Yet Another Cycling Forum

Random Musings => DIY => Skip Bike and Bodge It => Topic started by: Trull on 04 May, 2014, 09:54:23 pm

Title: Soda blasting - any good?
Post by: Trull on 04 May, 2014, 09:54:23 pm: Just watched Edd China of Wheeler Dealers totally restore a beaten-up rustbucket with extremely fragile panels by blasting them with a mixture of sodium bicarbonate and pixie dust before restoring a nice mirror finish. The thing that impressed me was that unlike glass bead blasting there was no metal loss and the process actively helps the steel surface against rust. This could be a revelation for thin walled bicycle tubes?

Anyone had any experience of this?
Title: Re: Soda blasting - any good?
Post by: Gattopardo on 04 May, 2014, 11:07:56 pm: Quote from: Trull on 04 May, 2014, 09:54:23 pm
Just watched Edd China of Wheeler Dealers totally restore a beaten-up rustbucket with extremely fragile panels by blasting them with a mixture of sodium bicarbonate and pixie dust before restoring a nice mirror finish. The thing that impressed me was that unlike glass bead blasting there was no metal loss and the process actively helps the steel surface against rust. This could be a revelation for thin walled bicycle tubes?

Anyone had any experience of this?

Done a few car and bike panels...it is messy. The coating lasts about 3 weeks.
Title: Re: Soda blasting - any good?
Post by: Dibdib on 04 May, 2014, 11:15:33 pm: I always thought the usual alternative to sand blasting for delicate stuff was ground walnut shells.
Title: Re: Soda blasting - any good?
Post by: Gattopardo on 05 May, 2014, 06:38:58 pm: I know that the heat generated by the blast media hitting the panel is the issue.
Title: Re: Soda blasting - any good?
Post by: Trull on 03 June, 2014, 06:32:09 pm: Ah well, "Black Bess" is off to Finesse Coatings tomorrow for a good dose of powder coating preceded by glass bead blasting and acid dip.