Media blasting?

[]2eDeYe]

As soon as I have my new frame and cab and get them blasted I will post up the costs ;)

[pope_face]

Wow, thanks for the link Mike (it is Mike, right?)... I never realized it would be that easy to clean small parts... I always wondered about all the nuts and bolts and all that I wanted to clean... Now there's a better way! :D

 

What is this molasses method, and how does it work? Is it essentially buy an industrial-sized container of molasses, insert parts, remove when clean, rinse, insert next set of parts, repeat as necessary?

 

And I know this is potentially harmful, but assuming one did this in a very well ventilated area and wore proper gear, would it be possible to take an old towel or rag or something of the sort, soak it in muriatic acid, and then either lay it on top of larger panels or wipe the rust/paint off? Will the acid work on paint, or only on rust?

[mklotz70]

yep...it's Mike.

 

I was going to go add these pics to the rust removal thread, but it's locked...so I guess they'll go here for now.

 

The acid only attacks the rust, it is not a good paint remover. Yes, you can do what you are talking about with the rag/brush on the body panels.....but it flash rusts very fast afterwards, so you must be able to rinse it well.....which means acid and rust flowing elsewhere....then get some Ospho on it to protect it until you can get some paint on it. The real advantage to using the acid is that it will do the convoluted surfaces very well. Big flat surfaces are more easily done with other methods.

 

You can see in these that the paint really wasn't affected by the acid. Not that it won't mess up the paint, it's just not a good paint remover.

 

 

 

 

 

As for the molasses....here's what the 4 gallon jug looked like. It was $11 if I remember right. You mix it at roughly 1pt molasses to 9pt water. There's a broad range of ratios listed on varies websites....so I don't think it's too critical.

 

This is the tub I mixed it in for the exhaust mani.

 

 

Here's the before on the mani.

 

I don't remember how long it had been in, but you can see the outline of it. I believe it gives off hydrogen gas as it breaks the rust off...which of course makes bubbles :)

 

 

Somewhat later. The process can take a couple of weeks....it's cheap, but it ain't fast!

 

 

You need to move it around and brush it every couple of days to keep it working on fresh rust. I didn't, so it took longer than it should have. Once I finally wiped a bit of the gunk off, I realized that it was done! This is right after pulling it out and hosing it off.

 

 

 

 

 

It flash rusts quickly. I finished washing it off in the shop sink with a wire brush. Once I blew all the water off, it flash rusted a bit.

 

 

 

So, I hit it with the wire wheel for a min and this is what it looked like....in fact, it's still sitting in a box and looks exactly the same!

[mklotz70]

Okay...here's something a bit different than rusty cast iron. You could use a wading pool, or make a flower box type frame and line it with plastic to make a container big enough to hold a fender or bumper. :) This was a much smaller piece, but you'll get the idea.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mklotz70]

oh...the best part of the molasses is that it is non-toxic.....you can dump it on the lawn when you're done.

 

okay....my appologies to the guys on nwde that have been waiting for me to finish this.....better late than never!! :)

[pope_face]

Wow... I like the look of the manifold... I didn't realize that you could get parts so clean just by using water and molasses... I'll assume that, unlike the acid, the molasses mixture won't eat away at the good metal, correct? I could leave some parts in there for a month and they'll still be there, sans rust? I suppose if you had the time and space you could put a head or block in there to clean them up...

[mklotz70]

The molasses is basically fermentiong and creating a mild acid.....but it's chemicaly after the rust....feric oxide? Same with the muriatic acid, but it's much stronger.

 

Doing a head or a block would be a perfect use for it....along with steel wheels. Just need a big enough container. A garbage can would be big enough for any of those. Just remember....you need to swish/move/stir/brush.....or similar every couple of days. It will work without doing that, but it will take a lot longer.

[dat521gatherer]

hey mike what kind of wire wheel did you use? will any work? brass? stainless? coarse? fine? did you use a buffer/grinder motor or will any drill work? last where does one buy this miracle molassess?

[mklotz70]

I just used the steel wire wheel on my bench grinder. Nothing special about it. You can get the molasses at almost any feed store...they mix it with grain to feed animals. You can actually use the molasses from your kitchen, but it costs a lot more.

