Topic: Vapor Blasting

[Dyrden]

So, it seems less than a handful of guys do this in the US.  Should I try to convince my local high end moto shop to get a vapor blasting cabinet?  You could trip over them in Europe, but I need to mail my parts across the country to get it done here.  The alternatives, which there are many, just dont seem as attractive.

[Jeffg5485]

  An outstanding question deserves an outstanding answer.  I'm biased on this subject, because I've actually been doing the vaporblasting for the past four years and I have my own opinions.  Here goes:

  1)  Vaporblasting is the best process in the world for cleaning and restoring sand-cast aluminum, magnesium, and bronze motor castings.  It also requires the most expensive equipment in the world to get started.  Nobody in the business who I have ever talked to says he makes money by vaporblasting.   There are cheap, low-quality alternatives.
  2)  Vaporblasting comes with its own hazardous waste disposal problems.  If you do it wrong, you are subject to.....problems.   And waste-water processing takes almost as much time as  does the blasting itself.
  3)  Vaporblasting makes a mess of your shop.  The cabinet exhaust fan puts glass beads everywhere; in your hair, your teeth, your eyes, in your kitchen, in your high-end merchandise,  everywhere, except on the finished parts.
  4)  The market in the USA is different from Britain.  In the USA hardly anybody cares for perfection.  American riders are still the "poorboys" of the motor industry.  Britain has a much more developed restoration industry and its been going on there for thirty years.
  So why do I even bother with it?  Only because I have my own collection of bikes to restore.  When I'm done with my own bikes, I'll take the equipment out and drop it in the ocean.
Have fun with your project.  I'm Jeff Gibson at www.vaporblasting.biz

[RickB]

If this is the same as hydroblasting, I swear by it. I had all my casings done at a place in Melbourne, Australia for $300 and it just looks fantastic.

[Dyrden]

  An outstanding question deserves an outstanding answer.  I'm biased on this subject, because I've actually been doing the vaporblasting for the past four years and I have my own opinions.  Here goes:

  1)  Vaporblasting is the best process in the world for cleaning and restoring sand-cast aluminum, magnesium, and bronze motor castings.  It also requires the most expensive equipment in the world to get started.  Nobody in the business who I have ever talked to says he makes money by vaporblasting.   There are cheap, low-quality alternatives.
  2)  Vaporblasting comes with its own hazardous waste disposal problems.  If you do it wrong, you are subject to.....problems.   And waste-water processing takes almost as much time as  does the blasting itself.
  3)  Vaporblasting makes a mess of your shop.  The cabinet exhaust fan puts glass beads everywhere; in your hair, your teeth, your eyes, in your kitchen, in your high-end merchandise,  everywhere, except on the finished parts.
  4)  The market in the USA is different from Britain.  In the USA hardly anybody cares for perfection.  American riders are still the "poorboys" of the motor industry.  Britain has a much more developed restoration industry and its been going on there for thirty years.
  So why do I even bother with it?  Only because I have my own collection of bikes to restore.  When I'm done with my own bikes, I'll take the equipment out and drop it in the ocean.
Have fun with your project.  I'm Jeff Gibson at www.vaporblasting.biz

Haha, thanks, good post!  Made me laugh.  I didnt consider the mess it would make in a shop.

[jaguar]

Why not just have a soda blasting set up?

[Jeffg5485]

  Soda blasting is like your worst tattoo.  After your money is spent, you wish you could do it over again.  For the same money you can get the best results in the USA at Vaporblasting by Bikesalot.  Every other method is obsolete now that vaporblasting is priced competitively with all those others.
  Anyhow, that's my opinion.  I'm Jeff Gibson at Vaporblasting by Bikesalot

[Duke McDukiedook]

Me smell possible conflict of interest here.

[lone*X]

While vaporblasting "may" be the best thing since God made woman, per Jeff's statement it is the most expensive from an equipment point, has environmental issues and makes a sizable mess in the shop.  This site is mostly about DIY solutions.  For the DIY crowd soda is inexpensive, non toxic, and cleans up easily.   Lots of folks on here and other sites I frequent swear by it.   So why is soda blasting like someones worst tattoo?

[RickB]

I'll say again, I'm not sure if vapour blasting is the same as hydro blasting. I think it may be. I wasn't aware it was messy. The shop I have it done at is an engineering workshop too and is as clean as a whistle. I was told by the guy running the shop that hydro blasting was invented by Rolls Royce to clean compressor blades in jet turbines without damaging the surface. He said it's brings it back to 'from the mold' new.

However if you're going to paint an engine, then soda blasting is a good option because you a) don't need your engine in pieces as soda evaporates when heated and b) it is a good medium to prepare a surface for painting.

However I have found a lot of people expect soda blasting to make everything shiny and 'new looking'. Which is doesn't. It leaves everything dull. Clean, but dull. Once I had my engine casings hydro blasted, I knew I needed everything I had hydro blasted. It just looks fantastic.

Overall, for the quality and time saved in prepping everything myself, I thought it was outstanding value. I had every bit of aluminum I had (carbs, master cylinder, engine, petcock etc) blasted and it cost maybe $500 all up. When considering the time it would have taken me in cleaning and polishing to get to the same finish, it was great value.













