soda blasting

hard_y_rd said:

Did anybody see this vid?

I know we are all trying to cut some corners and save money but this is a bit ridiculous.

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I haven't seen that particular video but I am as ridiculous I guess.
A couple of things are different in my system.
First if the soda is going to clog it will clog at end where little balls of soda suck up against the siphon or at the narrow point where the jet is against the hose.
The example in the video will clog at the point the jet enters the hose AND where the bend is. A straight rod works better in my mind because you only have one narrow spot where the jet line enters.

I don't use tape to keep the jet in. Just a hole smaller than the jet gives a pressure fit or seal that doesn't let to much air pass. Plus I've notice that by sliding the end of the jet closer to the end or further back it opens and closes the spray "pattern".
Think shotgun chokes here. Open, modified and full. For hard stuck gunk the full choke doesn't get as big an area but does a better (quicker) job of cleaning. For easy stuff the open choke covers a larger area quicker.

Next the container for the soda, if your siphon/suction hose is on the bottom the product will "dome" on you. In other words it will support itself and you suck a hole in the bottom so you have to shake to get it to fall in the container.
This is why you see pneumatic trailer pullers beating the piss out of the trailer with rubber mallets. They aren't practicing bass drummers they are trying to get fine material
(cement, lime, barite, bloodmeal,etc) to fall.
Then when it does the suction will only carry so much, the line "slugs" up with too much weight and you are clogged. With the unit from Harbor freight you can unscrew the container plug the exit end of the jet and blow the line clear. Put your container back on and carry on.
If you use an open top container you can suck off the top eliminating this.
When you have sucked a crater just move back to the top of the pile and in the end you will have the "balls" of soda left. Simply mash with your fingers and carry on.
Soda is water soluble and will rinse away. BUT because it is soluble if not rinsed enough the water will dry and you have soda residue left. A very fine white residue that still feels gritty to me when wiped up and rubbed between my fingers.

To sum it up I use this gun with the long needle from Harbor Freight.
http://www.harborfreight.com/4-piece-air-blow-gun-set-68260.html
4 foot of hose and an emptied 1 lb 11 oz. coffee tub. (I've wondered about drying old coffee grounds and trying that for abit softer touch).
Ag grade soda in 50lb sacks is cheapest for me. I don't know where city folks get theirs.

So if bein cheap is ridiculous ima 5 star clown.

Ride where you want but stay safe

Boy, you are cheap. You didn't even tape the pencil to your line, lol. I use this little bulk loader from HF now for my soda blasting, works wonderfully .....

http://www.harborfreight.com/21-oz-hopper-gravity-feed-spot-blaster-gun-95793.html

If you don't want clogs, put a water filter on your line. I had clogging problems with both the soda and my bead blasting cabinet before I did this.

Ah yup I am.
Soda will clump on it's own. No extra water required.
I'm betting you have to give that gun a shake every now and then.
Now if you could get one with an air tunnel with a cloth pad to float the material or a vibrator on the side with a pressurized container . . . .
but there goes the rising cost factor.
I don't need a Fruehoff trailer with a tuthill blower or 4 cylinder motor block to provide air to do my little things, although it would do it quicker.
And at the end of the day I can pull the hose and use the blow gun to clean around baler bearings, oil gunk build up around oil fill tubes or just stick in my pants on hot day for cheap thrills. : )

Been blasting with sand, alumina, silica, glass bead, now excited about soda! My hopper is about 1 foot dia by 2 foot deep, funnel bottom, 3/8" curved steel tube comes out bottom, with a 1/4" x 1/2" slot opening in the tube just at beginning of bend. When I get a clog, I put my (gloved) finger over the nozzle, quick blast, it clears, media re-settles, continue on. I'm curios about recycling soda, any issues?

5twins said:

Boy, you are cheap. You didn't even tape the pencil to your line, lol. I use this little bulk loader from HF now for my soda blasting, works wonderfully .....

http://www.harborfreight.com/21-oz-hopper-gravity-feed-spot-blaster-gun-95793.html

If you don't want clogs, put a water filter on your line. I had clogging problems with both the soda and my bead blasting cabinet before I did this.

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Oh Im getting one of those. Maybe 2.

Soda has a limited life span. It shatters, for want of a better word, and can't be reused too many times. That doesn't stop me from trying though, lol.

I am fully disassembling the motor for a rephase. Do I need to worry about covering anything when blasting?

hard_y_rd said:

Here's an after pic of the engine blasted with glass grit. Not as shiny if done with glass beads. They weren't available where i'm at.
What's a good way to get all the excess glass dust and shit out of the cases etc?

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I'm assuming that you got the engine blasted whilst it was fully assembled? Looks good either way.

I have a TPTools Media blaster with their soda attachment and you can do them in the exact same unit. There is almost no change over.

It is basically taking one tube off the media pick and replacing it with the pickup tube for the Soda. It is a pull-off push-on tube, so not even a hose clamp to F with.

I have it hooked up to a Quincy 60 gal. Compressor and it is an AWESOME setup!

Tennis ball can be the right option but why didn't you use any other object made of rubber. It would be perfect for this.

nozila said:

I'm assuming that you got the engine blasted whilst it was fully assembled? Looks good either way.

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Disassembled. Just cover all gasket surfaces and holes. The grit still gets in so you have to wash everything with degreaser and hot water or whatever you want before assembly. If you ever used a blaster before the dust and crushed glass gets everywhere. Even in your wallet. Lol

Where can you find soda for blasting with

harbor freight

Yup it's $40 for a big ol' bag at HF round here. I picked up their gravity hopper from HF but it's a separate unit. It's essentially a tapered plastic tub with a hose coming out the bottom that attaches to a supplied gun. It's the same exact concept as putting a rubber hose down in the media, slitting the end and taping your regular air gun into it....except it cost $30.

Works awesome! And i'm running it off a little 8 gal. compressor. But that's why I bought it! It claimed much less SFM (or whatever that call out is on compressors that isn't PSI) in order to operate properly...and heck it'll take the STOCK paint off the engine if i hold it close. I considered that smaller gun unit however I like this one cuz it holds like 30lbs of media at once.

Would a 2HP air compressor provide enough power to make the soda blasting effective?

Kinsygrl said:

Where can you find soda for blasting with

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Any farm store will typically have it.

nozila said:

Would a 2HP air compressor provide enough power to make the soda blasting effective?

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No sir, you would need around 7+.

Thanks for that. Seems like I would need to outsource the job then.

I'm in the process of doing a head gasket, just got the motor pulled and de-greased, and I'd like to do some soda blasting to clean things up. Question- any reason to do the soda blasting before the motor is dis-assembled vs. after it is re-assembled? I've aleady polished the left and right covers, and haven't decided if I'm going to paint the jugs or not. I don't see any reason to do the soda blasting while the head and jugs are off, seems like keeping media and dirt out of the case would be easier with everything buttoned up and the intake/exhaust/vents sealed. But this is my first rodeo, so I'm open to ideas. Thanks!
Pat in MD

Headgasket weepage stains are easier to clean with head/cyl disassembled.
Disassembled parts fit into blast cabinets easier.