To blast or not to blast

[Bezz]

Hey folks,

About to start my engine build, its completely torn down, cases split with exception to the shift forks. I didn’t want to pull them to avoid the pain of putting them back in.

My dilemma is if I should completely strip the cases down and have them blasted. At some point someone fogged the cases with aluminium colour paint and the cases are fairly stained.

I’ve tried paint stripper, degreasing, scrubbing with steel wool but I can’t get them nice enough.

With a deadline looming for early may for a local show - should I blast this or not. And if I should, how would you do it?

I’ve read most threads in this forum but looking for input still.

 

[motormike]

..blast the bottom....? see how it turns out.. if Ok.. do the top that's seen...?

 

[Jim]

I blast my cases separated and cleaned first. Take some very heavy duty aluminum tape and tape up all oil passageways to keep the blast media out.

 

[Bezz]

I blast my cases separated and cleaned first. Take some very heavy duty aluminum tape and tape up all oil passageways to keep the blast media out.

Just read your entire build thread! Impressive work my friend. I didn’t notice any info on the lower part of your engine as it relates to blasting...have more info?

 

[5twins]

Block off all openings and do not blast any internal surfaces. I'm assuming that by blasting you probably mean glass beading. The glass beads can embed themselves into the alloy. Just washing won't get them out. What will is running the engine and getting it hot. But then they are released inside your motor where they could wreak havoc.

 

[Jim]

....as it relates to blasting...have more info?

Haven't separated the cases yet. As 5twins said, block the passageways and don't blast the inside. And yes, I was thinkin' glass beading.

Just washing won't get them out. What will is running the engine and getting it hot.

If you do blast the inside of the cases, the only way to get the bead residue out is to use high pressure steam or boiling water.

 

[cra-z1]

I just completed the cases for my last Z1900. I have been experimenting with stainless steel media. It is done in two steps using a .014 cut ss wire to clean and then a .014 conditioned wire which peens the cleaned surface over. Much cleaner than glass beads. You can actually see in the blast cabinet. The last step i need to do is clean and polish the outside cases with 0000 steel wool/ hot water and dawn dish soap which gives it a very smooth satin surface. Like they said above you need to be very carefull and block every pory and thread otherwise you will be cleaning and digging out the media. The difference is the ss media does not shatter like the glass beds and will last a long time. I only ust about two cups at the bottom of the cabinet. The last set I sent out for vapor blasting but that can fget costly also. Its nice to be ablr to do it yourself

 

[Jim]

Damn that looks good! Where do you get the SS?

 

[robinc]

Wow! That look really nice cra-z1. I think that looks way better than vapour blasting. Interested to hear more about this.

 

[5twins]

That does sound interesting - so I Googled it. Damn, that stuff is expensive, lol. But, it turns out I have a supplier local to me, these guys .....

http://pelletsllc.com/cut-wire-shot

I may just have to give them a call.

 

[cra-z1]

Yes Pellets llc is where i bought the product. I bought 25 lbs of the cut wire and 25 lbs of the conditioned wire many about 5 years ago but did not get around to set up my blast cabinets until I moved. Now I only have one but it is pretty easy to change out media. I have given up on glass beads due to the mess and amount you go thru. It is expensive but 25lbs ea will probably last me a lifetime. The last cases (z1900) I had vapor blasted was about the same price as the beads. If im painting parts i only need to use the cut wire as the finish is perfect for paint. The conditioned beads are pretty round and does a good job of doing the final cleaning and peening the surface smooth. I only use 50-60 psi. Lower pressure to clean then bump up a little to peen over the rougher surface. If your like most and use beads you know how hard it is to keep the cabinet clear and the dust down. I modified my basic Harbor Frt cabinet with a quality siphon set up with gun and foot control valve from http://www.tacomacompany.com. There are several Youtube Video's to watch from some metal worker out east that are informative. They have a few other upgrades I wil probably adapt to the cabinet as well. Well worth the upgrade. I also purchased a HarborFrt vac setup (https://www.harborfreight.com/blast-cabinet-reclaimer-kit-60739.html) for the blast cabinet which works out very well. I mounted it in my buffer room so It would not be so loud. I also have a cyclone seperator before the vacuum. When I was using beads the cyclone separator would fill up with beads/dust pretty quick and im sure it would be cloging the vac filter in no time. Since I started using the ss media I dont get anything in the separator so i dont waist any ss media. Of course you spill a bit on the floor taking things in and out. Also I only use about 1-2 cups at the bottom of the cabinet. I would say for a small shop the SS media is the way to go. Believe me once you try it and see how clean it stays in the cabinet you will dump the glass beads. It makes blasting fun again. I don't blast oily or very dirty parts in the cabinet. I degrease everything before it goes in.

