Topic: Soda Blasting -- Caution!!!!

[Popwood]

For anyone who is inexperienced with soda blasting, want to pass along some hard won experience. My son has been restoring a cl360 and soda blasted a lot of the bike including engine case parts. It looks great and the soda blasting was easy and worked well. But here's the warning; and maybe this is common knowledge to those who do blasting, but for this novice: be sure you carefully clean any threaded holes where parts bolt/screw back together. He had a couple screws and/or bolts break off quite easily on reassembly. His conclusion is some of the soda remained embedded in the threads and since it's abrasive, gripped the fasteners long before they seated and caused very premature breaking. Need I say the fix was a royal pain? Just wanted to pass along a heads up.

[nrd2052]

good lookin' out!

What was your procedure what what equipment did you use?

[Popwood]

Here's a link to the thread-- the help I got and the tools I used.

http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=57932.0

[MCRider]

good lookin' out!

What was your procedure what what equipment did you use?

YEs I'm afraid that's true for any blasting media. I had my cases done with plastic media. Even after they cleaned it (supposedly) with air, and I cleaned it with air, severalholes would not accept screws all the way.

I ran a tap thru EVERY hole and pulled out more. And it wasn't aluminum, it was plastic media. The tap needed to be lubricated liberally as well.

I too am interested in your set up. I've seen a nice job done on carburetors with soda and I've seen some simple DIY blasters. Carbs are next in my project.

[Hinz]

Glass bead blasting is just as bad.
I went through a lot of acetone and compressed air to clean out the treads.
What a pain.
You just have to use common sense though.  If the threads feel "gritty" or if the bolt is getting tight before it looks seated, back off and clean out the threads better.  MUCH easier than trying to extract a broken bolt.

[BobbyR]

Perhaps where possible you place chaep bolts in the holes befre blasting?

[slapi01]

good lookin' out!

What was your procedure what what equipment did you use?

I ran a tap thru EVERY hole and pulled out more. And it wasn't aluminum, it was plastic media. The tap needed to be lubricated liberally as well.

    yes when i soda blast i tap every hole going back together aloing side a can of wd-30.

[bryanj]

wd 30, i didnt know they made that any more cos 40 was the best formula

[bistromath]

Perhaps where possible you place chaep bolts in the holes befre blasting?

exactly, had my cases bead blasted and put bolts in all the threads, every single one. no problems with grit in the threads later on, made cleanup MUCH easier. i still ran a bottle brush down each hole, but didn't need to be any more aggressive than that.

[MCRider]

Perhaps where possible you place chaep bolts in the holes befre blasting?

exactly, had my cases bead blasted and put bolts in all the threads, every single one. no problems with grit in the threads later on, made cleanup MUCH easier. i still ran a bottle brush down each hole, but didn't need to be any more aggressive than that.

Good idea. Too late for me. 

[tinyrobot]

With soda blasting, can't you dunk the part in warm water bath to dissolve and left over?

[johnyvilla]

I had my cases walnut blasted, and after blowing compressed air, soaking in simple green/water, and pressure washing, there was still plenty of media left in the threads. I made the mistake of tightening bolts into media laden threads once and cracked my case.

[MCRider]

I had my cases walnut blasted, and after blowing compressed air, soaking in simple green/water, and pressure washing, there was still plenty of media left in the threads. I made the mistake of tightening bolts into media laden threads once and cracked my case.

YIKES!

[wannabridin]

good info with the bolt threading pre-treatment!  i was going to say the same thing, especially if you seat them all the way, then you have almost a 0% chance of getting anything where it shouldn't be!!

popwood, how'd the engine come out though?  any pics before and after?  i thought soda blasting wasn't abrasive enough to clean off engine cases?  did you do the cylinders?  seems that it wouldn't be forceful enough get into the fins?  thanks for the info though!!

[slapi01]

i soda blasted my engine with a unit i bought from harbor freight. cam out great. it dulls the metal a little, but nothing you can't polish back up. it seemed to unharm any surface just removed old paint and primer. a nice thing to have is a gun cleaning kit that comes with lots of nice brushes to clean the corners and bolt holes.

tinyrobot- you can hose down the left over stuff but still have to clean it really good with acetone or mineral spirits to remove the slimy coating it gives..

[tlbranth]

BobbyR's idea seems to warrant some thought. Also, he has the hottest hottie pic.

[wannabridin]

i soda blasted my engine with a unit i bought from harbor freight. cam out great. it dulls the metal a little, but nothing you can't polish back up. it seemed to unharm any surface just removed old paint and primer. a nice thing to have is a gun cleaning kit that comes with lots of nice brushes to clean the corners and bolt holes.

tinyrobot- you can hose down the left over stuff but still have to clean it really good with acetone or mineral spirits to remove the slimy coating it gives..

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=66742

was this something like what you bought?  it's a nice kit, but i'd rather save the money and use the setup some people have made on here for a lot cheaper!!

[myhondas]

That is not a bad system for the $....but the home built one will work just as well for a lot less $