Plastic media blasting

[Benjamin C.]

Anyone had good or bad results with this type of paint removal? A shop near me charges $90.00 per hour. To me that is a bargain compared to stripping the other ways.

[Tom L.]

Re: Plastic media blasting

Media blasting can be a bad idea depending on the operator. It can chew too deeply into the fiberglass and will also soften the sharp edges on the body. I investigated it in detail when I was at that stage of my restoration and spoke to guys who spent a lot of money fixing the body after blasting.
I ended up having mine stripped by hand with chemical stripper and a bondo applicator, followed by wiping down w/ thinner. I couldn't believe how smoothly it came out. It's as smooth as freshly molded plastic. The guy who stripped mine showed me a 57 vette in his shop that was blasted and it was in really poor shape. I guess it depends on the skill of the operator. Although, I've also heard that those who leave the chemical stripper on too long will cause problems as well. I guess either will work if done properly.

[Dick W.]

Re: Plastic media blasting

I have had several media stripped. All with good results. Soda blasting is another good way to strip a car. And with the soda you can wash all the residue out. Each method has it's advantages and disadvantages. The last one I stripped with chemicals, lacquer removing solvent was still available.

[David D.]

Re: Plastic media blasting

Soda blasting is another good way to strip a car. And with the soda you can wash all the residue out.

Ben,
This place is in PA, and are mobile....not sure how close you are, but they Soda Blast.
Look in the Before and After section at the car they stripped.
David

http://www.gsblasting.com/

[Verle R.]

Re: Plastic media blasting

I have had good results with plastic media blasting, a friend had disastrous results. He had the doors and trunk lid for his 57 blasted. The fiberglass was damaged so bad he ended up forcing the company to buy replacement parts.

As stated above, it depends on the operator. A good operator can do a very good job.

If soda blasting is available, use it.

Verle

[Dennis A.]

Re: Plastic media blasting

Unless the car has several layers of paint, I would stick to chemical stripping. It takes time and is important to clean up with actone after each section is stripped. Problem in California, is that you cannot get good stripper that works well with lacquer paint. Soda blasting, done by someone with experience is very good, specially for cars having three or more coats of paint to be removed. I have done both and the car I blasted came out well, trying not to remove the primer coat near the edges etc.