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to sand blast or not

M

montrese04

Veteran CEG'er
Joined
Aug 11, 2008
Messages
835
Location
Indianapolis, in
I'm a beginner with painting cars but i do have alot of painting experience when it comes to houses ans so forth. I hope to paint my car in the near future. does not have any rust spots but figured i could be lazy and sand blast the car and not haft to worry about trying to get all the grease and wax out of the paint. so whats everyone's opinion.

also where can i get a rattle can of t-red?
also will THIS spray gun kit do. or should i get ONE solid gun for around $200 and use that gun for my primer, base coat, and clear (i understand the last option is not the best but i would like quality. i just don't have the best finances in the world. I'm not looking for a nopi wet candy gloss paint finish. Just would like it to look like it came from the dealership tho.
 
im kinda curious about the blasting idea as well. I just picked up a blasting system and a paint gun yesterday lol. I think the ideal thing is to have a gun for primer alone usually and then another for your paint and clear, but im no professional.
 
My first question would be what areas on your car are you planning on sandblasting?

Those mini sandblasting units you buy at Northern aren't worth their weight in scrap metal. So I would stay clear of those unless you have real minor detailed work to accomplish. Things like nuts and bolts and what not. If you're talking full skin sheet metal like your hood, doors, and fenders your percentage of risk of warping the piss out of them just went through the roof with one of those tiny units.

If the rust is spotty and significantly close to a body line...say for instance your fender lip, then you are probably ok. However, if the rust carries to the outer skin/up the side the risk becomes high again.

I'd be more than happy to point you in the right direction if you had some pictures of the areas you'd like blasted.
 
yeah i was trying to blast the actual car. here are some pics of my car. Like i said before i was just trying to be lazy but if i'm not able to be. It's no big deal. i'm no stranger to doing things the correct way.

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By the looks of the pictures your car isn't that bad. I maybe see a little rust around your rear fender lips.
If your goal is to strip the entire car I think your best bet would be to find someone near you that can plastic media blast. Plastic does nothing to rust, but strips paint nicely without harming the integrity of the sheet metal. It also works nicely on things like bumpers. Bumpers that are plastic or fiberglass will get chewed up in no time using sandblasting because of its more aggressive nature.
Typically someone that is capable of shooting plastic is capable of other medias. So the route they usually take is to strip with plastic removing all the paint and then go back over the rusted areas with either glass or sand.
If the rusted areas are not excessive like I talked about before you might be able to manage them yourself. I would try and get some glass bead for the blaster. If sand is your only option I would recommend trying to tapper off your pressure. The process might be slower going, but its less aggressive that way.
Other things to note is that plastic blasting will not harm glass or chrome. I always say the more you can remove from a piece the cleaner you can get it, but say you had chrome trim or didn't want to remove the glass...it wouldn't be necessary.

I won't go into detail, but stay clear of people telling you to soda blast it or having it dipped.
 
using chemical stripper would work easier.:shrug: Then sand the rust areas and the whole car.

Those guns would probably work fine. I havent heard to many bad things about devilbiss guns. Practice on other stuff before you attempt doing a car. Painting cars is nothing like painting houses.
 
Chemical stripper can be a problem if you don't remove it entirely. You may think you got it all and get done with your finish top coat and 6 months later your paint bubbles or flakes off in chunks.
 
Repair and paint only what you need to.

Repair and paint only what you need to.

A full repaint is a major time and $$ commitment. There are many cars out there that have been stripped and primed, then the owners go to get the cars painted and cannot afford it. Painting is expensive and a good paint job is worth every cent. Successful painting is very difficult, preparation is key to a good looking paint job and most of us simply do not have the skill or patience to do it right. I admire those that can do great looking paint.

If you decide to try painting, get a junker or even just a door or fender and see if you can do a job that you would be proud of. You might just have the knack.

If you do decide to strip your car, find someone who has alot of experience AND happy customers to do it for you. Spend too long on a section of the hood with a sand blaster and you have a warped hood. Plastic media and crushed nuts are the way to go instead of sand.
 
ok then guys thanks for all the advice.


  • I'll try the ebay devilbliss package
  • blast the car with plastic media material (NO SAND whatsoever)
  • Practice first
no one knows how or where to get t-red paint in a rattle can tho?

so first step i blast the car
second step i wash the car down,
third step i fill dents in.
fourth step prime car
fifth step base coat
sixth step clear coat

(don't think I'm going to try and wet sand afterward. sounds like you only have one shot at doing it right. or else you haft to start all over again.)
 
