Soda Blasting Advice please!!

[ElvisDontSurf]

Have read so much on here and other internet pages my head hurts!!

Heres the story, coming towards the end of my service and am looking at spending my money wisely and investing some towards future employment.

Have not had any resettlement training yet but have looked at Soda Blasting and it ticks lots of boxes for me. I have identified a big niche where i live for any blasting and also soda blasting appears to be so diverse in its applications, i wont be looking at too narrow a market therefore limiting my income/earning ability.

I have seen one of the UK companies that appear to be a franchise of a big american company, have also seen a company in the south west near Plymouth and also a few on ebay that appear to sell the right kit for the job. When i have decided what path i am going to follow i will obviously ask these chaps lots of Qs.

Few basic Qs,

Have read about compressors (including sticky on here) and understand correlation between nozzle size/PSI/CFM etc etc. Do i undertsand correctly that soda blasters 'waste' less air than a sand blaster due to less air being used to draw sand thr ? (or did i imagine that?)

What sort of PSI do the blasting pots opperate at with say a 10mm nozzle and what sort of sizewise (CFM) would be ideal for a soda pot? as above , if they use less than sand/grit can i get away with a smaller compressor? I can not see anything on any of the suppliers sites.

Do you have to run an air drier? Have read about some of the soda media has additives to prevent the absorbtion of moisture?


Going to be a big step and i appreciate working for yourself is never going to be easy but i guess it returns what you put in.

As an idea , as well as some of these companies offering training, i was thinking about finding someone the other end of the country from me (so im not a 'threat' to their business) and seeing if i can get a few weeks work experience , they get my labour for free if they show me- dont ask you dont get

Once i have decided 101% to pursue it i can then look at small business courses/training and all the 'non sexy' stuff that goes with it.

Any ideas/advice/abuse very gratefully recieved!

 

[Dave H2]

removes paint and not much else.

 

[ElvisDontSurf]

Hi Dave

Have seen its many uses , paint on boats/cars/wood etc etc. removal of anti fouling paint , cleaning of brick work, fire damage, engine parts etc etc etc . (Same as the numerous websites)

Would you say its not worth pursuing the idea as being too limited in application then?


Have you stopped using it and gone for sand/grit/other media ?

I guess if i had a suitable compressor its no hardship to have a second pot. Just dont want to spend my gratuity just for the sake of it and if i cant justify it. If soda is worth following as a business on its own , this would be preferable.

Do you make a living from blasting, or are experienced, and can you offer any advice?

Cheers for your time

EDS

 

[Shedendman]

Hi,i looked into this about 4 years ago when i started up high pressure cleaning(thats wet not blasting).
I'll be straight with you now,unless you've won the lotto be prepared to shell out big bucks,esp for the commerical setup itself,your right saying you need an air cooler,soda bicarbonate hates any form of heat whatsoever,clogs everything.
not only that you wouldn't be able to afford using soda bicarb in this country,to expensive,theres something along the same lines,these guys do it
http://www.millarsodablasting.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=49&Itemid=53
and a bag a go wont do much
i did cover this before

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=17846
If you want to look into a form of blasting do a google on slurry blasting,but again,large costs on the setup

 

[brightspark]

as said above save your hard earned cash . dont pay anyone for training . a monkey can shotblast its not rocket science niether is the gear

 

[stormin]

Got to say I've been grit blasting quite a bit on my own and a few friends projects. I don't see the advantage of Soda blasting over traditional grit unless it's for a food hygiene environment?
I believe it leaves a thin protective coating but the traditional method of blast and prime leaves a good protective coating too.
Supposed to be gentler on thin metal panels, classic cars and stuff (most of my blasting has been on commercial vehicles, tractors etc) but if you wind the pressure down and use a finer grit and a bit of care there shouldn't be a problem with traditional blasting.
Soda just seems way too expensive a set-up to outweigh it's advantages in all but a very few limited applications.

 

[Engineer]

Soda blasting has such limited applications, and set up costs are so high, that its certainly not a good idea as a starter type business. Look at something that costs less to start up, and ideally can be done out of a home garage initially.

 

[ElvisDontSurf]

cheers chaps.

Given me lots to think about now.......

I know where i live/will be living on discharge is a big old place with lots of towns/villages withing very close proximity and there is only one blaster whom is not mobile and is more of part of a coating business than a stand alone business in its own right. I think there is a massive population/catchment area to be had.

Guess i had best start reading up on sand/shot blasting now

So with thr ight media/pressure can you strip paint from boat hulls/carbon/ all the stuff that soda blasting sells itself on with a traditional blaster?

Any very good sites for info ? what size pot/compressor size should i be looking at ? Am thinking of buying something pretty 'sorted' rather than buy small/basic and need to upgrade soon after.

As previous, any advice/ideas/abuse gratefully received.

 

[brightspark]

even using a 90cfm compressor and a 6mm jet thats about the minimum . car wheels and motorbike frames ect to make a proffit .boat hulls wagon chasis ect minimum of 140cfm with quite a large pot .then theres where u are going to conduct buisness .

 

[ElvisDontSurf]

Cheers BS , your a star. Got a yard/'shop sorted already, thats the only deffinitive so far. Near where i am going to be living, lots of space, no neighbours and very understanding landlord!

 

[Xsite]

I used to run a blast cleaning and coating company, don't do it now, it's very much a young mans game.

Soda blasting alone is far to limiting, don't do it, you will lose money. However general shot blasting can make money and if you get it right lots of it.

As a set up, ignore any of the ebay diy kit, for diy it's ok ish, but for earning a living it's hopeless. Anything that needs filling with a funnel is a waste of time.

Look at Hodge Clemco or similar 1440 blast pots. The 1440 is 14 inches round and 40 high. That will be easy to manhandle and will hold a reasonable amount of media. You will need an air fed helmet (nothing else will do) with appropriate filters and as much hose as you can cope with. A pressure regulator for the pot is essential if you want to blast more delicate substrates.

Now the expensive bit, you need as big a compressor as you can get. 250cfm is the absolute minimum, I used to run Ingersol Rand P375's which used to put out 375cfm @100psi but prefered to work with a 400cfm machine operating @125 psi. Whichever compressor you use, keep it clean, regularly (every week minimum) wash out oil cooler fins or you will suffer overheating. Atlas copco produce good machines as well but the best machines for blasting are imho Kaeser compressors.

If you want to work mobile, seriously think about mounting all the kit in a truck. If your limited to a 7.5 ton truck you will struggle for weight if you use a compressor bigger than 250cfm.

If you wat more info, drop me a line