Stripping the frame...

i've used "klean-strip aircraft remover" before. you just brush it on, and the paint bubbles up, then you scrape it off. it's kinda nasty stuff, but it beats the wire wheel and all the dust.

it works great on old spray paint, but some factory paint finishes are pretty tough and i don't think it works at all on powder coating. it won't hurt the metal at all, because it becomes inactive after a little while. it'll mess up your skin, though...

they make a spray on kind that i haven't tried yet, but i'm gonna get some soon.

I've used an orange based stripper I picked up at Home Depot to remove enamel before, worked really well and you could actually hear the paint reacting, kind of like Rice Crispies. lol
Plan on using it to strip a frame soon.

pep boys, home depot, pretty much any hardware or automotive store.

I dunno if ya'll have seen these before but if ya haven't ya outa give them a try - I love 'em.

They're called "sanding mops" and they're really great for curved and detail surfaces, I used them extensively for primarily woodworking restoration - I dunno what I woulda done w/o them working on fancy, ornate table legs etc. I imagine they would do quite well for finish work on these steel tube bike frames, they perform admirably well on inside corners such as the junction of two tubes for instance, they're perfect for detail stuff like brake levers etc. I'd use it after stripper to conserve materials, you could use a heavy grit and no stripper - but it would take longer and use more paper. With prep - I've had these last months of constant, daily use.



They can be somewhat expensive, but if you treat your tools right they last a very long time. It is also quite easy to make your own - just make sure to use a quality cloth-backed paper (like for a belt sander) and be sure to carefully cut all the flaps the same as to balance the tool at speed.

Here's a bit more info on it;
:: Stockroom Supply - The Sanding Mop

and a listing of suppliers;
6 SLIT SANDING MOP - Google Product Search


You maybe have seen them before, I dunno - but I've never seen them in use other than the commercial woodshops I've "done time" in so I figure I'd mention them.

some paint co. who do sandblasting may also do bead blasting which isnt so abrasive as the black beauty. here is a link Bead blasting - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tho it's true most small home air compressors can't handle the demand of sand/bead blasting I've found these to be invaluable for all sortsa detail work and they work well with a small compressor - provided yer using a finer grit and not expectin' to do a whole car at once lol;


Spot Sandblasters - Google Product Search

Be warned - while I've never had any real luck with your standard cheapo "bucket blaster" these are an effective alternative that also help a bit with the demand placed on a smaller compressor as it's a pressurized system, I've used this one extensively;


Portable Abrasive Blasters | Abrasive + Sand Blasters | Northern Tool + Equipment

Hope this could work out for ya, tho messy there's nothin' like sandblasting for cleaning rusty stuff! There is somewhat of a dance between adjusting grit/tip/pressure etc. but it's well worth it

BareltAwake and I had the same mental process. In the end, I built a cabinet and used the "bucket blaster" as the internal parts - works well but this is a controlled environment. I need to seal it better(they all leak) but there are times when I use it daily. You do need a large compressor for that. I finally stepped up to a 220V unit when my 5hp Craftsman died(the rolling compressors are not meant for serious hobby use). IMO, the hand held unit would clean tiny, lightly coated parts but nothing else - anything with the power to succeed will go through a lot of sand fast. Also, I bought one of those portable blasting units but you have to have the same compressor and use real blasting sand. Anything at the home improvement store will contain particles that will clog it. I have used mine once and I hated blowing expensive sifted sand all over the yard. My overall fix would be to rebuild my 2' X 4' cabinet to have a larger capacity for longer frames. BTW, buying a cheap cabinet might work but an adequate inner size doesn't mean it's useable size. A frame may fit but you will not be able to get to the corners, etc. Enter the custom cabinet of plywood.
Chemical strippers are great but won't do a powder coated job. For catalyzed paint, sometimes scoring the surface of the frame will give the stripper a head start. Also, wrap it in plastic while the stripper is working and add more stripper on top as it begins to dry. Scrape the loose stuff with a putty knife and add more or let it mostly dry then use a wire brush. After that, start with the coarse sandpaper - not on a wheel as it may gouge the frame where you aren't looking. I buy 1" or wider rolls of sandpaper so I can use it like a strap(for many metal projects). If it was easy - everyone would do it!
Good luck!
Dave
KC