 

Google "molasses rust removal" or similar ...there's a ton of info and examples out there.

[pope_face]

Redeye, any update on the costs for the sandblasting, or have you not picked up the stuff yet?

[fiveoneohray]

I am sitting here astounded......Literally.

 

 

Molasses.

 

 

Now how do you suppose this came about?

[mklotz70]

the story I heard was that in areas where farms flood out, they noticed that the molasses/grain mix in the bins/silos left behind rust free metal when the water finally subsided....as opposed to everything else that rusted more. I have no clue if that's completely accurate, but I'm sure it was something similar.

[SHADY280]

pope face, there is a great place in chilliwack, its called gem blasters. there in the phone book, or go to mybc.com, and use the phone book thingy. my buddy builds really expensive hotrods (150,000) and he uses them exclusively, they blast with any media, and pretty much guarantee no warpage. its 800 for a whole car inside and out. it may be more or less for other stuff.

[pope_face]

When you say whole car, do you mean the cab/frame/fenders/hood/doors/etc, or just the cab? If you mean everything then it sounds pretty good... it'll save me a trip across the border. But, if it's just for the cab, I might have to keep looking.

 

BTW, do you happen to know if they prime the car once they've blasted it, or is this just for the blasting itself?

[SHADY280]

its the whole car is usually 800, thats everything, youll have to check, as they do a quote per job. they dont prime as far as i know, but after its blasted you need to prep it with a fingered disk anyhoo, so it really doesnt matter. that and you need to get the sand out. i got a booth, and i can prep / paint, so if ya want, i work for 30 an hour.

[]2eDeYe]

Should be picking the truck up next weekend. Then I gotta tear it down. I'll be doing the blasting in stages. First the frame, then I'll start assembling/fabbing the chassis. Then I'll drop off the cab.

 

So I should have some rough prices for the cab and a firm price on the frame in a few weeks.

[mklotz70]

Couple more molasses pics. This was before/after from one week in the molasses...I think maybe it's stronger now since it's had more time to ferment. It's the same tub of stuff I used back in May.

 

[mklotz70]

oh..before you ask...it's already gone....sold to LeDevil for $10.

[DanielC]

one thing I have not seen mentioned here is possible damage to threads, and threaded holes. Mask what you can, and try to plug holes where bolts screw into the various spots on the cab or body. Foam earplugs work good for plugging a lot of holes. Another idea is to old bolts, or screws to plug the holes.

Getting rid of all the sand or dust is another minor problem you have to deal with.

[dat521gatherer]

i tried the molasses and it didn't do anything. i bought the non-sulfuric stuff. and here i thought all molasses was created equally. i'll try again.

[mklotz70]

I got 4 gallons for $11 at the feed store. I'd guess you'd want the sulfuric kind. I mixed it with water....maybe 7-8gal of water to a gal of molasses. Then you let the part sit in it. Stir it or brush it every couple of days. The molasses has to ferment to really start working. How long did you leave it in?

[dat521gatherer]

3 to 4 weeks and no head froth or bubbles. i forget the brand but it said non-sulfuric right on the side. i'll try the feed store.

[mklotz70]

Mine bubbled a ton, so I'm guessing it has to be your molasses.

[pl521sss]

What about those gallonscontainers of Tillamook cookie dough premium ice cream that you set on? Are those the alternative to molasses?

:D

 

 

Is this better than the baking soda on water with a low volt power to do the chemistry? I saw it on Trucks show on Spike TV.

[mklotz70]

The ice cream tubs are just more molasses. :)

 

It has different advantages to the electrolysis you're talking about. The molasses works inside stuff really well. The electrolysis is a bit more "line of site" with the electrodes....but it's a lot faster. Muriatic acid is far faster. I'm not sure about hydrogen embrittlement with the molasses, but the other two do cause it so you don't want to do load bearing pieces or brakes with it. You have to research it a bit and make your own decision. :)

 

The molasses works great with gas tanks.....which would be really hard to do with electrolysis. Anyway...