October 30, 2018

Soda Blasting Mold and Fire Damage

Mold damage before and after soda blasting (picture courtesy of ARMEX)

Hi Everybody! Welcome to my blog about soda blasting, the environmentally friendly cleaning method that uses a form of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) in place of other non-environmentally friendly, and health hazardous blasting medias like sand.

Over the years, I have explained many different facets of the soda blasting process. Once you understand how soda blasting works, it is much easier to appreciate why it is such an effective, safe, and eco-friendly cleaning method for many different types of jobs. If you are a first time reader, I encourage you to look through past blog postings for a lot of great information. Here is a link to The Soda Blasting Guy archive of past blog postings:

https://sodablastingguy.wordpress.com/2017/06/26/index-and-links-archive-for-the-soda-blasting-guy/

Today I want to revisit a subject on which I have talked about before: soda blasting mold and fire damage. Unfortunately, many home owners are faced with the problem of restoring their property because of mold or fire damage. Whether caused by storms, floods, leaks or excessive humidity, mold can be a problem in attics, basements and crawl spaces. I have even talked with contractors who have encountered mold issues in new buildings currently under construction.

Fortunately, mold and fire damage are no match for soda blasting! Soda blasting not only cleans this type of damage, it also deodorizes.

As I discussed in one of my earlier postings, mold removal and fire damage restoration are some of the easiest jobs for a soda blaster to do. Mold removal and fire damage restoration usually can be done using lower blasting pressures than needed for other types of work. Using lower blasting pressure means that you use less soda blast media, making the job of mold removal and fire damage restoration more cost effective. You can also use a leaner soda to air mixture ratio, which again uses less soda blast media.

Labor efficiency is greater with soda blasting than with many other methods, especially with the use of a fan tip nozzle. A fan tip nozzle puts out a flat, blade type spray pattern, which is perfect for cleaning joists, studs, roof decking, brick, cement block or any type of surface, which has mold or fire damage. Use of a fan tip nozzle greatly improves speed for this kind of work. More efficient labor utilization means less time spent on the job site for improved profitability per job.

Here is a video showing soot, charring, and smoke damage sustained from a basement fire soda blasted using a fan tip nozzle and extension wand:

(Video courtesy of Paul Davis Restoration)

With more efficient labor utilization, less material usage, and deodorizing ability all wrapped up in an eco-friendly cleaning method, it is easy to understand why more and more mold remediation and fire damage restoration companies are choosing soda blasting to get the job done.

Here is a video from the Crawl Space Ninja talking about the use of soda blasting for mold removal:

(Video courtesy of Crawl Space Ninja)

I have found over the years that the most cost effective equipment setup for mold and fire damage cleanup is the ACE Model 2-PS Heavy Duty Portable Soda Blaster with the fan tip nozzle and extension wand. When used with a high quality soda blast media, such as Armex Flow M or Maintenance Formula, this setup delivers fantastic results. I have recommended this setup to many professional restoration companies, along with several hundred independent contractors, property management companies and individual home owners.

So whether you are a professional or do it yourself-er, soda blasting provides more efficient labor utilization, less material usage, and deodorizing ability all wrapped up in an eco-friendly cleaning method.

I hope this helps you out. In future postings, I’ll write about some of the other interesting projects that I’ve been involved with, using soda blasting. Soda blasting really is one of the most exciting, environmentally friendly cleaning processes available today. We are all put here on this planet for a short time, so let’s make the best of it and help preserve it for future generations.

Thanks for reading my blog! – The Soda Blasting Guy

September 7, 2017

Soda Blasting Snowmobile & ATV Engine Parts

(Polaris Ranger 800 ATV Cylinders – before and after soda blasting using ACE Model 2-S Soda Blasting Cabinet – All photos courtesy of Indy Specialty – Welch, Minnesota)

https://sodablastingguy.wordpress.com/2017/06/26/index-and-links-archive-for-the-soda-blasting-guy/

I’ve shown you examples of some common, real life applications for soda blasting like stripping automotive paint from steel and aluminum bodied vehicles, removing old finishes from wooden furniture, and cleaning swimming pool tile, even restoring old kiddie rides.

