To Dip or to Blast that is the Question

[k8icu]

Ok so my future son-in-law wants to help me restore my HMV. We have been going back and forth on the merits of having the body dipped in a costic solution or having it media/sand blasted.

So my question is this....Which is better and why?

Is dipping the body better for rust killing or is media blasting better. Both camps will tell you there method is the best...duh they want my money, but I thought the knowledged persons here might be able to shed some light on this.

[sf38a1]

I had a hood on my 72 ford dipped, it came back looking just like new, the company put ospho on it, I wish I would have had them prime it , there was some rust spots on the hood but after it was dipped, only the holes were left, The only draw back was it took like two months for me to get the hood back . but that might just be cause the place was so busy, If your thinking about dipping, I think its better than sandblasting because it gets in all the cracks and crevices, THe bad , you have to get paint back in the crack and crevices, Sandblasting only gets what you can get to with the blaster, just what you can see. Asked how long is going to take to dip it , and also how much more to prime it. the company should have the primer guns with the extened wands to get the tigh spots, I sandblast all my stuff but only because Iam set up for it, but if I had a place close by i would opt for the dip

[vacca rabite]

Blast, but NOT with sand.

When you dip, you never get all the solution out of the cracks and joints. It will later cause your paint to peel off when it slowly seeps back out.

Blast with baking soda or dry ice, but never with silica (sand). The blasting media also gets into every corner and is impossible to wash out. However, sand retains water, and starts rusting your vehicle from the inside out. Soda won't do that as much - it will mix with water and drain out easier. Dry ice is the best. It leaves no residue at all, but is a newer process and there may not be someone around you that does it.

Zach (the noobie)

[rboltz]

I get my truck back today from the blaster. They used plastic. I already got all the removable items back and have primed them. I'll write up a report on the entire porcess as I sure learned alot.

[Binford]

Blasting also leaves the surface of the metal in beautiful shape for taking paint, from what I've seen...

[Roy]

I beadblasted my truck with plastic beads almost 10 years ago. No problems to report since then. Just about ready for paint again. My friend had his dipped 8 years ago and has not seen many issues either. I have seen the "seepage" of the solution creep out and eat paint on other projects though.

[airborne]

I dipped my windshield I got from someone here, it came out clean, I let it sit for a couple of weeks befor I had it painted about a year ago, so far no problem. I've used both, blasting works real well on wheels and such, but to get into all the cracks and corners I kinda like dipping. 02.

[rip68]

Blast, but NOT with sand.

When you dip, you never get all the solution out of the cracks and joints. It will later cause your paint to peel off when it slowly seeps back out.

Blast with baking soda or dry ice, but never with silica (sand). The blasting media also gets into every corner and is impossible to wash out. However, sand retains water, and starts rusting your vehicle from the inside out. Soda won't do that as much - it will mix with water and drain out easier. Dry ice is the best. It leaves no residue at all, but is a newer process and there may not be someone around you that does it.

Zach (the noobie)

Dry Ice??? I've never heard of such "Tom Foolery"!!!
lol, Actualy could you just elaborate on the dry ice procedure and benefits for us noobs.
Also wont blasting with air, clear out any residual silica debre from cracks or crevices?

[randyscycle]

Blasting has its advantages, but using something like sand can warp the sheetmetal, as it does generate some heat from the friction. Silica or aluminum oxide is better in that respect. Soda blasting is a good method, but requires its own equipment, so it can get pricey.

Getting all the blasting media out can be a challenge, particularly like the inside of doors and cabs and such. Leftover media can hold moisture and cause rust as mentioned above.

Dipping in a caustic solution can also create problems if not all the solution is neutralized or removed, in that it can cause paint adhesion problems.

Whatever method you use, be sure that if it is stripped to bare metal, that you use a self-etching primer before doing any painting. Regular grey primer or rattle-can isn't good enough. You will need something that will etch the metal surface and truly get a firm grip, so you don't do all this work for nothing.

[Snuffy]

Another note on blasting with sand.... you actually loose some metal in the process. Be careful with thin stuff you'll bend the snot out of it if you're not careful.