You can reuse it but it needs to be sifted to get chunks out. You are likely to be disappointed if you don't have a big compressor.
If this is a one time job, you could mail the frames off to be blasted.
Dave
KC

lol - nice

Well, I've used them "all of the above" depending on the project and my impatience heh Given the usage, you may wanna pick up just one mop sander and try it on detail work - the blasters while inexpensive do require a bit of initial setup and practice, I also guarantee you'll be buying a bigger compressor sooner or later heh

Ya defo want to use a respirator/dust mask, that I've learned the hard way. Eye protection is also a must and not just yer glasses as you'll ruin them in short order (backblast stings a lil and will pit plastic lenses), I like a full, clear face shield and a disposable dust mask with ear-muff style hearing protection. The muffs aren't needful because of noise (tho it is loud, particularly in a closet) - it's the dang grit in all the lil channels of my ears, drives me batty lol

You could use one of the hoods common when sand/bead blasting, I just don't like them as by their nature - they never fit right.

For your application - I would defo build a walk-in "closet" out of ply, line the floor and 1' up on the walls with plastic/tarp and you'll get a lot more use out of the sand by recycling it. You'll need sift it through a window screen to get rid of w/e crap you removed from the bike. I've not had much luck reusing beads - but yer after 'Black Beauty' medium/coarse sand for this anyway. It will work less well o'er repeated usages as the grit gets finer and nonuniform.

BTW - 'Black Beauty' isn't actually sand, it's industrial slag - much like obsidian shards, defo don't wanna get it all over the place (or in yer lungs), it'll KILL bearings quick lol I still prefer it over the very effective but insanely toxic "Aircraft Remover".

Insofar is spot blasting/whole bike - that depends entirely on you and your compressor. It's such a perfect finish (sanding "rolls over" shiny steel onto rust pits, blasting removes it entirely) that even with a lil compressor you may find yerself just waiting for pressure to build up again *shrug* I'd prolly strip what I can and blast the rest w/yer compressor.

It's very important to keep the blasting medium as dry as possible so a water/oil separator is needed for the air, but you prolly have that already for paint. With that in mind - if it's at all possible to section & seal off an area of your basement/garage I'd recommend it, it's nicer to work in anyway. Bright lights help a LOT lol

If you get the pressure tank style gimmie a shout. It's easy to set-up and use but they do have a personality and there are some things that are counter intuitive - you'll notice the "ball valve" lever(s) on the red unit above? One would be tempted to use them both to regulate pressure/sand flow - yet if you do that the sand will etch through the valve near the hand grip in very short order and you'll have a blow-out, yet the one under the tank (not there or can't see in the pic) can be safely used to regulate sand flow... to an extent. Speakin' of which you'll wanna grab 6 or more of the porcelain tips to start with, they're disposable and wear quickly. They come in various sizes and a good rule of thumb is use one size larger than recommended for that grit to reduce/eliminate clogging. You use more air - but get a LOT less frustrated.

None of that is in the instructions

I'd recommend getting the little spot-blaster first and see how you like it, but if you do get the pressure system - don't sweat it if it doesn't seem to work right at first, it takes a lil practice and dialing in

BTW - Blasting with a medium/fine is the only proper way to refinish corroded/painted aluminum as any other method will contaminate the surface to some extent - gotta be careful tho as you'll find it's quite easy to "reshape" aluminum with a sandblaster lol I hate-hate-HATE refinishing aluminum boats


edit: dmar836 - you posted while I was a-typin' heh, yeah yer right and I agree with most of what ya said, I have always used a quality sand so that was less of an issue. You can use the pressurized sys w/a small comp - it takes patience. I figure with even a 1/2 decent blaster like that - a good comp will be an inevitable (if later) purchase lol

I have the tank style sitting in the shed. What do you do again with the valves? I had no problems but used it only once. If I use it again, I'd like to make sure I'm getting the most out of it. If I recall, there was an air release valve at the bottom, an air inlet valve, an output valve(mixed), and the hand-held valve. Sorry to hijack!
BTW, I once used an outdoor trailer/Ford 4cyl-powered unit we rented at a body shop - to do a truck frame I think(many years ago). I do remember I wore a full suit and used two hands at all times. It was awesome.
Dave
KC

Yea the "real" ones are crazy awesome! I'm a lil late on my lunchbreak - I'll get back to ya as soon as I can. Don't fear droppin' me a PM about it should I space lol

edit: K I'm back

If yers is the same set up as the one I used the most, this is np - if yers is a lil different... well the theory and problems are the same anyway lol