Today I want to talk about soda blasting precision parts using a soda blasting cabinet. A soda blasting cabinet is used for cleaning or stripping parts inside of a shop, factory or garage. Nothing beats soda blasting for cleaning or stripping any kind of part or piece where you want to maintain the dimensional or surface characteristics. This is critical for many types of engine and transmission rebuilding or repair.

Indy Specialty in Welch, Minnesota is a complete CNC Polaris motor rebuild shop, that specializes in building motors to better than factory quality and performance. They have state-of-the-art CNC and conventional motor rebuilding equipment for all types of motors from snowmobiles, ATV, dirt bike, outboards and more. They also have an ACE Model 2-S Soda Blasting Cabinet with Dust Collector, which is used extensively on a daily basis to clean cylinder heads, crankcases and clutches.

(Polaris Ranger 800 ATV Crankcase – before soda blasting)

(Polaris Ranger 800 ATV Crankcase – after soda blasting)

As Jon at Indy Specialty said, “We run the blaster almost non-stop and it really is instrumental in what we do. We are a high end shop and our customers expect the highest quality possible. In fact, when a customer receives a clutch that we have serviced, they are often so tickled at how clean they are that they send in another one for us to do right away!”

(Snowmobile clutch parts – before soda blasting)

(Snowmobile clutch parts – after soda blasting)

If a high end, state-of-the-art shop like Indy Specialty depends on soda blasting to clean critical parts, there is a good chance that it would work well for your shop too. If you rebuild engines and transmissions, pumps, electrical motors, or any type of precision equipment, take a look at soda blasting!

Thanks for reading my blog! – The Soda Blasting Guy

June 26, 2017

Index and Links Archive for The Soda Blasting Guy

Hi Everybody! Welcome to my blog about soda blasting, the environmentally friendly cleaning method that uses a form of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) in place of other non-environmentally friendly, and health hazardous blasting medias like sand.

Below is a comprehensive index of all the blog posts I have done in the past. This will help you find my postings, which you can use to get a basic understanding of the soda blasting process and how you can do it yourself. Once you understand how soda blasting works, it is much easier to appreciate why it is such an effective, safe, and eco-friendly cleaning method for many different types of jobs.

The archive is listed in chronological order along with the date originally posted. Just click on the link for the posting you wish to read.

Soda Blasting Overview – April 5, 2013
Soda Blasting and Air Compressors – April 9, 2013
Soda Blasting Equipment – April 19, 2013
Soda Blasting and Paint Stripping – May 22, 2013
Soda Blasting & Stripping Automotive Paint – July 9, 2013
Talk to The Soda Blasting Guy – July 25, 2013
Talking Soda Blasting at the Street Rod Nationals! – August 6, 2013
Soda Blasting for Mold and Fire Damage Remediation – August 15, 2013
Cleaning Aluminum Cylinder Heads with Soda Blasting – October 4, 2013
Get Ready for Your Spring Soda Blasting Projects – March 12, 2014
Misinformation in the Internet Age – May 30, 2014
Soda Blasting – An Environmentally Friendly Cleaning Revolution! – Nov. 25, 2014
BACK TO THE FUTURE! – December 17, 2014
Eco-Friendly Furniture Refinishing! – March 11, 2015
Eco-Friendly Furniture Refinishing – Part 2 – March 20, 2015
Soda Blasting A 60’s Muscle Car Classic! – March 28, 2015
Soda Blasting Swimming Pool Tile – June 22, 2015
Soda Blasting Aluminum Bodied ’73 Land Rover! – January 12, 2016
Soda Blasting Childhood Memories! – March 24, 2016
The Soda Blasting Guy at Charlotte Motor Speedway June 2 & 3! – May 10, 2016
Soda Blasting on TV!!! – September 27, 2016

In future postings, I’ll write about some of the other interesting projects that I’ve been involved with, using soda blasting. Soda blasting really is one of the most exciting, environmentally friendly cleaning processes available today. We are all put here on this planet for a short time, so let’s make the best of it and help preserve it for future generations.

