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)

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/

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!

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

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

Soda Blasting on TV!!!

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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, 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

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)

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.

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.

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

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)

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.

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.

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

Eco-Friendly Furniture Refinishing!

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.

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.

As many of you know, one of the nastiest jobs around is using a toxic chemical stripper to remove the finish off of wooden furniture and architectural items such as doors and windows. Not only is it messy, but it can be bad for you and bad for the environment. Not something that I would want to use or be around.

So what alternative do you have? Well, it just so happens that soda blasting is a safe, effective, and eco-friendly way to strip all kinds of paint, varnish, and other common coatings used on wood! That’s right, soda blasting. In one of my earlier blogs, entitled “Soda Blasting and Paint Stripping”, I gave a brief overview on some of the types of jobs that you can do with soda blasting. Today, I want to tell you about a specific job that I had the pleasure of being involved with. And what a job it was!

Last summer, I received a phone call from Flink’s Painting in Kaysville, Utah. Ed told me that he had a job, which involved stripping the finish off of wooden church pews. We talked for a while as I answered his questions about soda blasting and how it works. As the discussion proceeded, I asked him how many of the pews needed stripping. “Over 200 of them” he replied. “That’s a pretty big job”, I said and we both laughed. “It sure is!” he said.

The church consisted of a main level and an upper balcony with additional seating for the congregation. Ed wanted to remove the pews from the lower level, and move them to a large warehouse area to soda blast them offsite. However, due to logistical reasons, he would soda blast the balcony pews in place at the church.

I recommended that he use the ACE Model 2-PS Heavy Duty Portable Soda Blaster for the job. In addition to the round nozzles, I also recommended that he try a fan tip blast nozzle, since he had a sufficient amount of cfm available from his air compressor. He told me that his work crews would be working long hours on a daily basis for a number of weeks to complete the work on time. “I’m going to run the heck out of this machine. Is that soda blaster you recommend up to the task?” he asked. “Absolutely” I told him.

Ed said that it was acceptable if he experienced some raising of the wood grain, as he intended to finish sand all of the pews anyway. He was primarily interested in speed and wanted no part of chemical strippers. With that in mind, I recommended Armex Flow XL soda blast media designed for paint and coatings removal. He could also blast at a slightly higher blasting pressure, since speed was his main concern.

Several weeks passed, and one day I received a call from Ed with some questions about the soda blast media. I asked him how the job was going. He told me that he was just about done, and that the ACE Model 2-PS soda blaster had worked great, just like I knew it would. He was pleased and so was I.

The photo at the top of this blog posting shows the balcony pews. The pews nearest the camera have already been soda blasted. If you look towards the upper middle of the picture, you can see the work crew and the ACE Model 2-PS, stripping one of the final rows of pews.

This was a very large scale project. Soda blasting can just as easily be used by a homeowner or do-it-yourself hobbyist for many different kinds of applications.

I’ll write about some of the other interesting projects that I’ve been involved with, using soda blasting, in future postings. 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

BACK TO THE FUTURE!

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.

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 in my last blog posting, 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 that 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.

Since I am a history, auto, and nostalgia fan, I want to tell you about one of my favorites. One day, I got a call from a gentleman at General Motors. He asked if soda blasting would be a good way to clean up an old metal structure that had been sitting in storage for nearly 50 years. The structure consisted of several panels of arched aluminum, each one about 30 feet in length. They had been part of an old display that GM wanted to restore for use again. He said that they were structurally sound, but were stained and discolored from decades of built up crud, grime, grease and dirt all over them.

I couldn’t believe what I had just heard. Barely able to contain my excitement, I said “Motorama?” There was a moment of silence, and then he asked, “How did you know that?” I explained that I was kind of a nostalgia fan and was very familiar with Motorama.

Motorama was a traveling auto show in the 1950’s. These automobile extravaganzas were designed to whet public appetite and boost automobile sales with displays of fancy prototypes, concept vehicles and other special “Dream Car” models. Almost 11 million people attended these shows from 1949 to 1961. The Chevrolet Corvette was originally designed as a show car for the 1953 Motorama display at the New York Auto Show, where it generated enough interest to induce GM to make a production version for sale to the public.

These particular panels were suspended from above the main display stage, on which the most important concept cars sat. Very cool stuff for a nostalgic, retro fan.

After a detailed discussion about the condition of the panels, I told him that soda blasting was the best way to restore this historic piece of Americana. He agreed, and after researching portable soda blasters, decided to purchase an ACE Model 2-PS Heavy Duty Portable Soda Blaster to do this important job.

Since restoring the panels back to original appearance was essential, I recommended using a medium maintenance grade of soda blast media, and starting at a low blasting pressure. Sure enough, the panels cleaned up, and were restored back to their former glory. It was satisfying to play a part in the restoration of an icon from the “Golden Age” of American automotive history.

I’ll write about some of the other interesting projects that I’ve been involve with, using soda blasting, in future postings. Soda blasting really is one of the most exciting, environmentally friendly cleaning processes available today. Here’s wishing you and your family a Happy Holiday season. 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

Get Ready for Your Spring Soda Blasting Projects

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.

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, on stripping paint, and auto restoration. 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.

In my last blog postings, I talked about one of the best eco-friendly cleaning uses for a soda blaster: mold remediation and fire damage restoration, and cleaning automotive cylinder heads; one of the most popular uses for a soda blasting cabinet system.

As one of the most extreme Winter’s in years starts to wind down, now is the time to get ready for those Spring projects!  Isn’t it time for you to strip the paint off of that car or boat bottom?  Remove graffiti off the back of the garage?  Clean up mold and mildew in the crawl space?  Clean swimming pool tile? Or are you ready to start a new business providing soda blasting services in your area? 

If you have a soda blaster, now is the time to make sure that it is in good working condition.  Same for your air compressor.  Did you leave soda in your soda blaster over the Winter?  If so, clean it out!  Do you need to repair or replace any of the parts?  Do you have soda blast media that is ready to use?  Now is the time to make sure that things are in proper operating condition.  Do you really want to get out on a job, and find that the soda you left in the tank all Winter has caked up and clogged?  Or that your compressor has a mechanical issue?

By preparing now, you can be ready to get your projects done, and enjoy the pleasures you will receive from that car, boat, motorcycle or swimming pool.  Getting your property cleaned up and ready to enjoy over the Spring, Summer and Fall.  It might not seem like it now, but Spring is on its way!

I hope this helps you. In coming posts, I’ll discuss various soda blasting applications in more detail, along with tips and ideas to help you with your cleaning project or business. Thanks for reading!

– The Sodablasting Guy