 

[cra-z1]

Here are a few more pics. On the second picture tou can see the mating surface of the painted caliper. This was done with just the cut wire. The cover was done with both cut and conditioned then washed with 0000 steel wool/hot water and dawn ( lightly buffed).

 

[cra-z1]

Here is the finished top case after 1/2 hour of buffung with 0000 stainless steel wool, hot water, and dawn. I then buffed it witha cotton cloth, the goal is to cose up the pores to resist any staining that may occur during normal use

 

[Jim]

with 0000 stainless steel wool, hot water, and dawn.

I'm gonna throw out a word of caution here. Soap (dawn) gets into the pores of the aluminum and doesn't want to come out. Soap will cause the oil to foam when the engine heat does draws the soap out. Foam is not a good lubricant. This is a warning out of the Lycoming aircraft engine overhaul manual...

I'd suggest pouring boiling water over the parts to ensure the soap is gone.
Btw.... them parts look awesome. I'm gonna give the SS a try.

 

[Jim]

Cra-Z1,
I'm curious does the SS shot tear up the gass in the blasting cabinet?
I've got new plexi for mine and was wondering if I should hold off on changing it.

 

[cra-z1]

Not to bad. it does bounce back at the plexiglass. I scrapped the thin plastic liner and my plexiglass has not suffered much. I tend to wipe down the inside after each session. My plexi was very bad when using glass beads because the very fine particles adheard to the surface and when you wiped it down it would scratch badly. I use a plastic cleaner in between sessions. I think i will upgrade the cabinet to accept a glass panel also from Tacoma. The only dust you create with the SS media is from the parts themselves and maybe some from the paint inside the cabinet. Good info on the dawn. I clean the inside with mineral spirits and use the dawn for the outside surface. Although the dawn does come in contact with the inside as im washing the outside it gets washed off pretty quickly. I have not seen foaming in my the engines but good to know. I would hate to be going down the road with bubbles coming out of the crankcase. I do wash with alot of water. May be a good idea to use a pressure washer. I would hesitate to use simple green or other engine cleaning products on the internal surfaces. I know that stuff is very hard to rinse off. The times I have used simple green it still smells of it after rinsing with large amounts of water. I also use a light coating of WD40. My XS2 was done 6 years ago and still looks great

 

[JRay77]

I just completed the cases for my last Z1900. I have been experimenting with stainless steel media. It is done in two steps using a .014 cut ss wire to clean and then a .014 conditioned wire which peens the cleaned surface over. Much cleaner than glass beads. You can actually see in the blast cabinet. The last step i need to do is clean and polish the outside cases with 0000 steel wool/ hot water and dawn dish soap which gives it a very smooth satin surface. Like they said above you need to be very carefull and block every pory and thread otherwise you will be cleaning and digging out the media. The difference is the ss media does not shatter like the glass beds and will last a long time. I only ust about two cups at the bottom of the cabinet. The last set I sent out for vapor blasting but that can fget costly also. Its nice to be ablr to do it yourselfView attachment 113989View attachment 113990

That looks good AF!

 

[Bezz]

@cra-z1 Maybe I should just hop in the truck with my cases and come for a weekend blast session!

 

[yamageddon]

This really looks Immaculate. So does the rest of the bike BTW. I think I would be afraid to spill a drop of oil on it

 

[cra-z1]

This really looks Immaculate. So does the rest of the bike BTW. I think I would be afraid to spill a drop of oil on it

I know but I ride them all. The 650 and 73 Z have even been in a few rain showers. Its fun getting them to that just off the showroom look.