Thanks for reading my blog! – The Soda Blasting Guy

September 27, 2016

Soda Blasting on TV!!!

(GAS MONKEY GARAGE – Dallas, Texas – ACE Soda Blast Cabinet with Dust Collector)

(Fast N’ Loud – photo courtesy of Discovery Channel)

In my earlier postings, I explained what soda blasting is, what makes soda blasting such a unique cleaning process, some basic information on air compressors, on soda blasting equipment, and on a few popular applications. Once you understand how soda blasting works, it is much easier to appreciate why it is such an effective, safe, and eco-friendly cleaning method for many different types of jobs.

As I mentioned before, soda blasting has become a worldwide phenomenon! As I think back over the last several years, I am amazed at all of the different types of projects that I’ve been involved with, from helping do-it-yourself home owners, to assisting all kinds of businesses, large and small. I enjoy hearing from people, who have used soda blasting on their projects based on my recommendations. It is very satisfying to know that I’ve helped someone achieve completion of an important job.

I’ve showed you examples of some common, real life applications for soda blasting like stripping automotive paint from steel and aluminum bodied vehicles, removing old finishes from wooden furniture, and cleaning swimming pool tile, even restoring old kiddie rides.

This was a crazy, busy summer for me. I was involved in lots of new and interesting projects…historic building restorations; projects for the government; mold and fire damage restorations; auto, boat, truck and airplane related jobs; and many other kinds. Today, I want to tell you about something that I am very excited about…soda blasting on TV!!

For the last year or so, I have been working with ACE Automotive Cleaning Equipment, Armex and Safety-Kleen to find ways to spread the word about soda blasting. We know what a great, environmentally friendly cleaning process it is, but a lot of people don’t. Well that’s about to change!

Starting this season, ACE Automotive Cleaning Equipment soda blast cabinets will be seen on 2 of Discovery Channel’s hit TV shows…Diesel Brothers and Fast N’ Loud!!!

Diesel Brothers follows Heavy D, Diesel Dave and the team at Dieselsellerz as they build big, bad trucks, pull elaborate pranks and push the limits with new stunts. Diesel Brothers launched during Discovery’s “Motor Mondays” in January and in its first season, the show is pulling more than 2 million viewers per episode and is currently the network’s highest-rated new series in adult 25-54 in more than two years.

Fast N’ Loud is the most watched automotive related TV show in America. Fast N’ Loud follows the exploits of motor mastermind Richard Rawlings and mechanical prodigy, Aaron Kaufmann, who search the far flung corners of Texas and surrounding states for forgotten and derelict classic cars to buy and restore at their Gas Monkey Garage in Dallas, Texas. Fast N’ Loud has over 3 million followers on Facebook.

As you can imagine, I was thrilled to get involved in these 2 projects in collaboration with ACE, Armex and Safety-Kleen.

We installed an ACE soda blast cabinet in the Diesel Brothers garage in late spring, just in time for the start of filming for their new season. This cabinet is perfect for cleaning many of the components used in their wild diesel powered rides. If you’ve ever seen the show, you know what I mean by “wild”!

(Diesel Brothers – photo courtesy of Discovery Channel)

(Dieselsellerz – Woods Cross, Utah – ACE Soda Blast Cabinet with Dust Collector)

We installed the same model ACE soda blast cabinet in the Gas Monkey Garage during a break in the show’s production schedule a few weeks ago. Armex provided soda blast media for both shows.

After the installations, training sessions were held with garage personnel at Dieselsellz and Gas Monkey Garage on the use and maintenance of the machines. Set up, use and maintenance on these ACE soda blast cabinets are simple and quick. The guys at both garages just loved “playing” with the machines!

(“Play time” at Gas Monkey Garage!)

If you get a chance to catch these great shows, be on the lookout for the ACE soda blasting cabinets and the amazing work they do!

