ArthurK101@aol.com wrote:
>
> In a message dated 97-08-04 13:42:42 EDT, bwarwick@wcoil.com (Barry P.
> Warwick) writes:
>
> > Somebody out there must be into doing their own sandblasting on body panels
> > and frame. I have some incredibly,.....you would not beleive how...naive
> > questions. Would be happy to "commune" off-list if there are any takers!
> Barry, please don't go "off list". There is no such thing as a "dumb" or
> naive question. No-one here knows everything so that is why we share info.
> A lot more gets done, and done correctly, that way. And WE ALL benefit.
I have done my own sandblasting on a `70 GT6 I have been working on (off
and on, I should say <g>) for some time. I rented commercial equipment
(125 hp compressor and commercial hopper and hoses), and the general
rule of thumb is don't stay in one place too long, and don't get too
close. The force of sand driven at high pressures can bend the sheet
metal, particularly the large flat panels. Use a fine grade of screened
and washed beach sand (I used what the hardware store salesman referred
to as "sandbox sand." Keep the nozzle back about 4-6 ft from the metal
and let the sand do the work. This protects the sheet metal from lapses
in concentration, but uses more sand.
If you plan to rent commercial equipment, some advisories: one needs
another person to run the hopper (keep the agitator moving so the sand
doesn't quit), so you're not stopping all the time, since the compressor
is on an hourly rate, usually. Buy twice as much sand as you think
necessary, and it will be just right. <g> I ended up using about 7 80
lb. bags for the inside and outside of the GT6 and the frame. Have
everything set up the way you want it before getting the compressor to
save rental time.
Finally, try not to do it on a hot day, for a couple of reasons. First,
one has to wear a hood, and it will get pretty steamy in there right
away. Second, in my case, the guy running the agitator on the hopper was
also the person with the truck to pull the compressor. The ball hitch on
his truck was probably a 1/4" smaller than it should have been for the
tongue on the compressor trailer. But all of us, including the rental
agent, thought it would be okay if we didn't get too wild with it.
Well, the fellow running the agitator was hot (it was a hot day...) and
was a bit bored just slapping the agitator handle, so he had to have a
beer. And then one more, and then one more... not enough to be drunk,
over the course of three hours, but just enough to be very slightly
impaired in his judgment. And, on the trip taking the compressor back to
the rental shop, he hit a set of railroad tracks at about 45 mph....
And, yes, the tongue of the compressor trailer popped off the hitch (the
trailer was not equipped with safety chains), and I looked back to see
the trailer drifting on its own, veering in the general direction of the
gas pumps of the local convenience store.... He did manage to get the
truck in front of the trailer and slow it down before significant damage
(with me yelling directions while mentally reviewing how I would explain
to the insurance adjuster how I managed to create a holocaust of the
convenience store with an air compressor <g>), but it caused some
unnecessary palpitations of the heart. <g> Just another of those items
to consider in doing the complete job. <g> Total cost with sand, about
$150, including the rental insurance. Don't forget to buy the insurance.
<g>
Cheers.
--
My other Triumph runs, but....
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