ANOTHER QUESTION ON SODA BLASTING

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John Stone
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ANOTHER QUESTION ON SODA BLASTING

Post by John Stone »

Hi All,
I have read the strings on soda blasting. Most info was about outside of the hull. My boat is completely gutted. I am faced with stripping thick paint out of the bilge area--pretty extensive area--Cape Dory 36. I can't paint over it for various reasons. I have used Marine Safety Strip with poor results on other interior areas, though rated as good by Practical Sailor. It takes the paint off the high areas but not the troughs in the woving roving. I have used the Nortin rapid strip. It works OK but not great. I think fine for small jobs but this is a big area to grinded. The woving roving is big stuff and seems counterproductive to grind off that much fiberglass and directly above the glass encapsulated lead ballast.

What do you all know about soda blasting the inside bilge area of the hull? There is a place here that rents the heavy duty soda blasting equipment. I would be glad to do this if it saves the aggravation of grinding--I still have lots to do in other areas where blasting would not be appropriate. I have seen adds for small portable soda blasting for a couple hundred bucks--anyone every use one of these?

Risk vs gain? Thoughts, comments, advice?

Regards,
John
John Stone
Far Reach
Cape Dory 36
Hull 61
http://www.farreachvoyages.com
Triton 53
Almost a Finish Carpenter
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Re: ANOTHER QUESTION ON SODA BLASTING

Post by Triton 53 »

I have a small soda blaster which works great at getting into small spaces. One problem you may have is getting enough air pressure. Most small diy shop compressers do not have enough CFPM to get the most benifit from the soda blaster. The other thing to think about is the cost of the media.

I plan to start repainting the inside of my boat this winter and my plan is to scrape and sand the large parts, then use the soda blaster for the tight curves and corners.

My son-in-law has used it to prep an outdrive for repainting and he even used it to prep some furniture he was refinishing

Pete
"Alli-Ann" Triton #53
Edgewood Yacht Club

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Homer
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Re: ANOTHER QUESTION ON SODA BLASTING

Post by Homer »

A sloop next to me in the yard last May was stripped by a man and his son who own a commercial soda-blasting rig on its own trailer. They completely tented the hull and made a terrific racket for a full day. When they untented and rolled up all the blastings, the hull was beautifully clean with absolutely no damage to the gelcoat. I was astonished to see the results. I would bet a commercial contractor like this could do a great job for you right down into every nook anywhere on a boat. You might ask what they would charge just to see. As far as cost goes, I thought the job was a little bit expensive, but not exorbitant.
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