In future postings, I’ll write about some of the other interesting projects that I’ve been involved with, using soda blasting. Soda blasting really is one of the most exciting, environmentally friendly cleaning processes available today. We are all put here on this planet for a short time, so let’s make the best of it and help preserve it for future generations.

Thanks for reading my blog! – The Soda Blasting Guy

May 10, 2016

The Soda Blasting Guy at Charlotte Motor Speedway June 2 & 3!

The Soda Blasting Guy will be at the Charlotte Motor Speedway on June 2 & 3 giving soda blasting demonstrations! I’ll be using an ACE soda blasting cabinet and Armex soda blast media to clean all types of automotive parts. If you would like to attend, just call ACE Automotive Cleaning Equipment at 616-392-9090 to get a registration form. Come on out to the track! Admission is free, but you have to register.

March 24, 2016

Soda Blasting Childhood Memories!

(Amusement ride figures restored by KIDDIE RIDES USA – Denver, CO – Old paint stripped off using the ACE Model 2-PS Heavy Duty Portable Soda Blaster)

Hi Everybody! Welcome to my blog about soda blasting, the environmentally friendly cleaning method that uses a form of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) in place of other non-environmentally friendly, and health hazardous blasting medias like sand.

As I mentioned before, soda blasting has become a worldwide phenomenon! As I think back over the last several years, I am amazed at all of the different types of projects that I’ve been involved with, from helping do-it-yourself home owners, to assisting all kinds of businesses, large and small. I enjoy hearing from people, who have used soda blasting on their projects based on my recommendations. It is very satisfying to know that I’ve helped someone achieve completion of an important job.

I’ve showed you examples of some common, real life applications for soda blasting like stripping automotive paint from steel and aluminum bodied vehicles, stripping and refinishing wooden furniture, and cleaning swimming pool tile.

Today, I want to completely change things up. As I’ve tried to explain, soda blasting can be used for all kinds of different jobs. If you are looking for a safe, non-destructive, environmentally friendly cleaning method, then you should consider soda blasting. Think outside of the box!

That’s exactly what Richard Pierson of Kiddie Rides USA did! Kiddie Rides USA renovates and restores kiddie rides. Yes, kiddie rides…you know those great coin operated horses, wagons, cars, boats and spaceships that used to be in front of every grocery and department store! These restored beauties are being snapped up for use in doctor and dentist offices, restaurants, ice cream parlors, corporate lobbies, day care centers, and movie sets, for example.

One day, Richard called and asked me if I thought he could use soda blasting to restore amusement rides. He was tired of stripping them with harmful chemical strippers. He needed a safe and non-destructive cleaning process.

Richard explained that the figures had many intricate details that were difficult and time consuming to clean without harming or changing them. He also told me that the figures were made from a number of various materials like wood, aluminum, steel and fiberglass. On top of that, over the years, many of them had been repainted a number of times using different types of paint. He never knew exactly what he would run into, but he needed something that would handle anything that came his way.

Well, as you can imagine, this really got me interested. The more we talked, the more I knew that soda blasting was exactly what he needed. I recommended the ACE Model 2-PS Heavy Duty Portable Soda Blaster in conjunction with Armex Flow XL soda blast media. I told Richard to always start out blasting at a low blasting pressure, and slowly increasing it, until he was removing the paint without harming delicate features, which were crucial to maintain. The adjustable pressure regulator on the ACE Model 2-PS makes this easy and simple to do.

Richard was concerned about dust from the soda blasting process possibly upsetting neighboring businesses. I explained to him that the ACE Model 2-PS has a water spray/mist dust suppression system that was perfect for use in his application. Just hook it up to any water hose and say bye bye dust!

(Soda blasting small carousel horse utilizing the dust suppression system)

(Small carousel horse)

Well, as they say, the rest is history. Richard and I talk on a regular basis and he is very pleased with the results that he is getting using the ACE Model 2-PS and Armex soda blast media.

(Ride the Tiger!)

(Ride the CHAMPION!)

