Soda Blasting

[Navy_Guns]

I recently bought a Hungarian AP-63 pistol from SOG (.32 ACP). The frame is supposedly an aluminum-titanium alloy and the black factory paint was chipping and worn in several places. I couldn't easily sand off the paint around/behind the trigger and I didn't want to detail strip the weapon with no assembly instructions so today I bought a $20 sand/media blast gun from Harbor Freight and a 4 pound box of baking soda for $2. I tested it out on a junk blued part and found that it didn't hurt blued steel. It easily stripped the old paint and in a few minutes, the frame had a nice, light matte finish and no sanding marks. I blew out the residual baking soda with clean air, reassembled the pistol, and it looks much better now. I wanted to share in case anyone else had a similar project and was on the fence about using gentle media to blast with.
*NOTE: any of the small spots where it looks like blueing is worn, that's from the sandpaper I started with, not the baking soda blasting.

 

[macgrumpy]

Yup, a blasting cabinet is one of the best investments you can have around a shop (along with an air compressor). I've cleaned up several guns and a few car parts from time to time and you really can't beat the time savings and consistent finish that you it provides you with.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Arm & Hammer approved. Never thought of using baking soda.

 

[Float Pilot]

We use soda for blasting aircraft floats. It does not eat away the aluminum as would sand. And using a wire wheel causes all sorts of problems since the different metals become imbedded in each other and cause dissimilar metal corrosion.

 

[dh1633pm]

Thanks. Learned something new today.

 

[Kp321]

I am interested in soda blasting but know nothing about it. Do you use off the shelf baking soda from the grocery store or is there a courser product that I need to look for?

 

[Jim Watson]

A couple of googs shows that while there is blasting grade sodium bicarbonate, many DIYers just buy cooking grade.

 

[rodinal220]

Soda blasting works great on many things.Regular A&H in the big box(bag now) and a siphon feed blaster works well on small projects.I have soda blasted carburetors with no harm.I have seen cars stripped with much larger equipment and the glass and chrome were not etched in any way.A&H does make a coarser industrial grade,much like the consistency of sugar to places that use it for graffiti removal.

http://www.nortonsandblasting.com/nsbarmham.html

 

[HankC]

I bought a $20 sand/media blast gun from Harbor Freight

Is this what you have?
http://www.harborfreight.com/1-liter-abrasive-blast-gun-92857.html

 

[Acera]

I picked up this one today, had a %20 off coupon and a coupon for a free tarp from their flier I got in the mail. Left with it for <$18.

http://www.harborfreight.com/21-oz-hopper-gravity-feed-spot-blaster-gun-95793.html


Should try it out early next week.


.

 

[Navy_Guns]

Acera - yup, that's the one I bought. My baking soda came from the baking aisle at Walmart, $2 for 4#. The adjustable feed on that gun is nice. They had a plastic-bodied one with a 9-oz hopper for $2 less and I'm glad I got the bigger one with the metal body.