Beginning to Soda Blast - Need Help!

Derick5
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Derick5
Edited Date/Time 1/20/2015 4:38pm
I'm going to start Soda Blasting soon and need some advice/pointers.

I'm going to purchase this Blaster Gun off of HF. 90 PSI is good from what I've heard to make Hubs, engine cases, etc., clean and look new! http://www.harborfreight.com/21-oz-hopper-gravity-feed-spot-blaster-gun…


Stupid question, but I really need to know. In terms of soda blasting can I use any ol' baking soda to get the job done? (Arm&Hammer, etc)

Its for dirt bike parts not a truck or fancy stuff like that.

Anything else I should know? I'm going to be new to this stuff, so any advice is more than welcomed!
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RandyS
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RandyS 1/19/2015 1:33pm
1/19/2015 1:33pm
I use the 4 pound box that Wal Mart sells, it's about $2.50. I've been using that same gun but I just bought a $200 cabinet from Harbor Freight. Got some strange looks from Wal Mart shoppers when I had a cart with 60lbs of baking soda. Half probably wondering what kind of drugs I was making, the other half wanting to know what kind of drugs I was making.
BAMX
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BAMX 1/19/2015 1:39pm
1/19/2015 1:39pm
HF sells the soda pretty cheap. It seemed more coarse than the stuff that you get for baking. That may effect the finish a bit.

FYI: I drilled mote holes in the pick up of my HF blaster. It helped keep it from getting clogged.
Derick5
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Derick5 1/19/2015 1:45pm
1/19/2015 1:45pm
BAMX wrote:
HF sells the soda pretty cheap. It seemed more coarse than the stuff that you get for baking. That may effect the finish a bit. FYI...
HF sells the soda pretty cheap. It seemed more coarse than the stuff that you get for baking. That may effect the finish a bit.

FYI: I drilled mote holes in the pick up of my HF blaster. It helped keep it from getting clogged.
Could you show me some pictures of the holes you drilled?

Thanks!
Derick5
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Derick5 1/19/2015 1:45pm
1/19/2015 1:45pm
RandyS wrote:
I use the 4 pound box that Wal Mart sells, it's about $2.50. I've been using that same gun but I just bought a $200 cabinet...
I use the 4 pound box that Wal Mart sells, it's about $2.50. I've been using that same gun but I just bought a $200 cabinet from Harbor Freight. Got some strange looks from Wal Mart shoppers when I had a cart with 60lbs of baking soda. Half probably wondering what kind of drugs I was making, the other half wanting to know what kind of drugs I was making.
Can I just dump the Baking Soda directly into the hopper and spray or do I have to mix it with stuff?

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RandyS
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RandyS 1/19/2015 1:46pm
1/19/2015 1:46pm
I run mine about halfway closed, does almost the same as wide open and lasts twice as long.
Derick5
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Derick5 1/19/2015 1:56pm
1/19/2015 1:56pm
RandyS wrote:
I run mine about halfway closed, does almost the same as wide open and lasts twice as long.
Uhh, whats that mean? Like, the PSI lower?
BAMX
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BAMX 1/19/2015 2:11pm
1/19/2015 2:11pm
BAMX wrote:
HF sells the soda pretty cheap. It seemed more coarse than the stuff that you get for baking. That may effect the finish a bit. FYI...
HF sells the soda pretty cheap. It seemed more coarse than the stuff that you get for baking. That may effect the finish a bit.

FYI: I drilled mote holes in the pick up of my HF blaster. It helped keep it from getting clogged.
Derick5 wrote:
Could you show me some pictures of the holes you drilled?

Thanks!
I can't get a pic right now but it is easy to explain. When you take the cap off to fill the tank, (release all pressure first) you will see that there is a feed tube which is attached to the valve where the hose attaches. The tube goes to the bottom of the tank and has a bunch of holes in it at the very bottom. I doubled the number of holes. This helps with feeding the powder if it gets at all moist. Even a bit of moisture can cause problems and is almost impossible to avoid since you are using compressed air.

To answer your other question. No you don't add anything to the powder.
scooter5002
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scooter5002 1/19/2015 2:14pm
1/19/2015 2:14pm
If you spend money on a desiccant dryer for your compressor, that will be a huge help with the moisture problem, but a good one costs money. Don't waste your money on a cheap one.
mjskier
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mjskier 1/19/2015 2:27pm
1/19/2015 2:27pm
Not sure how confusing they are, but you want to use baking soda ((sodium bicarbonate), not washing soda (sodium carbonate)

Works amazingly well. I made my own cheap version with a plastic tube:



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BAMX
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BAMX 1/19/2015 2:31pm
1/19/2015 2:31pm
scooter5002 wrote:
If you spend money on a desiccant dryer for your compressor, that will be a huge help with the moisture problem, but a good one costs...
If you spend money on a desiccant dryer for your compressor, that will be a huge help with the moisture problem, but a good one costs money. Don't waste your money on a cheap one.
We have a screw type compressor with a dryer and it still gets moisture in the air. It isn't terrible but it will effect the soda blaster (or at least that has been my experience)
RandyS
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RandyS 1/19/2015 3:10pm
1/19/2015 3:10pm
RandyS wrote:
I run mine about halfway closed, does almost the same as wide open and lasts twice as long.
Derick5 wrote:
Uhh, whats that mean? Like, the PSI lower?
The dial down by the nozzle(mine is a lever) controls the flow. Wide open you can empty the hopper in 30 seconds if not less.
Bruce372
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Bruce372 1/19/2015 4:22pm
1/19/2015 4:22pm
20 oz doesn't sound like lot of material???

I used a 15 lb harbor freight and it.would empty pretty quick!
WhipMeister
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WhipMeister 1/19/2015 5:39pm
1/19/2015 5:39pm
Dry compressed air is a must for any blasting.
bturner26x
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bturner26x 1/20/2015 1:01pm
1/20/2015 1:01pm
Hey guys, I'm about to start my soda blasting project too. I got a decent Hisky compressor that has enough CFM to do the job. I'm just not sure which one of the 3 blast guns @ HF I should get. Which one do yall recommend?





bturner26x
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bturner26x 1/20/2015 1:13pm
1/20/2015 1:13pm Edited Date/Time 1/20/2015 1:14pm
Or is this ok? The gun is included, plus it holds a lot of soda... $35-25%, so pretty cheap..

mxtech1
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mxtech1 1/20/2015 2:43pm
1/20/2015 2:43pm
Cooking grade baking soda is pulverized to a very fine purity. You should to try locate "industrial grade" baking soda or caustic soda which is more course. This is much cheaper if you are buying in bulk.

The industrial grade soda is best for heavy staining and removing anodized or spray finishes. For cleaning internal engine components I would stick with the Arm and Hammer type.
Bruce372
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Bruce372 1/20/2015 2:54pm
1/20/2015 2:54pm
I strongly advice against anyone using caustic soda for this type of.cleaning. its very dangerous stuff, baking soda is quite benign in comparison
BAMX
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BAMX 1/20/2015 4:26pm
1/20/2015 4:26pm
Bruce372 wrote:
I strongly advice against anyone using caustic soda for this type of.cleaning. its very dangerous stuff, baking soda is quite benign in comparison
Caustic Soda is Lye. I don't see any way that it would be smart to use that.

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Xeno
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Xeno 1/20/2015 4:38pm
1/20/2015 4:38pm


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