Remember our buddy in the earlier picture? Here he is in all of his restored splendor!!

The reason that Kiddie Rides USA’s story is so interesting is that it illustrates that there are literally hundreds of uses for soda blasting that you may never have even thought about. If you need a safe, non-destructive, environmentally friendly cleaning process take a look at soda blasting. It might just be the answer you need.

I hope this helps you out. In future postings, I’ll write about some of the other interesting projects that I’ve been involved with, using soda blasting. Soda blasting really is one of the most exciting, environmentally friendly cleaning processes available today. We are all put here on this planet for a short time, so let’s make the best of it and help preserve it for future generations.

Thanks for reading my blog! – The Soda Blasting Guy

January 12, 2016

Soda Blasting Aluminum Bodied ’73 Land Rover!

1973 Aluminum Bodied Series 3 Land Rover prior to soda blasting with the ACE Model 2-PS Heavy Duty Portable Soda Blaster – (Photos courtesy of Paul Spangler – Drummond Corporation- Middlefield, Ohio)

Hi Everybody! Happy 2016! Welcome to my blog about soda blasting, the environmentally friendly cleaning method that uses a form of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) in place of other non-environmentally friendly, and health hazardous blasting medias like sand.

It’s a new year and I have a number of very cool and interesting projects to tell you about. I also owe some of you a response to questions you have asked. Please forgive me for not answering sooner, the last part of 2015 was extremely busy.

In my earlier postings, I explained what soda blasting is, what makes soda blasting such a unique cleaning process, some basic information on air compressors, on soda blasting equipment, and on a few popular applications. Once you understand how soda blasting works, it is much easier to appreciate why it is such an effective, safe, and eco-friendly cleaning method for many different types of jobs.

As I mentioned before, soda blasting has become a worldwide phenomenon! As I think back over the last several years, I am amazed at all of the different types of projects that I’ve been involved with, from helping do-it-yourself home owners, to assisting all kinds of businesses, large and small. I enjoy hearing from people, who have used soda blasting on their projects based on my recommendations. It is very satisfying to know that I’ve helped someone achieve completion of an important job.

Last year I posted a blog entitled “Soda Blasting A 60’s Muscle Car Classic!” That posting should tell you just about anything you need to know about soda blasting a steel bodied vehicle. Today, I want to tell you about an exciting project: the restoration of an aluminum bodied 1973 Land Rover Series 3! Yes, an aluminum body!

Last July, I was contacted by Paul Spangler of the Drummond Corporation about restoring the Land Rover, which he had recently purchased. Paul wanted to know if soda blasting would be able to strip his Rover without harming the aluminum body. I explained that I have been involved in a number of projects stripping aluminum aircraft and light gauge aluminum aircraft parts with no problems, and that I believed soda blasting would do a great job on his Land Rover. After our discussion, Paul decided to purchase an ACE Model 2-PS Heavy Duty Portable Soda Blaster to soda blast his prized aluminum Land Rover.

As you can see, the Land Rover had seen its share of adventures over the years! Since there were no major mechanical issues, Paul decided to drive and enjoy it over the summer before launching into the restoration.

Paul recently contacted me. His excitement and enthusiasm were very apparent. “I love the soda blaster! It has exceeded my expectations! Flawless unit! It is ridiculous how little media it used. The media usage is so well metered. Amazing!!!”

Paul used 6 – 50 lbs bags of Armex Flow XL soda blast media to completely strip the aluminum body. The job took around 5 hours. He used the standard 1/8” ID nozzle (requires a minimum of 18 CFM) and media restrictor, and blasted at 80 psi.

These pictures show just how beautiful the soda blasted aluminum looks.

Paul is now removing the body parts from the frame and will be soda blasting the bottom side of all body panels and the frame.

I’ll keep you posted on the progress of this interesting project as I get updates.

Hundreds of cars, trucks, boats, and other vehicles have been restored using soda blasting. Several years ago, Hot Rod magazine did a series of articles entitled “Paint & Bodywork, The Most Complete Step-By-Step Series Ever!” In the series, the Editor of Hot Rod had his personal 1969 Camaro stripped and refinished. They had the choice of any paint stripping method available. What method did they use on his personal car? Soda Blasting!