First off. Do like Andres said. Get some junk body panels or better yet a junk car that you can do all the practicing you want with the panels on the car so you can get the hang of painting the odd angles. Even if you know exactly what to do, you are still going to need the practice to get the technique down.

blasting an entire car with one of those tiny sand blasters is an incredible amount of work. Easier to sand... Dont you have a DA sander? If you want to knock the old paint and rust off quick, a DA and 120 grit will do it for you. Then hand sand to 240, then 400. Anyways, even after sandblasting all the paint off, you are still going to have to sand the whole vehicle to 400 grit for a good surface for the primer to stick to.

IDK about t-red rattle cans.

Some paint shops can color match paints for you and put it in a rattle can.

Remember if you are stripping all the paint, you want to start with a primer/sealer then you would usually want to use a high or medium build primer so you can block the car, and make sure you are getting a good smooth paintjob.

I like wetsanding after clearing or doing single stage paint jobs. Wetsanding is pretty easy after you get the hang of it. You dont have to, but it makes your paint job just that much more smooth. The smoother the surface the more reflectivity, therefore the shinier the paint job.
 
ok trying to weigh out all my options. i think i might just touch up the pain on the car instead of doing the whole thing. I WILL PRACTICE ON A QUITE A FEW DIFFERENT CARS BEFORE I TAKE ON DOING MINE.

As far as the t-red rattle can paint goes. i wanted to spray my engine bay if anyone was curious.

here are the main spots on the car that's annoying me.

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sand blasting a car will warp every body panel you touch. to much heat being created. do not do it. blasting with walnut shells wont. trying to find anyone that uses that kind of media is tricky for a decent price. ill post some picture from my work on how you could fix the gouges in the bumpers. the rest just feather iit out by sanding, putty the area, sand the putty down, prime, and then block the area.
 
shavedsvt said:
sand blasting a car will warp every body panel you touch. to much heat being created.
Click to expand...

Only partially true...

Blasting sheet metal with sand is a serious art form. I can tell you that "heat" isn't the main factor if you know what you're doing. Heat is only one factor if you go at it balls to the wall.
Look...
Picture a hammer. You take a hammer and you beat on a flat piece of sheet metal. What happens? Is there heat involved in this scenario?
The natural reaction to beating on sheet metal is you stretch it. Now picture sand as thousands upon thousands of mini hammers. What are all those little hammers going to do?

Now, sandblasting newer model cars would be a scary thing to attempt with the thinner skins these days. Which is why its best to limit the amount of sand blasting you have to do. This is where plastics and shells have come into play. These simply do nothing against rust. Shells will take minor surface rust, but not the deep stuff. Plastic, as I said before, does nothing for you in the rust department. So now you need something to attack the rust. Either you get some glass bead or you rock some sand for the rusted areas. Glass bead will lower the percentage of any warping but there still is a chance. Just like there is a chance with sand if you don't know what you're doing.

Blasting is a serious art form which is why I strongly steer you in the direction of someone that may have a handle on it a little better than someone just starting out or has heard nothing but rumors. You would be pretty safe with someone shooting it with plastic. When they are finished have them allow you to take a look at it to see the rusted areas that are left. It might be something you could handle yourself.
I would be slightly on edge though even allowing the blast shop to finish it up for you unless you have done your research and know they are fully capable. :cool:

montrese04 said:
what are you talking about done wash the car down?
Click to expand...

Well it all depends on what you mean by "washing the car down". Wiping it down with a wax/degrease remover or something along the lines of Naptha isn't a bad thing. It will help you against fish eye effect in your primer and paint.
Do NOT use water!!! Water and bare metal equals rust and rust fast!! Which is the exact reason behind staying away from soda blasting and dipping. They pressure wash your bare metal with soap and water. :blackeye: Dumbest thing I've ever heard in the blasting industry!!
They also have major problems with solvents remaining in pinch welded areas. Things appear to be good until the time your shiny beauty finally sees a good hard rain and the solvents wash out of the area a little and chews your paint.

I hope this helps and doesn't come off as me being some kind of shrewd because that isn't how I intended it. My only intention is to steer you in the right direction and help people learn.
 
montrese04 said:
what are you talking about done wash the car down?

also i have a 6hp 60 gal air compressor i'm going to purchase a air sander but was wondering which is better. a straight inline sander or a round disk
Click to expand...

He means dont use soap and water to wash the car. You want to wash the car with something that wont leave a residue. A big gallon can of wax and grease remover will do fine after you have dusted off the car. IMMEDIATELY after cleaning the car though, you need to start spraying your sealer.

Dont use an inline sander for body work. its to easy to create gouges and low spots.

What you want is a sander with a round disk. The kind you want is called a dual action sander. But just remember, with a power sander, you dont want to do all your sanding this way. Only use it to get most of the stuff off, then finish sanding with a block. Once you are done sanding material off, and you are ready to sand to get the car ready for primer, only hand sand with a block. Also when you are sanding your primer before paint, only hand sand with a block.
 
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