Topic: Day 1 with my vapor blaster

[DME]

Another good to have tool together with more garage surface!

The cover look amazing!
It has been stored in a swamp for a while? The dark surface look really overgrown.

I recently saw a CB750 engine where everything was vapor blasted. All covers and cases. A surface I could not resist to touch and feel.

Having one need more bikes!

I can help you with vapor honing in Sweden, PeWe.
Built my second cabinet and its working beautifully.
Located in Piteå, Norrbotten.

Some pics:

[Terry in Australia]

Another good to have tool together with more garage surface!

The cover look amazing!
It has been stored in a swamp for a while? The dark surface look really overgrown.

I recently saw a CB750 engine where everything was vapor blasted. All covers and cases. A surface I could not resist to touch and feel.

Having one need more bikes!

I can help you with vapor honing in Sweden, PeWe.
Built my second cabinet and its working beautifully.
Located in Piteå, Norrbotten.

Some pics:

Beautiful work mate, well done! I'm gonna have to make one, to buy a complete unit here, it's over 10K USD, which seems like gouging considering how simple they are.

[DME]

It all comes down to the materials used to build it.
Built my first cabinet from mild steel that I coated with epoxy on the inside. It lasted 3 years before the rust was... well... to much.
It was also too small. Its one thing to be able to fit the piece to be blasted, its another one to be able to move it around in the cabinet to be able access all nooks and crannies...
The available space in the new cabinet is 1000 x 800 x 900mm, which will comfortely fit most things automotive.
Its also built to last, entierly made out of plastic, brass and stainless steel.

[PeWe]

It would be nice to have one or access to one when needed. I'm sure many parts should be treated then.

I have no urgent need right now.
 

Only thing is a frame and swingarm to give a blast and black paint. Powder or 2K the question as usual.

[lash]

Another good to have tool together with more garage surface!

The cover look amazing!
It has been stored in a swamp for a while? The dark surface look really overgrown.

I recently saw a CB750 engine where everything was vapor blasted. All covers and cases. A surface I could not resist to touch and feel.

Having one need more bikes!

I can help you with vapor honing in Sweden, PeWe.
Built my second cabinet and its working beautifully.
Located in Piteå, Norrbotten.

Some pics:

What media did you use on the carbs?

[DME]

Glassbeads, 150-250 microns.
The finish is all a matter of adjusting flowrate, ratio of glassbeads vs water, airpressure, angle of impact, and time.

[DME]

My 1969 Sachs 280 single is coming back together after a serious cleanup:

Here´s some before and after pics:

[PeWe]

That must be better than new!

[DME]

Harley flathead cases done 

[MauiK3]

Dumb question
When doing, for example, a set of CB750 engine cases, does one tape off the upper/lower mating surfaces to preserve the finish on them? I ask because these are not gasketed and need to be very flat and smooth.

[DME]

Not a dumb question at all.

I do not tape off gasket or mating surfaces on the parts I process.
This process is VERY gentle (and hence slow...) so the impact it has on the base material is practically none.
The parts shall also be cleaned thoroughly from any gasket remnants and other loose dirt and grease before blasting.
This way the gasket/mating surfaces and other delicate parts as bearing seats can be left pretty much alone.

I look at the blasting I do as a surface treatment instead of polishing, painting etc, not as a "parts washer".
So if someone drops off a dirty part I always send them back home with the instruction to clean it first.
Oxidized aluminium or brass is one thing and those problems are what this process is great for, but I do not want to contaminate the cabinet with sand, gravel, oil etc, that will ruin the finish on subsequent parts and that easily could have been removed first with some elbow grease...

Anyway, that is my approach, hope that answers your question :-)

[DME]

Here´s a good example on how gentle this process is:

I was asked to process a Rotax 800 snowmobile engine and was handed a thorougly cleaned set of casings, cylinders and head.

The first pic shows what the looked like when I recieved them, please note the peeling sticker that I circled in red.

And as you can see in the pics from after the blasting the sticker was still there and it was still readable 

[MauiK3]

Super outcome. I think well worth the investment.

[Ellz10]

That is magnificent mate, I've been wanting one for years, how much did the whole setup cost, including the big compressor? Is it single phase or 3 phase? Are you using it just for your own stuff, or starting a business? I paid $900 (AUD, say, $675 USD) to get all my K0 cases vapor blasted!

Terry, that's about what I paid for mine here in the States. Not cheap, but worth the look/finish.

P.S  I forgot to remove a few seals (first time rebuilding) and the 4 washers in the head where the short studs poke thru

[Alan F.]

They're so beautiful that they almost don't look real anymore.

[WideAWAKE]

Another good to have tool together with more garage surface!

The cover look amazing!
It has been stored in a swamp for a while? The dark surface look really overgrown.

I recently saw a CB750 engine where everything was vapor blasted. All covers and cases. A surface I could not resist to touch and feel.

Having one need more bikes!

I can help you with vapor honing in Sweden, PeWe.
Built my second cabinet and its working beautifully.
Located in Piteå, Norrbotten.

Some pics:

That lambretta motor yours???

[MauiK3]

On carbs, I wonder how long that finish lasts after it returns to service.

[slikwilli420]

Search around and find a reputable guy who does it on the side. I have a local guy who will do a whole 750 engine for about $300.

[DME]

Another good to have tool together with more garage surface!

The cover look amazing!
It has been stored in a swamp for a while? The dark surface look really overgrown.

I recently saw a CB750 engine where everything was vapor blasted. All covers and cases. A surface I could not resist to touch and feel.

Having one need more bikes!

I can help you with vapor honing in Sweden, PeWe.
Built my second cabinet and its working beautifully.
Located in Piteå, Norrbotten.

Some pics:

That lambretta motor yours???

No, its owned by a friend of mine.

[DME]

On carbs, I wonder how long that finish lasts after it returns to service.

I did mine back in 2019.
Both pics are from when they were just done, but they still look the same:

[spotty]

That lambretta motor yours???

i'd thought that was a lambretta motor but decided it wasn't as it doesn't have the big chain case on the right hand side, looking again i relaised i was wrong , it appears to be an early ( 50s) model possibly a D or Ld model, godforsaken pieces of sh1t they were, i had a 150cc Ld and it was flat out at 40mph downhill, little to no brakes, completely shot suspension, worse than candlepower lighting,  hated every minute of it, only rode it long enough to buy another vespa, ended up selling it to a guy who wanted a father/son bonding thing to build together...often wondered if the kid divorced his father over that

[MauiK3]

Very nice finish on carbs.

[spiffy587]

So an assembled engine can be done no problem, without worrying about stuff getting in the engine?

[grcamna2]

subscribed

[Zunspec]

So an assembled engine can be done no problem, without worrying about stuff getting in the engine?

Hello spiffy,

Vapour Blasting will require a full strip of the cases, including bearing locator dowels etc.  Apart from  thoroughly degreased cases this what my vapour blaster guy requires.  The blast medium will get into places you would not credit and post blasting cleaning to remove this is essential.  If you have an A1 sound engine where a strip may introduced other issues you can blast it without dis-assembly using "Dry Ice Blasting", if you can find somewhere that offers this capability.

Good luck,  Cheers  Geoff