Topic: Homebuilt soda blaster - gravity feed pop bottle - cheap blasting enclosure

[zanorak]

I didn't get any return from searching gravity feed soda blaster except for manufactured tools, so here's what I did. Pop bottle with bottom cut off, inverted with hose in bottom. Works way better for the home built soda blaster than the stick with a hose on it. (unless you have 3 hands...)

 

Also, I made a cheap blasting cabinet from a cardboard box, a piece of plexi I had sitting around, and a furnace filter. Works pretty good! You can't see it but I made little sleeves from an old shirt so you can reach in like in a real manufactured blast cabinet.

I hope this helps, sorry if it's already been posted.

[grumpy]

right on!

[zanorak]

I wonder if I could use table salt in this thing?
I don't have a big air compressor but I used slightly smaller tubing to keep up the airflow. It did well but a little more oomph would have made things go faster.

[Freaky1]

Did you have any issues with the soda not flowing? I get the part about having a bigger compressor, more CFM = more blasting force.

[octagon]

i bought the harbor freight blaster for under 15 dollars a few weeks ago - it's fairly well made and works well - easy to use. fyi. like that blasting cabinet.

[greenjeans]

I made one of these just yesterday.    Common air tool with the 5/16" I.D. clear tubing - I used a funnel instead of a pop bottle for it to gravity feed.    My case was just a card board box 18" x 24" x 24" lined with some ridid plastic I had from my sign shop.  I taped everything tight.  Used an 18" x 24" piece of cheap acrylic/plexiglass for the top.   

Boiled each carb separately for about 10 minutes in water and a bit of simple green.  When they come out I blow air on them to dry them and hit them with the soda blaster.

I had the grungiest set of carbs I have seen in a while.  Today they look brand new.

This works fellas.   I used 2 boxes of baking soda ($6 bucks) and a air nozzle that I already had.
Very cheap and very, very effective.   I'll post pics later.

[rev.buttons]

So could someone explain a little better. This idea sound great and inexpensive. I would love to try it on my cyl and head.

[dave500]

i do this for soda

and this for fine sand

[Freaky1]

i do this for soda

and this for fine sand

It looks like the same type of gun, do you have two or just switch back and forth?

[WhyNot2]

sub

[Freaky1]

BTW, if you search for "soda blaster" you'll find several posts, with some different ideas on how to build one.

[greenjeans]

here's a link:  http://www.aircooledtech.com/tools-on-the-cheap/soda_blaster/

Instead of putting the hose down into the box of soda, I just taped a funnel to the end of the hose and hung it off the side of my cardboard box.

[Magpie]

Picked one of these the other day.  http://www.chpower.com/productdetail/sandblasting-kit_at122601av   It works but my compressor isn't up to the task. Off to a friend's place. Don't soak carbs in Simple Green for very long, it really darkens the metal. That's why mine need blasting.
Cliff.

[greenjeans]

Here's some pics.  These were nasty.  Nasty.   I disassembled and boiled each carb separately in water and a small bit of simplegreen for about 10 minutes each.   The heat helps soften the varnish and grime.   The heat also makes them dry out faster.    I hit them with the homemade soda blaster - probably no more than a minute to do each one.   I then boiled them again in clean water (to remove the soda) then blasted brake cleaner & compressed air through all the passages and then did it again.  Carbs can not ever be clean enough.   The idle jet was the hardest to get clean.