The valve closest to the tank, directly underneath and is connected to the tank on one side and the heavy sand hose on the other can be used to help regulate the sand flow to an extent. Using it in this way will increase wear on the valve ball as the sand hits it on it's way by and you'll be more prone to tank clogs. Tank clogs are easy to deal with by just tapping it rhythmically with the side of your shoe as you work, but this only helps prevent clogging - you'll need to kick/thump it a bit if it does stuff up. I've found that picking up the tank about half a foot and dropping it works pretty well too lol

It's tempting to use the ball valve nearest the handle (the one you hold while working) to regulate as you work, unfortunately not only does this increase the likelihood of the more difficult to deal with hose clogs, it's moderately dangerous as the wear rate on that valve is exponentially more due to the increased velocity of the sand/air mix. The "ball" part of the valve will wear very quickly and the deflected sand will etch through the valve's housing and result in a blow-out. It's somewhat exciting, makes a fairly loud noise, and can leave you with a stinging welt not unlike road-rash. As tempting as it may be - don't use that valve to regulate and make sure to turn it to the completely on/completely off positions as quickly as possible to reduce wear.

The easiest way to deal with hose clogs is to simply shut down the valve closest to the tank, remove the valve closest to the handle and reopen the one closest to the tank - blowing out the hose and the pound or so of sand stuck in it, then shutting down again before you loose all of your sand.

Fortunately these valves are comparatively inexpensive, I think they run about five bucks or so. Periodic disassembly and inspection would be a good idea, "pipe tape" and whatnot is unnecessary, though they can last quite a while - they are disposable as nothing can withstand 'Black Beauty' for long lol.

It's actually much the same as finding the right fuel/air mix for our bikes. While with the sandblaster it isn't as needful - if you can find just the right combo of pressure/sand grit you'll find it far easier to work steadily and with fewer clogs. I suppose technically these valves weren't intended for this - yet after resurfacing any number of aluminum boats with that particular pressurized blaster, I've found these lil tweaks can really help.

A lil more rambling on;

Tip clogs: I keep a length of safety wire loosely clipped to the handle while I work, when the tip clogs shut off the valve under the tank and probe the tip with the wire. You can use the valve closest to the handle but I've found that one usually leaks just enough to maintain pressure behind the clog - preventing you from picking it clear.

Masking: Obviously masking tape alone won't withstand sandblasting at all. There are specialty products made for shielding parts and to make nice, crisp lines - but they're expensive, not easy to find in small hobbyist quantities, and quite hard to find (I'll look if yer interested). While masking for waterlines on those boats, I've found a layer of blue masking tape (known as three-day tape) with a layer of tin tape over it and another layer of blue masking over that works well enough.

It wont last long, but it does work well. The top layer of blue is your "warning" layer, it shows how much you've hit that area. The layer of tin tape is all that stops the sand, but the layer of blue under it all cushions the impact a bit, allows the tin tape to take a little more abuse and gives you a last second warning before you cut through. It's a cheap and effective method of masking crisp lines, it does take a bit of practice - I tend to do all my edging first with an inch or so of border - then I go on to finish the large areas.

I know it's obvious, but remember to not get this "sand" all over the place. We had a newbie blasting a boat here at the marina and he managed to get sand in a couple of other boats. Every bilge had to be cleaned spotless and every bilge pump replaced as a result. It's sure to destroy bike bearings in short order and it manages to get everywhere despite how hard you try to prevent it - a cabinet or closet is defo the best way to go



wow - that ended up to be quite the rant lol Sandblasting is awesome - but I've seen so many give up cause it's not as easy as it looks. The tool itself is finicky but with practice it's fine - the most common problem is damp sand. Even fresh from the store it tends to be just moist enough to cause problems - you need it dry as a bone to work easy.

lol np - and don't let me spook you, I'd defo give the hand held lil one a shot if your still interested, it's a far different story than the pressured system and although no less (or more) prone to clogging - it's really easy to use and fine for backyard/driveway.

While ya prolly don't want to do a whole bike w/it - it'd be great for hard to reach places and/or sharp edges that'd tear up the mop. It's also great for heavy rust on odd shapes - like racks or coat/skirt guards *shrug* It's a lil slow - but ya get almost perfect finishes and best yet its just about effortless lol

I like me some toys & hate sanding - can you tell?