I hope this helps you out. In future postings, I’ll write about some of the other interesting projects that I’ve been involved with, using soda blasting. Soda blasting really is one of the most exciting, environmentally friendly cleaning processes available today. We are all put here on this planet for a short time, so let’s make the best of it and help preserve it for future generations.

Thanks for reading my blog! – The Soda Blasting Guy

June 22, 2015

Soda Blasting Swimming Pool Tile

Soda blasting swimming pool tile on Maui using the ACE Model 2-PS Heavy Duty Portable Soda Blaster – (Photos and video courtesy of Maui SodaBlast, LLC – Paia, Hawaii – owners John & Rina Andrade)

Hi Everybody! Happy Summer! Welcome to my blog about soda blasting, the environmentally friendly cleaning method that uses a form of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) in place of other non-environmentally friendly, and health hazardous blasting medias like sand.

In my earlier postings, I explained what soda blasting is, what makes soda blasting such a unique cleaning process, some basic information on air compressors, on soda blasting equipment, and on a few popular applications. Once you understand how soda blasting works, it is much easier to appreciate why it is such an effective, safe, and eco-friendly cleaning method for many different types of jobs.

Summertime! Yea! Yesterday was the first day of summer and there is no better way to enjoy those hot summer days than by taking a refreshing dip in your swimming pool, or lounging around in your spa. One of the down sides of having your own pool or spa is cleaning the calcium build up that accumulates around the waterline. This unsightly build up tarnishes the beauty of the tile work around many pools and spas. Fortunately, there is an effective, environmentally friendly way to take care of the problem without harming the beauty of the tile. You guessed it….soda blasting!

Today, I want to tell you about a pool maintenance and repair business, which called me a while back, wanting to know if soda blasting could help them expand their business and help their profitability. John & Rina Andrade operate Maui SodaBlast in beautiful Paia, Hawaii. Hawaii is probably the most environmentally aware state in the USA. John & Rina insisted that they only wanted to use an eco-friendly, green cleaning process in their business. After discussing the benefits of soda blasting for their business, they decided to purchase the ACE Model 2-PS Heavy Duty Portable Soda Blaster.

As John wrote to me recently, “We own a Pool Maintenance & Repair business and I thought it would be good to offer a calcium (hard water line on the tile) removal service to our clients. It ended up being a great idea! Soda blasting has added about 20% to our bottom line, but that is a conservative number because we do not advertise, just recurring clients and a hand full of referrals. Clients are very happy with the restoration of their pool tile and also love the idea the media is eco-friendly. Maui is a small island and word has gotten around quickly.”

As you can see, the transformations are striking! No more calcium buildup and beautifully clean tile and stone, with no damage.

BEFORE SODA BLASTING

AFTER SODA BLASTING

John soda blasts with a media specifically designed for pool cleaning and has “never had any problems with pitting or damaging glass or ceramic tile. The operator has to adjust the PSI depending how stubborn the water line (calcium).” John says that “keeping the nozzle at an angle works best. Also, I recommend keeping the nozzle moving, do not keep it in place too long. Reason being the grout line can be blown out if not careful and adjusting PSI as you go. Some calcium build ups are harder to remove than others, which is why the operator may have to increase the PSI.”

Click on the link below to see a short video of the actual process in action:

Soda blasting swimming pool tile – ACE Model 2-PS

Using the ACE Model 2-PS Heavy Duty Soda Blaster makes the job quick and efficient. John states that, “The actual time in the water soda blasting all depends on the size of the pool, multiple bodies of water, spill over and/or negative edge and trough. But for a basic pool at 15-20k gallons, I might use a bag and a half to two bags, but no more than three. I might be in the water max 2 hours; the hardest part of the job is setting up, breaking down, and cleaning up the media off of the pool deck.”