No painting or anything. Just fresh aluminum. It hasn't oxidized it the 1.5 years I've had it sitting in the shed. Maybe it will someday. Then I'll soda blast and paint it. 

Rick.

[NobleHops]

I do this work, including for folks on this very forum, and you may see samples of my work on my thread here:

http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,150819.0.html

...or by following the links in my signature below. Please be in touch if I can help.

Nils Menten

[Retro Rocket]

I'll say again, I'm not sure if vapour blasting is the same as hydro blasting. I think it may be. I wasn't aware it was messy. The shop I have it done at is an engineering workshop too and is as clean as a whistle. I was told by the guy running the shop that hydro blasting was invented by Rolls Royce to clean compressor blades in jet turbines without damaging the surface. He said it's brings it back to 'from the mold' new.

However if you're going to paint an engine, then soda blasting is a good option because you a) don't need your engine in pieces as soda evaporates when heated and b) it is a good medium to prepare a surface for painting.

However I have found a lot of people expect soda blasting to make everything shiny and 'new looking'. Which is doesn't. It leaves everything dull. Clean, but dull. Once I had my engine casings hydro blasted, I knew I needed everything I had hydro blasted. It just looks fantastic.

Overall, for the quality and time saved in prepping everything myself, I thought it was outstanding value. I had every bit of aluminum I had (carbs, master cylinder, engine, petcock etc) blasted and it cost maybe $500 all up. When considering the time it would have taken me in cleaning and polishing to get to the same finish, it was great value.













No painting or anything. Just fresh aluminum. It hasn't oxidized it the 1.5 years I've had it sitting in the shed. Maybe it will someday. Then I'll soda blast and paint it. 

Rick.

Hi Rick, thats also called "wet blasting", there's a guy near me in Brisbane that was the first one in Australia to use it, its similar to Vapor blasting but there are differences. That finish will hold up for years, I've seen a bike done ten years ago that still looks like your parts...   

This is the guy I'm talking about...

http://www.wetblasting.net/

[nixon]

hi Rick B

hoping you can share any update on how the finish has lasted the last 5 years! considering vapour blasting ...thanks!

[pjlogue]

You don't need a huge set up to get pretty good results.  I hemmed and hawed about sending my parts out to get them vapor blasted.  I finally decided to give it a go.  I got a harbor freight blast cabinet and assembled it with silicon caulk.  I have an air compressor with ~10cfm output.  I bought 50lbs of glass beads (170 mesh) and had at it.  I used the blast gun that came with the cabinet and stuck the suction end in a bucket with the glass beads and R/O water.  I just let the runoff of the blasting drain down into the bucket which was underneath the blast cabinet.  I ran 90 psi on the compressor. 

This worked quite well for most pieces.  It is a slow process for larger parts but it will work and the results are quite good.  It will not remove the dark smut from cast aluminum.  You would need to soda blast them first.  It will not touch powder coating or anything with a coating of grease.  It will remove rust and dirt and thin paint.  For steel and cast iron the R/O water helps prevent flash rusting.  The low conductivity of the water minimizes galvanic action.

For my parts, after I blasted them I quickly rinsed is R/O water and then really washed them down before further processing (painting or buffing)  The glass beads will get all over if you are not careful.  I found the best results were with a 5 gal pail and enough water to give 3-4 inches above the settled beads.  When the media gets dirty you can somewhat clean them with a garden hose.  Just stick the hose in the bucked and let it flow.  Beads settle and most dirt overflows the bucket.  Let the beads settle and decant off as much water as you can and give a few rinses with R/O water.

I did all my engine covers, heads, foot pegs, all small parts and I was pleased with the results. 

-P.

[RevDoc]

You don't need a huge set up to get pretty good results.  I hemmed and hawed about sending my parts out to get them vapor blasted.  I finally decided to give it a go.  I got a harbor freight blast cabinet and assembled it with silicon caulk.  I have an air compressor with ~10cfm output.  I bought 50lbs of glass beads (170 mesh) and had at it.  I used the blast gun that came with the cabinet and stuck the suction end in a bucket with the glass beads and R/O water.  I just let the runoff of the blasting drain down into the bucket which was underneath the blast cabinet.  I ran 90 psi on the compressor. 

This worked quite well for most pieces.  It is a slow process for larger parts but it will work and the results are quite good.  It will not remove the dark smut from cast aluminum.  You would need to soda blast them first.  It will not touch powder coating or anything with a coating of grease.  It will remove rust and dirt and thin paint.  For steel and cast iron the R/O water helps prevent flash rusting.  The low conductivity of the water minimizes galvanic action.

For my parts, after I blasted them I quickly rinsed is R/O water and then really washed them down before further processing (painting or buffing)  The glass beads will get all over if you are not careful.  I found the best results were with a 5 gal pail and enough water to give 3-4 inches above the settled beads.  When the media gets dirty you can somewhat clean them with a garden hose.  Just stick the hose in the bucked and let it flow.  Beads settle and most dirt overflows the bucket.  Let the beads settle and decant off as much water as you can and give a few rinses with R/O water.

I did all my engine covers, heads, foot pegs, all small parts and I was pleased with the results. 

-P.

Sounds promising. Got any before & after pics?

[pjlogue]

I have a few. Is there a FAQ for uploading?  figured it out



-P.