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I seriously considered this Dustless system to have in my 'tool box', even went to their factory in Houston to test it out. It works really well, really fast, but there are a few variables that made it a no-go. Water is 7lbs a gallon, and pushing that amount takes a lot of CFM AND PSI; not a good choice for lots of sheetmetal which I deal with. It makes a horrendous mess, sure, dustless is actually correct, but, the other end of that stick is sludge; a LOT of goop on the ground to clean up. Certainly do not take offense when I said it looks like Poo Poo, not a blast on you Kevin, more on the blaster, meaning a little bit of OCD would help get it super clean!
Interestingly enough, these folks have also blasted fiberglass boat hulls with great success. Again using distance to target to go from barnacle removal to gel coat removal.
I'm going to try and get ahold of a bumper cover for the to test on.
Also, learned that soda blasting while it does look good at first - the paint will peel off in a couple of years. These folks learned that the hard way when a customer with a very high end restoration returned a couple of years later with paint falling off.
So, what is exactly wrong with soda blasting? Or better, what exactly causes the paint to come off?
My fear with all these material issues is precisely that the long term effect is diificult to guess at. And nobody can really answer the whys...
So, what is exactly wrong with soda blasting? Or better, what exactly causes the paint to come off?
My fear with all these material issues is precisely that the long term effect is difficult to guess at. And nobody can really answer the whys...
The soda embeds itself into the surface you blast and prevents complete adhesion. Basically, no matter how much you rinse there will be a residue left behind.
Dustless process has the built in advantage of bonding to the surface locking blocking rust from forming.
I am no scientist. But, I'd bet every blasting alternative comes with its own downside.
Soda is good for graffiti removal, and it leaves a very smooth - almost too smooth profile. Sand is way too rough. Dustless is also way too rough. This manifold is very very rough from this Dustless process, meaning the profile is way too rough. I notice these things after 20 years of being a professional media blaster.
Dustless Blasting has been around quite awhile, and is becoming very popular in various industrial type settings, as well as the automotive world. Glad you tried it out an intake Kevin. Kudos. I've been wondering how well it would work on one.
Soda is good for graffiti removal, and it leaves a very smooth - almost too smooth profile. Sand is way too rough. Dustless is also way too rough. This manifold is very very rough from this Dustless process, meaning the profile is way too rough. I notice these things after 20 years of being a professional media blaster.
I once had my valve covers done with walnut shell media years ago. Results were perfect with a smooth finish at the end. Heard it took awhile to get all the nooks and crannies clean.
So Donald, what is the current media of choice for the manifold and valve covers? Is walnut shell media still considered a good choice, or some newer plastic media?
Walnut is cheap cheap and did I say cheap? It's organic, and, absorbs H2O, it works really well, but, it's SUPER dirty and dusty. I've almost completely migrated away from any use of walnut in my media streams. I like the Urea plastic Type II, basically Chinese reject Dominos crushed up and in whatever size I chose from the manufacturer. It's really expensive to buy, but, I reuse it over and over again after an 'air-wash' making it cost effective. However, plastic does an OK job on rust, but, our manifolds and cam covers don't rust so no issue there. It's not a 'magic media', any skilled blaster with experience can render a good job with perhaps a too sharp media. It's all skill and experience that makes it come out good.
05-18-2019, 11:47 AM
