Soda Blasting - Newbie questions

[JAKEYUK]

Hello guys Im quiet new to the forum and i have been looking on it for a while now. I have CX500 custom and it currently in the process of being taken apart for a winter project and im planing of rebuilding the engine doing the triple bypass and also rebuilding the carburetors.....soooooo im looking in to ways of soda blasting at home i have sandblasting gun and a compressor. The question is what type of soda do i need as im aware that there are different types and also where can i get cheap in the U.K


I have looked at Soda Blasting threads on this forum and the internet bu the information is all over the place. Do any of you know where i can look at a pretty much a complete guide to soda blasting


Thanks


Jake

 

[neevo]

Jake, I used a sand blasting gun and also regular baking soda for when I did my carbs. The sand blasting gun is not ideal as you have to restrict the pickup nozzle a bit, otherwise I found you go through the soda mega quick. It works though.

Also regular baking soda is not ideal as blasting media, but I only did a small part (carbs) and so found some really cheap stuff which incidentally seemed to blast better than the name brand stuff.

If you want to do it on the cheap, you already have what you need. I would recommend getting some proper blasting media if you want to do it properly. Then work with your current gun to see how to get the best results.

Here's what results I got with my basic/cheap setup:

 

[Bozz]

Check farmer feed stores, as Sodium BiCarbonate (baking soda) is used as a dietary supplement for cattle and such.
Perfect for blasting and at least here in the US a 50 lb bag is around $20.

 

[JAKEYUK]

Wow that looks amazing....Yes i did think that the feed tube might be too large and it will use a lot of soda but i could just replace the tube for a smaller diameter one and hopefully that will do the trick....How did you go bout making the feed tube smaller?

As to the Soda i can get 10kg for £15 quid if i wanted the proper stuff its £28.99 so twice the price i will be using it to blast my crabs and the whole engine so i will require probably around 20kg a rough guess that is


Thanks

Jake

 

[SONICJK]

Get the real deal, it makes a world of difference.
Blast soda is large and granular. Dietary or grocery store soda is a powder.
Think sand vs powdered sugar.

Even at twice the price you'll use half as much and it will go twice as fast.

 

[dualitymike]

Lol. Dude, I don't think soda blasting is the best course of treatment for your crabs! Bahahahahahah!!

 

[Seaking]

Hi, I have my soda blast cabinet set up, using bulk barn baking soda (50 lbs for $38) and been have a literal blast with it. I was contemplating on using it to clean up the carbs on an old project bike as these are old and cruddy finish on them. But everywhere I've read people advise against soda blasting carbs as the media will get into the fuel passages and clog things up etc. I've tested this on a sacrifice set of carbs, having taken them apart before putting them through the soda and wow, nice and clean. Once blasted, ran it through scalding hot water, high pressure air through the passages, carb cleaner through the passages and I can't see the detriment of soda blasting carbs at this point.. They come out clean, no harsh chemicals, all ports seem to be clear afterwards..

I'm quite the novice when it comes to carbs (this build is a learning process) so I'm not seeing the downside or dangers of putting carbs through a soda blaster. Or am I missing something obvious?

 

[SONICJK]

Blast away.
It's perfectly acceptable to use on carbs. We all do it.

 

[neevo]

Wow that looks amazing....Yes i did think that the feed tube might be too large and it will use a lot of soda but i could just replace the tube for a smaller diameter one and hopefully that will do the trick....How did you go bout making the feed tube smaller?

I got some smaller diameter rubber tube and taped it to the bottom of the feed tube. Simple.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Seaking]

Blast away. It's perfectly acceptable to use on carbs. We all do it.

And a blasting I shall do

Cheers