2003-2006 I think that has since gone bankrupt
My two cents don't do it on a vehicle
My two cents don't do it on a vehicle
Will67
Well-known member
Soda blasting does a very nice job of remove years of paint and leaving the substrate clean and not warping the metal. However the potential paint failures associated with this method of stripping. There are two big issues to address.
How do you remove the Soda residue from the metal.
Unfortunate there is only one way and that is with water. Soda is water soluble, wax and grease remove or enamel reducer will not remove it. Warm or hot soapy water with a sotch brite and preferably using a pressure washer to rince is the best way I have found to remove the soda.
Second issue is water accelerates oxidation or rust.
No matter how fast you get the metal dry, oxidation has started. It is very difficult to see the oxidation, but it has started. If you know what you are looking for you can detect the tingeing of the metal. So what options do you have. - chemical and mechanical.
Metal conditioners can be used but remember they also must be converted and water must be used as a rinse. I have seen this process not done very successfully unless it is a very small spot and you are then limited with what top coat you will apply after that process.
So the other option is mechanical abrasion. Sanding, wire wheel, sandblast, etc. This is time consuming and defeats the soda blasting.
I have done the soda blasting thing and I had good results but only because I put allot of prep time in the metal after it was soda blasted. I took one panel at a time and after washing it I guide coated the metal and DA sanded every inch. Wire wheel and sandblasting was used in the tight areas.
Other things to consider is make sure to have clean dry air and wear cotton gloves so you do not contaminate the metal. Do one panel at a time and finish it in primer before moving on to the next.
I have seen many paint jobs fail because they were not prepped properly after soda blasted. It really leaves the metal in a nice finish but it does not remove all the labor as everyone thinks it will. I agree plastic media is a much better option.
How do you remove the Soda residue from the metal.
Unfortunate there is only one way and that is with water. Soda is water soluble, wax and grease remove or enamel reducer will not remove it. Warm or hot soapy water with a sotch brite and preferably using a pressure washer to rince is the best way I have found to remove the soda.
Second issue is water accelerates oxidation or rust.
No matter how fast you get the metal dry, oxidation has started. It is very difficult to see the oxidation, but it has started. If you know what you are looking for you can detect the tingeing of the metal. So what options do you have. - chemical and mechanical.
Metal conditioners can be used but remember they also must be converted and water must be used as a rinse. I have seen this process not done very successfully unless it is a very small spot and you are then limited with what top coat you will apply after that process.
So the other option is mechanical abrasion. Sanding, wire wheel, sandblast, etc. This is time consuming and defeats the soda blasting.
I have done the soda blasting thing and I had good results but only because I put allot of prep time in the metal after it was soda blasted. I took one panel at a time and after washing it I guide coated the metal and DA sanded every inch. Wire wheel and sandblasting was used in the tight areas.
Other things to consider is make sure to have clean dry air and wear cotton gloves so you do not contaminate the metal. Do one panel at a time and finish it in primer before moving on to the next.
I have seen many paint jobs fail because they were not prepped properly after soda blasted. It really leaves the metal in a nice finish but it does not remove all the labor as everyone thinks it will. I agree plastic media is a much better option.
Last edited:
HoldTight.
Holdtight Solutions Inc.
Houston, TX
1 800 319 8802
http://www.holdtight.com/
According to the soda blaster I know, HoldTight changes the surface tension of water, allowing it to get between the soda and the base metal on a microscopic level.
Otherwise the soda stays stuck to the metal and doesn't truly wash off completely.
I know guys who had their cars done years ago, the metal was properly treated afterwards, and the paint has never had a problem.
-Brad
camarotoolman
Banned
Sure am glad I didn't buy one of those soda blast rigs! I looked into it.
Bender78
Well-known member
OK, so it is probably not a good idea to soda blast a car body. How about soda blasting other components during a restoration such as carburetor parts or distributors? These are parts that would not have a finish applied after the blasting process is performed.
VWandDodge
Well-known member
- Joined
- May 20, 2011
- Messages
- 951
Soda Blaster For Carb Cleaning & Rebuilding
Soda blasting is great for smaller parts and soft metals.
tk421
Well-known member
what about other parts like bumper brackets, suspension components, ****** crossmember, stuff like that? I was hoping to not have to source all that stuff out for sandblasting, but ive never done any type of blasting before.
Greatbear
Well-known member
I use soda media only for delicate items that will not be coated later. It's fantastic for soft metals.
The Mustang business that builds the Eleanor Mustangs soda blasts their bodies, it was on rides, so what gives?
JB!
Active member
I had soda blasting done over here by a friend who uses it to clean masonry, the only thing left behind was excess soda in nooks and crannies, which was hoovered out.
before:
after:
and my mate's bay, blasted with the same material, once painted:
before:
after:
and my mate's bay, blasted with the same material, once painted:
Jvvmusme
Well-known member
Soda blast for carb cleaning is great. The aluminium does not suffer at all and water takes away all soda residues.
John in OH
Well-known member
I made one of the homemade soda blasters described in the above link, but was disappointed in its performance. I briefly tried to clean tarnish and crud off of an old brass acetylene gas regulator ... after using up two small boxes of Arm & Hammer soda, I had about 2 square inches sort of clean. Admittedly, I threw the blaster together in a few minutes and didn't really spend any time in trying to perfect a blasting technique. I'm going to give it another try when I have more time to experiment with the equipment, but my initial results were disappointing.
I see that our buddies at HF have a 40lb pressurized soda blaster currently on sale for $150. Wonder if one could be made from an old propane tank??
Greatbear
Well-known member
Soda blasting media is a lot more coarse than the household stuff from Arm and Hammer.
John in OH
Well-known member
Ahhh ... that would explain a lot!
kirk.g
Well-known member
I have a lot of chipped ,peeled and lifted paint on my garage.I inquired about blasting it off with soda or some other media that was somewhat wood friendly to save time and effort.I was advised that you need loads of air like one of those IR construction grade compressors or it would take forever....so i guess its back to the heat strip gun.
Briggs
Well-known member
I know my powder coater soda blast everything before he powders it. I know powder is a lot different then paint though.
CARS
Well-known member
That really surprises me. Why would it stick any better??
There is a local small trailer building around here that has almost all of his trailers peeling right now. They are all powder coated. I wonder what he is doing wrong?? I'm guessing in his case he is not blasting the surfaces with anything.