BEFORE SODA BLASTING

AFTER SODA BLASTING

If you have unsightly calcium build-up around your pool or spa, consider cleaning it the way it is being done in the environmentally conscious state of Hawaii. Whether you have a swimming pool cleaning business, a property management business, or a home pool, soda blasting is the way to restore the beauty of your pool, spa, fountain, or water feature.

I hope this helps you out. In future postings, I’ll write about some of the other interesting projects that I’ve been involved with, using soda blasting. Soda blasting really is one of the most exciting, environmentally friendly cleaning processes available today. We are all put here on this planet for a short time, so let’s make the best of it and help preserve it for future generations.

Thanks for reading my blog! – The Soda Blasting Guy

March 28, 2015

Soda Blasting A 60’s Muscle Car Classic!

(1968 Camaro SS – Owner Terry Tetzlaff – Paint by Painted Specialties of Muskegon, Michigan – Old paint job stripped off using the ACE Model 2-PS Heavy Duty Portable Soda Blaster)

As I mentioned before, soda blasting has become a worldwide phenomenon! As I think back over the last several years, I am amazed at all of the different types of projects that I’ve been involved with, from helping do-it-yourself home owners, to assisting all kinds of businesses, large and small. I enjoy hearing from people, who have used soda blasting on their projects based on my recommendations. It is very satisfying to know that I’ve helped someone achieve completion of an important job.

In my last few blog postings, I have talked about stripping and refinishing furniture using soda blasting. Today, I’m going to switch gears and talk about another great soda blasting application: soda blasting and stripping automotive paint. I briefly talked about this in my posting of July 9, 2013 entitled “Soda Blasting & Stripping Automotive Paint”. Now I want to tell you about an actual example, which illustrates the kind of results you can achieve.

A few years ago, I was talking with Terry Tetzlaff, owner of Painted Specialties in Muskegon, Michigan. Terry is recognized as one of the top automotive painters in Michigan. He owns a 1968 Camaro SS, which was an old show car. The car was painted in a style common to show cars in the 1970’s and 80’s with multiple graphics and murals. Terry wanted to update the paint job and use the car as a rolling showcase for his painting business.

Terry was familiar with soda blasting, but had never actually done it before. As we talked, he became more enthusiastic about stripping his car by soda blasting it. As you can see in the picture, his Camaro had multiple graphics and murals, and multiple coats of clear lacquer to achieve that show car look. He had measured the paint thickness at 8-9 mils (Modern OEM finishes average about 3-5 mils). I told him that he would have no problem stripping his car using the ACE Model 2-PS Heavy Duty Portable Soda Blaster and a coarse grit soda blast media like Armex Flow XL. After considering other methods, Terry decided that soda blasting was the way to go.

The car was completely stripped one Saturday using the ACE Model 2-PS with a ¼” I.D. nozzle and 12- 50# bags of Armex Flow XL soda blast media. The blasting pressure was set at 90-100 psi. The amount of time and soda blast media needed to strip any given car will vary based on factors such as the condition of the paint, the type of paint, and the thickness of the paint, in addition to the size of the nozzle used and the blasting pressure. Our experience has been that stripping the average car takes 8 to 12- 50# bags of soda blast media.

After soda blasting, the car was blown off with compressed air, taking extra care in areas like the inside of doors and other places where the soda dust could accumulate. The car was then washed with soap and water and thoroughly dried.

A self etching primer was applied over the bare metal to aid paint adhesion. A week later, the entire car was sanded with 320 grit sandpaper and primed with two part epoxy primer.

The next step involved wet sanding with 600 grit sandpaper. The entire car was inspected and Terry used 3M spot putty to fill in small imperfections and scratches. The spot putty and affected areas were sanded and reprimed as needed.

The car was taped off and sanded again with 2000 grit sandpaper. After that the entire car was wiped down with wax and grease remover, followed by a wipe down with a tack rag.

As experienced painters know, prep work is 90% of a great paint job. This is a lot of work, but it’s a good example of what you need to do to get a professional grade paint job.

