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Baking soda blasting method

A few times on the forum I have seen reference to a gentle form of blasting with baking soda. I came across these sites with what looks like a cheap and easy method.

http://www.aircooledtech.com/tools-on-the-cheap/soda_blaster/

http://www.garagenight.tv/diy-soda-blasting-build-your-own-rig-cheap/

email (option): Gasboy@btinternet.com

Re: Baking soda blasting method

NICE! Thanks a lot, I'm gonna build one.

email (option): britool51@hotmail.com

Re: Baking soda blasting method

Brilliant! Maybe I don't need that $1400 blasting cabinet after all.

email (option): jonny.rudge@verizon.net

Re: Baking soda blasting method

The one link on the bottom I did watch. It does seem to work okay, but nothing close to my standard blast cabinet with soda in it. Seems like a good way to try out soda. If you have a regular blast cabinet it will impress you even more. Just be sure to have a good shop vacuum and a bucket of water to get the dust out. If you don't you wont be able to see and when it settles you will be recycling the pulverized powder and it doesn't work as well once it hits metal. So the idea is to have the vacuum removing the pulverized powder while its suspended in the air.

email (option): micran1234@yahoo.com

Re: Baking soda blasting method

I don't think they emphasized enough the need to wear a mask, as the side effects of inhalation can cause all kinds of serious medical problems especially if you have heart disease or high blood pressure, so please wear a proper mask, not just a dust mask and goggles too as it can be inhaled through the eyes.... I knew you would!

email (option): davmax@ntlworld.com

Re: Baking soda blasting method

I agree with Dave on that subject..ingestion of dust can have serious effects. Bear in mind that if you select an ordinary domestic vacuum cleaner as an extraction device most 'exhaust' through the electric motor and some dust WILL find its way past / through the standard filter bag.
This will a) destroy the electric motor at some point(though the resulting sparks, smoke and crackling is quite entertaining) and B)More importantly, it will circulate fine dust particles back into the atmosphere. Ideally I would think some form of water trap would be needed if a domestic cleaner was used.
I built my own blast cabinet and destroyed a few cleaners that way in the early days.
I fitted an industrial extractor which is not built that way to solve the problem and routed the exhaust side out through the workshop wall.
Another point is that you can have too much vacuum in the cabinet...this will suck out the dust AND you expensive blasting media.
To solve this problem I fitted a simple hand operated valve into the suction side which allows the vacuum in the cabinet to be adjusted progressively to the correct setting by 'bleeding' air into the suction pipe thus reducing the vacuum .A final, unrelated, point is lighting..I fitted a couple of 'bulkhead' type light fittings inside the cabinet so I can see everything clearly.....Ian

email (option): julie@wright52.plus.com

Re: Baking soda blasting method

You will also need a compressor with reasonable capacity and a decent sized receiver. It is not so much about air pressure as volume when blasting.
Glass bead, for instance is run at only 60-65 PSI and just about any compressor can produce that. However, to run a reasonable size nozzle on the blasting gun requires air volume. So with a very small compressor you will have to run a very small nozzle and blasting typical components will take a long time.
I run a 3HP 14CFM compressor with a 120 litre receiver tank and consider that to be pretty much the minimal requirement. When using coarser grits such as Aluminium Oxide (80-90 PSI) wear in the nozzle can be relatively rapid which gradually increases its size and therefore the air requirement.
I find my compressor can barely maintain the volume under these conditions and I have to stop blasting periodically to allow the receiver tank to refill fully....Ian

email (option): julie@wright52.plus.com

Re: Baking soda blasting method

re dust getting into the motor would an aqua vax type one work better as i should think that the motor in the vacuum is sealed agains water ingress so dust shouldnt get in

Re: Baking soda blasting method

Hi all. last weekend used a road type compresser shut down to save the soda media breaking up, very good results, Soda is very gentle and will not strip back original cad plate, and takes a while to clean up brass , didn't take off the silver paint on flea engine castings so very pleased , but dust is a ,problem good job it was raining am told grass will grow greener ! ! !

email (option): warbikes@gmail.com

Re: Baking soda blasting method

Yes Ian's set up is basically what I have. Should have mentioned the lights. If you cant get the exhaust outside use a water trap. Thats how mine is set up. A cheap vacuum wont last. I use an industrial grade shop vac. Its meant to handle dust. Has been working for a number of years now. I don't have a valve though. It draws from the top of the cabinet and there is an inlet on the other side with a one way valve. So if the vacuum is running it draws and equal amount of air in the other side. With some practice you will soon get it working correctly. At a certain point the soda stops working as good as new once you start reusing the stuff thats been pulverized. I find it works very well at cleaning up really rotten rusty parts that you wanna replicate. it will keep the parts from being blasted to pieces. I cleaned up a very rotten seat pan from a 65 greeves. i also used it on another old trials bike air box. So I had a clean piece to get measurements from.

email (option): micran1234@yahoo.com

Re: Baking soda blasting method

what will the soda do to the enviroment (grow cakes)

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