Blasting Equipment - Why isn't this Ever Used???

[RTR]

I was reading up on the different types of Blasting on Wikipedia because I am wanting to invest in a medium size.....possibly large size....to do the sandblasting of tractor sheetmetal, implements, and other misc. parts. Why don't we ever hear of people using the "Wet Blasting" method?? Go to Wikipedia to see what I'm talking about. I've also attached the writeup as a picture for your convienence. From what it says, it seems like a "no-brainer" as to this being the best type of blasting tractors and equipment.

Excited to get everyones feedback on this...


 

[glennster]

for a diy person blasting at home, this would probably be ok. from a commercial standpoint, as a shop owner, the big hurdle is the water carrying paint residue and oils and grease. it cannot go down the drain. it is now a hazardous material and needs special disposal. if you blast outside, the water will carry oil and grease and contaminate the ground. (mighty spendy cleanup). most dry medias can be disposed of in a regular trash pickup.
 

[RTR]

Could you not build you a small shallow "pit" to catch most of it with a drain on top and then pump it into portable plastic tanks for disposal?

What about someone like me.....has 40-50 tractors and "restores" about 4-5 per year in the back yard?
 

[CNKS]

Regardless of what Wiki says it appears to me that you will have a bigger mess than ever. With no place for me to go to with the water, the whole area will become wet. With my small sandblaster it takes me at least a half day, more like a full day to make much progress as I only blast removed parts. AND, for me the biggest problem will be flash rust. Regardless of the statement saying how clean the parts are, I would have to stop and carefully wash and dry each part as soon as I finish just one. I am making these comments without even trying wet blasting, but all it eliminates is the mess the dust makes, and for health reasons, silica, which I use supplied air for to keep it out of my lungs.
 

[glennster]

as a diy'er you would probably be exempt, unless you were on an active farm, then it could become a problem. also, if the area you are blasting in becomes contaminated with oil and grease, and the property was sold, a soil test would reveal this and require a clean-up. (a soil clean up gets mighty spendy). for me to install a blast booth and deal with the liquid , would be cost prohibitive. the blast booth would need to be osha approved, a licensed waste hauler would be required to do the haul out, haz mat forms and bills of lading, along with all the paperwork i would need to keep here, just way too much hassle.
 

[RTR]

For my small use at the house I could see building a wash pad behind my shop (where I would also paint too) that was constructed like a pad at one of those self-serve carwashes. It would all drain to the middle. I could install one of those plastic tanks under the drain and pump it out into a portable plastic tank when necessarry. Think that would work?? It just sounds like it would be the way to go to clean oily, greasy tractors and pull the paint off in one swipe without worrying about silicosis and fumes from the stripper/oven cleaner I use now.

[GlenIdaho]

Just to add my 2 cents, it seems to me a guy could easily build a pit to catch the run off. It could be lined with plastic or if you had the money, concrete. You could then allow the water to evaporate and the sediment to dry and then haul away. There would be the issue of some evaporation of any chemicals, but that is probably minimal and occurs under current methods anyway.

I would be concerned about water and what ever media is used getting into places it should not be and then having to do a teardown and possibly a rebuild. Well, hope I didn't spend more than my 2 cents.lol
 

[RTR]

Since it would be a way of cleaning, I guess that would be a good point. Otherwise, if it were simply sandblasting, I would not use it on the tractor for that reason, but with the water I would to clean the tractor. I wonder if the possiblity would be high rather than using a steam cleaner to wash one down like I do now?? Shouldn't draining the fluids and changing them take care of any water that would happen to get in somewhere?

[GlenIdaho]

If I have understood you correctly, draining the fluids would remove the water, but if a blasting media such as sand is used, I don't think merely draining the fluids would remove the grit left behind. As with dry blasting it is the general rule that if you are going to blast areas where sand can enter the internal parts of the motor, trans etc you must take very special care to seal any possible entry point. I understand that many guys have sandblasted the entire tractor, but I would be reluctant to do so.
 

[RTR]

Yes, and for that reason I will not sandblast the tractor itself. I thought with wet blasting it wouldn't be a problem, but I guess once you think about it.....you are still dealing with the gritty media.


 

[Lauren in Iowa]

If you sand blast a tractor that is complete and drain the oil you still have left behind sand. This acts like sand paper on the bearings. The only way is to tear down and blast each part. Using power washer with sand blast attachment it is almost impossible to see where you have been. While you are at it do it right!