Sand blasting media

[moizeau]

Stripping and rebuilding my GPz11, last nut and bolt incl. engine. I've got a bucket sandblaster and used sand (<1% silica) with mask outside for the small parts like yokes, battery box etc and will do the same for the frame but I need to do the engine. 40 yo genuine paint is as hard as hell. It's a 1983 model so air cooled...fines are a pain to say the least. I don't want to use sand on the engine for obvious reasons. Won't do the guides any good in the cyl head for starters... I know soda blasting is an option and I can get it for 20 € for a 25kg sack but it's 30 miles away and I don't know how effective it will be with my set up.
So the question is......... can I use salt? I've had a quick surf and it seems so.
Wondered if anyone has tried it? 1/2 the price of soda and in the local supermarket by the 10kg sack.
I realise it's corrosive over time but the parts would be washed afterwards.
Any thought?
Cheers

[mickthemaverick]

Off the top of my head Pete I'd consider salt's corrosive tendencies to be concerning despite the washing. Just a thought - is granulated sugar hard enough?

[Dormouse]

Salt works ok as a medium and guess what is used to neutralise salt?

Baking Soda!

[Dormouse]

Never tried sugar granules but they should work. Things like walnut shell granules or hardwood granules work. Depends how tough the paint layer is as to how long it takes.

[bobins]

Salt in itself isn't too bad, it's salt and moisture together that'll be your problem I visited one of the UK halite / potash mines many years ago - the vehicles down there drove around all day in an extremely salty environment, but nothing rusted as it was bone dry.

[moizeau]

Thanks for your thoughts chaps. I've got a 2nd engine that came with the bike. I've removed the liners from the barrels and they have a few broken fins so are scrap. I can test the set up on those with a bit of salt.
Put them in some nice hot water afterwards then jet wash and dry.
I've thought of aluminium oxide, walnut shells etc. The problem being is the expense and where to get it from.
Sugar is relatively expensive when compared to sand and salt.
Blasting sand is available at the local builders yard and 6€ a sack.
All other blasting stuff isn't available locally and when searching on line after carriage is expensive.
Salt is twice the price of sand but easily available.
Bicarb is 3 times the price but available...ish. Whilst researching it I found out it is used in animal feed to assist with digestion then when checking prices, much cheaper from an agricultural supplier than a blast supplier.
I'll try the salt round the back of the barn, not on the front garden...it'll kill the grass.
I'll let you know how it goes.
Thanks again.

[Dormouse]

A mild Salt solution is about 8 ph. If you think you need to wash it out of anywhere awkward try a very diluted vinegar ( or original Coke ). Mild hand soaps are about 8 ph to give you an idea of where weak salt solutions lie in the scheme of things and concentrated Hard Surface Cleaner is about 11 ph.
Leaving traces of the medium on the surface long term is what causes the issues, so, thorough cleaning and then a protection coat will do the trick.
Baking Soda solutions should be around 9 ph
Sugar solutions appear to be neutral at around 7.4 ish but I have no experience of using it or what kind of contaminates table sugar may contain.

Try it and let us know. Cheers.

[moizeau]

Well salt did work, very slowly. It's not aggressive enough to get through the baked on paint. At least we've got some weedkiller for the gravel area of the garden.
Going to have to get some bicarb and try that. It works out 1€ / kg with delivery and if it doesn't work my mate can have it for his cows. I read that one of the reasons bicarb works is that it 'explodes' on impact.
If all else fails I can ask a company nearby how much they'll charge to strip it with their vapour blaster. I'd rather find a solution that allows me to do it though. I don't want to outsource any of this rebuild and when it's done I've got a Z650 in the queue waiting, then my current rider, the Z1000ST.

[Dormouse]

When granules "explode" they shear along the crystal structure lines. The "sharper" the break lines, the better a medium cleans. Mediums which take longer to clean cause less surface "damage". Occasionally you want the medium to provide a peening or hammering effect to improve the surface.
Hence the use of different mediums for different jobs.

[myglaren]

I wonder what the Genius Girl is using here, from 7'40", first a pressure washer and some powder and then what seems to be a steam cleaner, which she uses on several videos.
Maybe a steam cleaner would work, she has stripped paint off with it.




Edit: Apparently a Soda Blaster.

[Dormouse]

I wonder what the Genius Girl is using here, from 7'40", first a pressure washer and some powder and then what seems to be a steam cleaner, which she uses on several videos.
Maybe a steam cleaner would work, she has stripped paint off with it.




Edit: Apparently a Soda Blaster.

I showed the picture of the red bag of powder to someone who worked in China and they think that it might be bulk automatic washing machine powder or something similar in a bulk bag.

[myglaren]

I'll ask my daughter in law but I doubt that she will know, she is of Chinese origin but British born, lived in Japan and I don't think she has been in China.

Maybe it is their version of this:

Six quid a kilo from Amazon, £1.70 from Home Bargains where I get mine.
Seen some for £12/10kg.

[myglaren]

Had a closer look before sending her the video and it is Omo

[Dormouse]

A mild Salt solution is about 8 ph. If you think you need to wash it out of anywhere awkward try a very diluted vinegar ( or original Coke ). Mild hand soaps are about 8 ph to give you an idea of where weak salt solutions lie in the scheme of things and concentrated Hard Surface Cleaner is about 11 ph.
Leaving traces of the medium on the surface long term is what causes the issues, so, thorough cleaning and then a protection coat will do the trick.
Baking Soda solutions should be around 9 ph
Sugar solutions appear to be neutral at around 7.4 ish but I have no experience of using it or what kind of contaminates table sugar may contain.

Try it and let us know. Cheers.

Brine (concentrated salt solution) is acidic with a ph of 4.5 +/-. This is what causes the corrosion issues when trapped on steel. Salt on plants dehydrates them and that is what kills them. Salt chemistry is very complex.

[Dormouse]

I wonder what the Genius Girl is using here, from 7'40", first a pressure washer and some powder and then what seems to be a steam cleaner, which she uses on several videos.
Maybe a steam cleaner would work, she has stripped paint off with it.




Edit: Apparently a Soda Blaster.

I have watched a few of Linguoer's videos now and the more i watch, the more impressed I am.
Take this one, for instance.



I have seen her videos come up in amongst the more titilating female based videos but had ignored her along with the others. However, even if she is getting help from someone else to do these videos, she is very capable and no titilation in sight so far.

Thanks again for finding interesting videos to view.