Chemical Dip vs Abrasive Blasting

[711302]

Which is better Chemical Dip or Abrasive Blasting? What are the pros and cons of each? I found a place Arlington Texas that can do whole cars.

[SCOTTRODS]

If you are doing parts..... chemical dip, then blast...... If you are talking about doing a whole car body or chassis.... I recommend anything but the Dip..... This will show up as a problem "down the road" if you do it, as the chemicals can get into places that cannot be guaranteed removed.... It's just likely you'll find a rust problem from dipping, after spending tons of effort and/or money on a finish.... Blasting is also a very hazardous thing to do to most auto bodies.... The soda stuff I guess is OK, but it is similar to the Chemical stuff.... it gets into places where it's difficult to remove/rinse out.... again, no guarantees you got it all, and it does need to be removed to ensure anything, paint or coating wise, will be able to do its job and protect the metals.....Mechanical removal by small machine is best.... Sand Blasting/media Blasting, you run a pretty good risk of warping sheet metal parts (Body panels) and it will destroy some of them beyond repair. This will be most apparent where you can get to both sides of a panel, so don't think it's safe and do it anyway.... The media (especially the hard stuff) will basically do a bit of metal working for you at teenie tiny increments, but will add up as it peens the metal billions of times a minute. Contrary to popular belief, it's not caused by heat generated from the blasting.... just the peening action that is unavoidable.

Probably get some argument over this post, but I feel like it covers things pretty well, and honestly.

[Ol'fogasaurus]

Like SCOTTRODS said, you are not going to be ensured that all the chemicals have been neutralized. Chemicals do not remove everything such as body filler either.

It also depends on the media that is used. Like I have said before, sand compacts the metal and makes it brittle causing it to rust faster and easier plus there is a health risk to it. Some materials like AL Oxide are harsher than others like walnut shells but they may not work as well. I have posted this type if information before but it might help you on your decision:
http://www.rodeco.com/blastsup-landing.php
http://www.kramerindustriesonline.com/b ... -media.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abrasive_blasting
videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_9nITRz--0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRorS3GUBmQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqPiF49DZu4

Part of the equation is how much metal do I have left and how much can I afford to lose. I was watching a build the other day on TV were they were working on a very rare Dodge Charger and I think they ended up using a dip but it was not your normal dip because it did not have certain chemicals in it. The restorer spent a lot of time agonizing over the dip until he found someone (I think the business was somewhere in OR) that had the process w/o the certain chemical(s) he wanted. I think they ended up cutting the roof off, removing both quarter panels, the rear of the car, floors, doors and most everything but the inner/inside frame.

Lee

[SCOTTRODS]

Something to think about for cleaning up metal, is the stripper balls and similar wheels that look like really coarse and hard sponges...... They pretty much take off everything including bondo, without much resistance. I don't recommend wire wheels.... They do bad things like transferring metals and, for lack of a better explanation, smearing the actual metals surface around.... I've seen a lot of people using them sponge looking things to strip down old cars...... It's a lot of work, but is safe.

Now, as chemicals go, there's a company called solvent kleen that makes a number of very good chemicals that not only WON'T cause corrosion, but are environmentally friendly..... They ain't cheap. But they work really well.

[bens collision]

if your doing a whole car there is no way blasting can get to the places dipping can and it would be impossible to strip the entire thing inside and out by hand. as far as re coating inside, its not that big of a deal, they make flexible wands for spraying under coatings that is about 4 -5' long and sprays to the sides of the nozzle so u could actually coat the inside of tubing if u wanted to. id check with the dipping company and find out all the details id say they've already dipped more cars than all of us combined would ever have done in our life times.

[frankysfree]

Im curious what place in Arlington, Texas you found? I live in Fort Worth and used to live in Arlington and didnt know there was anyone in this area chemical dipping cars.

My .02c would be that chemical dipping would be bad for all the reasons listed above and also that its going to expose all the problem areas, so say you have an area on the underbody thats not rusted through but has a little bit of pitting, the chemical dip is going to make a hole of it whereas if you cleaned it up and rust proofed it with underbody coating it would last your lifetime or more. Doesnt dipping actually thin the metal out as well?

I would use something not as abrasive as sand like walnut shells or soda. Soda blasting ive heard is real good for getting the metal clean without warping/damaging thin panels but i have no firsthand experience.

[Ol'fogasaurus]

What little I had seen/heard of dipping is as I said: there are several types of dip some being more caustic/less friendly to metal than others; you have to ask questions before you commit to dip. The only other real problem was neutralizing the solution after your toy is out of the bath as if all of it isn't neutralized it could continue to work. The owner of the shop should know the limits of their product; if the company is worth their salt they will be able to tell you… their reputation is at stake here. Word gets around fast it they aren’t honest.

Lee

[SCOTTRODS]

I agree with most of the above, except the coating of insides that can't be seen. The only way you could tell, without a doubt, that everything is coated, is by taking it apart. You could use a bore scope and look as deep as it allows as well, but most bore scopes are fairly short, and for the most part, pretty expensive unless you need it for daily use and/or use on other things. No matter how long an application hose is, the type of coating, the person shootiing it and more, can leave less than desirable results in the long term.

This brings me to my next point.... The only people that have ever had a problem after a dipped stripping, that I know of, don't know it for a couple of years,.... then the paint fails and holes appear, and bubbles form beneath the paint.... time to get rid of the "money-pit-to-be at that point.... and that is actually probably too late. All you have to do is miss a little spot somewhere, and the cancer will take over without much sign until it's way too late....

This is not something I have personally experienced, so take it as an opinion only..... Better yet.... go over to the H.A.M.B. forum,... sign up, and pose the same question..... there's a HUGE amount of people that will also offer up stories of their experiences and their opinions and reasons for and against the dipping option, the blasting option, and the stripping to bare metal option..... HUGE amount of replies will probably ensue.....