Best media for blasting engine parts?

[marlinspike]

I want to have a go at blasting some engine parts. What's the best media? Soda? Glass beads?

I did the search forum but there's not much on cleaning more delicate stuff. Soda seems more expensive but is obviously safer. If glass beads, I presume you use the finest grade?

I'm not looking for a particular finish, and I wouldn't be looking to Cerakote the parts or anything, just get them really clean.

Any tips or ideas?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Ross365]

I've been using re-cycled glass and I would not recommend that. Had issues with pieces sticking in the surface. But whatever you use, worth remembering to keep the gun at a practicable distance and a shallow angle helps where the finish is important

 

[armalites]

I guess it also depends on the material, cast iron rods will cope with a lot more than aluminium pistions.

The best results I've had was using Swarfega/DEB power wash concentrate mixed in a bucket. Left a cylinder head in a bucket then flipped it the other way. It was like brand new when it came out. No carbon or staining left at all.

 

[RWD3M]

I just use aluminium oxide. Seems to do the job ok.

 

[brightspark]

are you talking aluminium or cast iron .external parts or internal . whats the set up suction gun or pressure pot. will they be painted

 

[marlinspike]

Mostly aluminium, I think, but basically the bits you can remove. Suction gun. I wasn't planning to paint them, just looking to get them nice and clean.

Aluminium oxide is one of the cheaper media available but I'd read that it can remove material rather than just grime and surface rust.

Sorry for the late reply. Thought I'd clicked for email notifications on this thread but that's not happening.

 

[brightspark]

Mostly aluminium, I think, but basically the bits you can remove. Suction gun. I wasn't planning to paint them, just looking to get them nice and clean.

Aluminium oxide is one of the cheaper media available but I'd read that it can remove material rather than just grime and surface rust.

Sorry for the late reply. Thought I'd clicked for email notifications on this thread but that's not happening.

you can beadblast them and leave a nice satin finish but it wont take much crap off if its pitted rusty or coroded .it peens the suface .using a suction gun is pretty light pressure on the articles so a fine blasting sand is best 1st then the beads the sand i8s expendable the beads you reuse so best get as much crap of first and keep the beads clean

 

[optima21]

for delicate cleaning just turn the air pressure down, I normally use fine recycled glass, and normally 50psi for light cleaning, but down to 25psi for really delicate work

 

[Keithmac]

I've bought some walnut blasting kit but not used it yet, they use it for stripping paint off boats apparently?.

Seems on the gentler side.

We had a soda blaster at work but it made a right mess!.

 

[marlinspike]

I thought crushed walnut was for fairly gentle abrasion? I had a look at that but it looked very expensive compared to other media. Maybe you get a few more 'goes' out of it though.

 

[RWD3M]

I've bought some walnut blasting kit but not used it yet, they use it for stripping paint off boats apparently?.

And cleaning gas turbine engine compressors!

 

[caprinut]

Walnut is best if it gets stuck in any internals it won't do damage.

Bert

 

[Kram]

Aluminium casings or parts Id give them a dip in diesel followed by caustic if they were really bad or corroded, rinse well after. A lot easier and quicker than blasting..

 

[Chippie]

I thought crushed walnut was for fairly gentle abrasion? I had a look at that but it looked very expensive compared to other media. Maybe you get a few more 'goes' out of it though.

We used a walnut crank wash on the Avons offshore when offline…if the engines weren’t too dirty….otherwise it was a crank soak n wash with a proprietary cleaning fluid, as recommended by RR

 

[Keithmac]

I remember years ago there was a spate of Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution engine failures, turned out they all had powedercoated valve covers, all bead blasted..

Can't remember if it was glass or sand but the baffles hadn't been removed in the covers and the media made it's way all around the engines..

I suppose for that application Soda or Ice blasting would be only option.

 

[brightspark]

what is the diffrence between machining an engine from a casting and beadblasting for damaging an engine both produce contaminents and have to be cleaned properly before use including all the oil galleries. ive rebuilt about 6 engines and all were dusted off sandblasting have never had an issue with any of them just hot powerwash them off afterwards using detergent and blow tjhe gallerys out with 90 psi compressed air

 

[marlinspike]

If you guys haven't seen it already @. thread on his BMW in the Projects section has some very impressive vapour blasting (done with a conversion kit for his sand blaster set up if I recall correctly). Amazingly clean and then Ceracoated. Better looking than new really.

 

[Johnnybravo]

Be careful if you use a cabinet and the media gets reused. Very easy to get rusty aluminium or stainless if you blasted cast iron or steel before…

 

[Keithmac]

what is the diffrence between machining an engine from a casting and beadblasting for damaging an engine both produce contaminents and have to be cleaned properly before use including all the oil galleries. ive rebuilt about 6 engines and all were dusted off sandblasting have never had an issue with any of them just hot powerwash them off afterwards using detergent and blow tjhe gallerys out with 90 psi compressed air

If you remove all the sand then it's not a problem, if you don't it's a bearing wrecker!.

For me sand is too dangerous for engine work but if you can guarantee it's 100% been removed then fair enough.

 

[marlinspike]

Ideally, I would want to clean up anything that can be removed easily. Valve cover for example, though that could probably be mostly done with a fibre disc on a grinder. Possibly the turbo and alternator. Quite a few rusty clips and dirty pipes etc., the battery tray and battery heat shield.

It's an old Saab 900 turbo. I've cleaned the engine bay a bit with BH Surfex and my Barkeeper's Friend (which is a vg metal cleaner not an acquaintance...) but there's very little room in the engine bay so you can really only do half a job at best.

If I restore another car it will be something like a Herald, or anything with a tiny engine in a massive space lol.

I am 'Watching' this thread and thought I had clicked to get email updates when there were new posts, but that doesn't seem to be happening.