Group,
I am in need to blast several brass locos. They are oxidizing and need cleaned before I paint them. Can any one of you recommend a blast cabinet and the media you use to blast them? I have heard that you use soda but where do you buy it? I can use a blasting cabinet for my other hobby (Antique tractors) so I am not concerned to spend some money on it.
Thanks
Sam Vastano
Badger makes a small media blaster(260-1 Abrasive Gun for around $50-60) - you can use aluminum oxide to clean up your brass. Make sure you have a confined area to work in!
Jim
Modeling BNSF and Milwaukee Road in SW Wisconsin
I've done several using the Badger abrasive gun and baking soda. I am also using a Badger compressor that is set to about 25 psi. As far as a blast cabinet goes, I don't use one. I just use one corner of my backyard. I also wear a mask to avoid breathing the stuff in.
Works great!
So don't use any more than approx 25 PSI?
Sam
I know you aren't worried about money but Harbor Freight has the Air eraser for like $25. It's a knock off of the Badger or Paasche. http://www.harborfreight.com/air-eraser-kit-99636.html I haven't done brass but I like it on plastic. Baking soda at 20 -35 psi depending how stubborn the paint is works well for me. I use a tote from Walmart outside instead of a cabinet. Helps a little but still messy
ratled
Modeling the Klamath River area in HO on a proto-lanced sub of the SP “The State of Jefferson Line”
Sam.
Have you tried a soaking in vinegar yet? If it has not been clear coated the acidic nature of the vinegar will clean and etch it for painting. While I have not done a Brass loco, My Bowsers have quite a few brass detail parts. I soak them for about a week and use a soft old tooth brush for the tough parts. Then a cold water rinse and air dry. The details come out shiny and the pot metal boilers even shine a little.
Pete
I pray every day I break even, Cause I can really use the money!
I started with nothing and still have most of it left!
Several years ago I bought a Grit Blaster from Micro-Mark. It works very well, using a shop-vac for power and aluminum oxide for abrasive. I know they still have the aluminum oxide - I recently bought some - so you might call and ask if they still have the Blaster available.
ratled I know you aren't worried about money but Harbor Freight has the Air eraser for like $25. It's a knock off of the Badger or Paasche. http://www.harborfreight.com/air-eraser-kit-99636.html I haven't done brass but I like it on plastic. Baking soda at 20 -35 psi depending how stubborn the paint is works well for me. I use a tote from Walmart outside instead of a cabinet. Helps a little but still messy ratled
Thanks for this info. I will probably make it to Harbor Freight this weekend and then I can decide on a booth or just the air eraser. Even one of the reviews tells about someone using it on a brass loco!
Sam,
You say you already have a blasting cabinet. Great. You ask about media, yet you title the topic "soda". Sounds like you're aimed towards that stuff. I say just try it out. Not much can go wrong EXCEPT that it'll get into everywhere unless you disassemble the locos. You're gonna do that, right?
Anyway, with soda (bicarbonate of soda--as in Arm and Hammer), not much can go wrong. It's not even officially an abrasive.
Ed
I use baking soda in my sand blasting cabinet. The baking soda settles to the bottom of the cabinet where it is picked back up by the feed tube. I usually run the pressure around 100psi.
You can buy baking soda at your local bulk food store for pretty cheap. It leaves the brass with a nice even satin finish. I wouldn't recommend the aluminum oxide on brass - it's a little too aggressive.
IF you are using an enclosed blasting cabinet, attach a ground wire from the brass piece you are working on to the cabinet itself. Without this ground wire, the brass brass can build up a static charge that may surprise you and cause you to drop it ! A pair of alligator clips and a length of wire works perfect.
Mark.
¡ uʍop ǝpısdn sı ǝɹnʇɐuƃıs ʎɯ 'dlǝɥ
Blasting a loco is super scary to me. too many chances tomess up a beautiful loco.
I'd try soaking it in a mild acid, like vinegar. THAT works for me, and I've never had an issue painting over LIGHT tarnish.
Maybe I'm a hack, but it works for me...
Van Hobbies H1b, K1a, T1c, D10g, F1a, F2a, G5a. Division Point: H24-66 Hammerhead, Alco covered wagons A-B-B-A, C-Liner A-B-B-A, EMD FP7A A-B-B.
H1b modified to replicate modern day 2816. All with Tsunamis.
I just had a fleeting thought, cleaning with a bright boy. I really think a chemical clean is better, wonder about these tarnish liquid cleaners.
Whether you acid etch (vinegar) or media blast, the result isn't to just clean it, but also to provide a slight (barely visible) texture to the surface so the paint will adhere. I prefer the media blast with baking soda method as it also strips the old finish really well if it has been painted - vinegar won't do that. I've also had limited success even after a lengthy soak in laquer thinners of removing ALL the factory paint from brass. Media blasting easily removed all traces of paint and tarnish and prepares the surface for painting in one operation.
Remember, paint does not stick to brass like it does to plastic, so it needs all the help it can get.
I bought a blasting booth and did the soda route. Worked wonderfully!
Blasting anything makes me nervous.
I seem to always end up with adhesion problems
CP guy in TX Blasting anything makes me nervous. I seem to always end up with adhesion problems
Do you wash the models after you soda blast them ? The resulting surface will HELP adhesion, not hinder it. If you just blow it off real good, I'm not surprised you're having adhesion problems - you cannot blow baking soda off completely, you have to wash it off with some dish-soap and water.
Aluminum oxide is super aggressive, much harder than glass bead. Blasting Soda is NOT the same thing as Arm & Hammer soda. Blasting soda is a crystalized form of sodium bicarbonate, not the powdery stuff in your cupboard.
But the folks here have reported they are happy with the results of everything from super aggressive aluminum oxide to powdered kitchen grade soda.
Pfft.
Who am I to argue?
This is an older thread. Who knows how many people have changed their techniques.
I used powdered glass when I need to get abrasive with a brass model.
-Kevin
Living the dream.