Topic: What works best?

[Dan-O]

Wanting to refinish the motor, possibly wrinkle paint the engine cases but would like to sand blast the cyl's.

Question is what works best, Sandblasting or Glass beading? Pro's or con's on either and all imput is welcome.

Thanks

[Artfrombama]

Sandblasting will probably be a little aggressive, will probably rough up the metal a little.

I would bead blast, then go over the fins with an SOS pad and water to put a little sheen back in the metal.

[Dan-O]

Thanks... That's the answer I was looking for.

[Retro Rocket]

+1 on the sandblasting, it leaves a very rough profile. I had a chrome moly frame sandblasted and it took some work to get it smooth again. I plan on using Wrinkle black as well, let us know what brand of paint you use.

Mick

[Artfrombama]

Speaking of wrinkle paint, I never could get it to wrinkle to suit me. I sent the parts off to a powder coater and they came back fantastic. Identical look of some Harley engine wrinkle finish.

Maybe someone here has "wrinkle paint tech" they'd like to share......

[Retro Rocket]

Ahhhhh, thats what i was trying to say...... So you can get wrinkle powder coat then ?


Mick

[Artfrombama]

Ahhhhh, thats what i was trying to say...... So you can get wrinkle powder coat then ?


Mick

Yes, I've used Eastwood powder but something I really want nice I send it off to a pro powder shop.

[mcuozzo]

Yes, there is wrinkle powder coat from a number of sources.  Every powder coater will carry it, it's a fairly common request.  I find it's actually easier to use than most other colors of powdercoat.

There is no problem sandblasting a piece before powdercoating.  The rough surface created by blasting does not show through the powder.  The powder self levels.

You probably want to blast it with Aluminum Oxide\Glass Bead mix or coal slag not sand.  No one uses sand anymore, it'll kill ya.

So to get the best results, degrease your part, blast it, heat it to about 500 degrees (to outgas and left over impurities) than powdercoat it.  Most powdercoaters will do this for you, but if you do it yourself you'll save some money.

Hope that helps.

[mrbreeze]

I am by no means into paint/bodywork but I would think sand blasting would give a better surface for new paint to adhere.

[Retro Rocket]

The problem with sand blasting, to get a reasonable finish that doesn't need much work, you need very fine sand and it is very dangerous to use. It is slowly being phased out in favour of newer and safer methods. A few guys here in Oz are using baking soda and it leaves an almost polished surface and there's no sand to get in to your motor. The soda washes off with water i think.   http://www.sodablast.com.au/main.php   

Mick

[Cowboy]

I had good luck wrinkle painting some car parts once, using a rattle can I found at the local parts store. The trick, as explained in the directions on the can, was in painting when the parts and can of paint, and surrounding air were all at the correct temperature. You could paint in temps from 50 to 90 degrees. The temperature controlled how fast the paint dried, and different drying times resulted in differing wrinkle patterns. As I recall, they suggested that 70 degrees was ideal for uniform wrinkles of medium size. I happened to be working in 70 degree weather, and my parts turned out perfectly.

I also experimented with some other parts, and found that the wrinkle pattern changed drastically in differing temps. I don't remember whether warmer or cooler temps resulted in larger or smaller wrinkles, though. It's been a while.

[mcuozzo]

Baking Soda is the gentlest media you can get for blasting.  Great for removing paint and minor surface rust while not damaging any soft material like glass, rubber, etc.  And yes it dissolves in water.

However baking soda does not remove deeper rust, stains and minor surface imperfections.  Here is a sample of the different blasting medias results.

So depending on who bad the part is rusted\stained\scratched will depend on what media you use.  Check out my gallery and the pictures of the battery tray.  The original part was so rusted that blasting with soda was useless.  http://gallery.sohc4.net/main.php?g2_itemId=306724

The bracket at top left has original black paint, the lower half of that bracket was blasted with soda.  The bracket on the right was blasted with coal slag.