With the prep work done, Terry applied 4 coats of Deltron Synergy Green (2010 Camaro color) and clear coated the car with several coats of DuPont clear. He then waited 2 weeks before beginning the wet sanding process, starting with 2000 grit by hand, and ending with 3000 grit before the buffing process.

As you can see, the final results are outstanding! Terry’s car gets a lot of attention where ever he takes it. The car has won multiple awards at various car shows throughout Michigan.

Hundreds of cars have been restored using soda blasting. Several years ago, Hot Rod magazine did a series of articles entitled “Paint & Bodywork, The Most Complete Step-By-Step Series Ever!” In the series, the Editor of Hot Rod had his personal 1969 Camaro stripped and refinished. They had the choice of any paint stripping method available. What method did they use on his personal car? Soda Blasting!

I hope this helps you out. In future postings, I’ll write about some of the other interesting projects that I’ve been involved with, using soda blasting. Soda blasting really is one of the most exciting, environmentally friendly cleaning processes available today. We are all put here on this planet for a short time, so let’s make the best of it and help preserve it for future generations.

Thanks for reading my blog! – The Soda Blasting Guy

March 20, 2015

Eco-Friendly Furniture Refinishing – Part 2

(Solid Mahogany Podium – soda blasted with ACE Model 2-PS Soda Blaster- total time 35 minutes – Picture courtesy of High Grade Finishing / Ainsworth Antiques, Enfield, CT)

As I mentioned before, soda blasting has become a worldwide phenomenon! As I think back over the last several years, I am amazed at all of the different types of projects that I’ve been involved with, from helping do-it-yourself home owners, to assisting all kinds of businesses, large and small. I enjoy hearing from people, who have used soda blasting on their projects based on my recommendations. It is very satisfying to know that I’ve helped someone achieve completion of an important job.

In my last blog posting, I wrote about a very large furniture refinishing project, involving over 200 wooden church pews. Today, I want to tell you about projects involving individual pieces of antique wooden furniture. A few weeks ago, I got a phone call from Russell at High Grade Finishing / Ainsworth Antiques in Enfield, Connecticut. Russell had heard about soda blasting and wondered if it would be applicable for stripping antique wooden furniture. He had grown tired of using chemical strippers or farming out the stripping, and dealing with inconsistent results and timeframes.

Russell is a very thorough person, and he wanted to be sure that soda blasting would do what he wanted it to do. I recommended that he use the ACE Model 2-PS Heavy Duty Portable Soda Blaster with a fan tip nozzle for the best results. After a number of phone conversations and emails, he decided to give it a shot. With his permission, I want to share the emails and pictures that he sent me yesterday.

“Yesterday we used the ACE soda blaster for the first time ever. The results were overwhelmingly great. We stripped off old varnish and lacquers on 9 separate items. I timed each item to the minute. The 9 items were completed in just 99 total minutes on just 1 -50 lb. bag of maintenance flow soda. Below I have posted just a few of the items with strip times. Every item came out smooth and spotless leaving much less sanding to do, unlike chemical stripping.”

TOTAL TIME 4 MINUTES

TOTAL TIME 7 MINUTES

“Platform rocker whole chair stripped in 5 minutes, top has burl walnut veneer no damage at all. It stripped all the detailed areas instantly much quicker than chemical stripping. This machine is going to save us a fortune. We used to farm out a large portion of the stripping. We no longer have to do so, nor do we have to rely on other vendors to do an adequate job.”

As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. Soda blasting really is one of the most exciting, environmentally friendly cleaning processes available today. We are all put here on this planet for a short time, so let’s make the best of it and help preserve it for future generations.

Thanks for reading my blog! – The Soda Blasting Guy

	sodablastingguy on Cleaning Aluminum Cylinder Hea…
	hoopersheads on Cleaning Aluminum Cylinder Hea…
	sodablastingguy on Cleaning Aluminum Cylinder Hea…
	sodablastingguy on Soda Blasting & Stripping…
	sodablastingguy on Soda Blasting for Mold and Fir…