Originally Posted by brddg

Exactly. I use muratic acid on large body panels that blasting can work-harden and warp with blasting. The rust will actually come up through the checks and cracks in the original lacquer paint. After you remove the paint ( I use an electric buffer and a 3M 9" soft pad with 80 grit at about 1200 rpm) pour the acid on and spread it around with an old push broom or similar. This process will actually get into the pits the rust creates. It will turn yellow as it works, rinse it off with a hose (not high pressure as you don't want to splash this on anything) dry and repeat. Then I use dish soap and a scuff pad to clean thoroughly and dry and blow off, ready for primer now. Wear two pair of gloves and a respirator and a long sleeve sweatshirt and treat this stuff like it will kill you. For smaller parts a blasting cabinet is just far easier and faster but they do need a large compressor to run. For the frame/radiator support etc you need a pressure pot blaster and the room associated with doing this. Wear a respirator when using the cabinet and sand blaster also.

Originally Posted by brddg

Exactly. I use muratic acid on large body panels that blasting can work-harden and warp with blasting. The rust will actually come up through the checks and cracks in the original lacquer paint. After you remove the paint ( I use an electric buffer and a 3M 9" soft pad with 80 grit at about 1200 rpm) pour the acid on and spread it around with an old push broom or similar. This process will actually get into the pits the rust creates. It will turn yellow as it works, rinse it off with a hose (not high pressure as you don't want to splash this on anything) dry and repeat. Then I use dish soap and a scuff pad to clean thoroughly and dry and blow off, ready for primer now. Wear two pair of gloves and a respirator and a long sleeve sweatshirt and treat this stuff like it will kill you. For smaller parts a blasting cabinet is just far easier and faster but they do need a large compressor to run. For the frame/radiator support etc you need a pressure pot blaster and the room associated with doing this. Wear a respirator when using the cabinet and sand blaster also.

Originally Posted by brddg

Well my pressure pot blaster will take the skin off your fingers very quickly if you slip up. The amount of pressure it puts to the surface is too much for wide unsupported sheet metal like roofs, trunks etc. I got an ss chevelle hood from a blaster many years ago it was absolute junk, wasn't even slightly flexible anymore. I do whatever will fit in the cabinet out of convenience as well, the sandblaster makes a hell of a mess and it's painful to use. I usually end up with sand behind my eyeballs when I use it so it only gets pulled out for the big stuff which I do all at one time.

Originally Posted by oldsguybry

I was using a 25gal compressor , and that was not big enough for blasting , but it worked . I think the lower pressure may help with not warping panels , but takes forever . I cleaned up my fenders on the inside this way where the fender brace sits , and they're just fine .... a few years prior to that I was blasting some small underbody parts with a homemade cabinet with a built in exhaust fan , but I was still smelling the silica dust . This was before they outlawed silica sand . Not so smart on my part , but I didn't do that to many times ... even with a paper mask outside , you still get dust . If at all you can afford it , get a respirator like you said , as long as the filters are new you should be ok .

Originally Posted by oldsguybry

I may not have done a ton of blasting in my life , but I learned real quick about how much it sucks . I would have myself all tucked in , and I would still be picking sand out of my briefs when I was done . It works great in hard to reach areas though .

Originally Posted by brddg

Dude! What hard to reach areas are you talking about???!!!

Originally Posted by Kyle's 77 Cutlass

Silica sand is outlawed? I bought bags last year to blast my 29 ford tractor rims.Maybe just in the US it is

Originally Posted by MDchanic

If silica sand were outlawed, they'd have to outlaw beaches.

When I was a kid, we used to sandblast with "pool sand," and I can assure you that you can still get pool sand, and several other grades of sand as well, at any lumber yard.

The black stuff is better, though - sharper and holds less water.

- Eric

Originally Posted by oddball

For those interested:
"Preventing Silicosis and Deaths From Sandblasting" by the CDC
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/92-102/