Aquablasting? Just do it ;-)

Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2016 12:53 pm

Well, I'd seen all the before and after pics, but until you see this stuff in real life, you don't appreciate how great it is. If you're thinking of doing it, don't hesitate. It's also a more accurate finish than polishing. I do regret not spending more time prepping the ignition cover, but that's my fault. I think I could have filed the casting mark off the gear lever too.

Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2016 1:19 am

Just beautiful!

Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2016 2:38 am

Wish I could find someone local.....

Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2016 5:31 am

Tell us more ... Who did it ... It's the same as vapour blaring?
Beautiful indeed

Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2016 6:06 am

ivan_the_terrible wrote:

Tell us more ... Who did it ... It's the same as vapour blaring?
Beautiful indeed

I finally found somewhere local that was just setting up. Managed to get a bit of a discount til he gets on his feet. Whole lot for $150AU. Pretty much the same as vapour blasting as far as I can tell? Same non-aggressive process.

Hawk Joined: Aug 17, 2013 Posts: 302 Location: Devon. UK

Could this process be used on a complete engine if the exhaust, inlets etc were properly sealed before hand?

I'm asking as I have a friend who needs a CX500 engine cleaned but doesn't want to strip it down.

Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2016 11:26 am

I have done some ice blasting but this is a far better result!!!
@ Stueecat imo it is possible to do an complete engine if you make sure that it`s sealed properly.
Bikeboy I am curious after the pressure you have used?

Wim

CB1100F Joined: Feb 17, 2009 Posts: 2105 Location: Oz

Stueecat wrote:

Could this process be used on a complete engine if the exhaust, inlets etc were properly sealed before hand?

I'm asking as I have a friend who needs a CX500 engine cleaned but doesn't want to strip it down.

This before and after may motivate him...

Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2016 12:38 pm

With respect to you DonR, and as a guy that does this for a living, I will offer an emphatic, "no way!" to vapor blasting an assembled engine, and "no way" would I leave those blind threaded passages on your engine exposed to the blast stream. That CX engine looks great, but there is media inside it. The only question in my mind is 'will it do much harm?'. I would say there is a fair chance it might get swept up in hot oil and end up harmlessly in the sump or filter. But maybe it ends up down a crank bearing journal and spends some quality time in a babbitt bearing.

Let me put it this way: How many of you have soda blasted an assembled engine that you had carefully masked and plugged? And what did you find when you removed the masking and plugs? Further, what did you find when you removed the valve covers, ignition and generator covers? Ever try to plug an intake or exhaust with the valve stem casting projecting into it? And don't say "use freeze plugs" unless you've tried it.

Strongly advise against this. It may run fine and sound normal, live a long enough life, but I have witnessed a first hand account of someone that found dry blast media in his engine and what it did to his babbit bearings, and I personally would not take the chance with my own engines. I also attempted it myself years ago (dry blast with walnut shell), used duct tape to mask and hammered in rubber plugs and when it was finished and polished and we removed covers, we found a tablespoon or more of blast media in the sump. More recently I redid an entire Ducati engine for a customer that another vapor blast outfit had processed without complete disassembly. And when I disassembled it you get one guess what I found tablespoons of behind bearings and seals that were left installed.

Vapor blasting assembled engines would certainly would save me scads of times on some projects and I'd get tons of customers if I'd do it, and possibly they'd never be the wiser. There are better alternatives including dry ice blasting and then paint, or soda blasting and then paint, followed by vapor blasting and selected hand finishing of the side and valve covers. And when a potential customer with a good running engine calls me up wanting me to vapor blast it assembled, that is what I tell them they ought to do.

/rant

Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2016 12:45 pm

Hi Nils,this is about using water not vapour ,or am I missing something,please tell me.
My excuse if I am wrong.
Wim

Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2016 5:52 pm

https://www.google.com/search?q=Aquablasting&oq=Aquablasting&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i61l3&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

"By definition; Vapor Blasting, also known as Wet Abrasive Blasting, Vapor Honing or Aqua Blast, is the acceleration and atomisation by a pressurized gas of a stream of water and fine abrasive media."

Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2016 7:22 pm

genesound wrote:

https://www.google.com/search?q=Aquablasting&oq=Aquablasting&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i61l3&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

"By definition; Vapor Blasting, also known as Wet Abrasive Blasting, Vapor Honing or Aqua Blast, is the acceleration and atomisation by a pressurized gas of a stream of water and fine abrasive media."

What Gene said Wim, people call it different things for whatever reason, but it's all the same thing.

Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2016 9:00 pm

Okay,so have learned something :<)

Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2016 9:12 pm

Noblehops wrote:

With respect to you DonR, and as a guy that does this for a living, I will offer an emphatic, "no way!" to vapor blasting an assembled engine, and "no way" would I leave those blind threaded passages on your engine exposed to the blast stream. That CX engine looks great, but there is media inside it. The only question in my mind is 'will it do much harm?'. I would say there is a fair chance it might get swept up in hot oil and end up harmlessly in the sump or filter. But maybe it ends up down a crank bearing journal and spends some quality time in a babbitt bearing.

Let me put it this way: How many of you have soda blasted an assembled engine that you had carefully masked and plugged? And what did you find when you removed the masking and plugs? Further, what did you find when you removed the valve covers, ignition and generator covers? Ever try to plug an intake or exhaust with the valve stem casting projecting into it? And don't say "use freeze plugs" unless you've tried it.

Strongly advise against this. It may run fine and sound normal, live a long enough life, but I have witnessed a first hand account of someone that found dry blast media in his engine and what it did to his babbit bearings, and I personally would not take the chance with my own engines. I also attempted it myself years ago (dry blast with walnut shell), used duct tape to mask and hammered in rubber plugs and when it was finished and polished and we removed covers, we found a tablespoon or more of blast media in the sump. More recently I redid an entire Ducati engine for a customer that another vapor blast outfit had processed without complete disassembly. And when I disassembled it you get one guess what I found tablespoons of behind bearings and seals that were left installed.

Vapor blasting assembled engines would certainly would save me scads of times on some projects and I'd get tons of customers if I'd do it, and possibly they'd never be the wiser. There are better alternatives including dry ice blasting and then paint, or soda blasting and then paint, followed by vapor blasting and selected hand finishing of the side and valve covers. And when a potential customer with a good running engine calls me up wanting me to vapor blast it assembled, that is what I tell them they ought to do.

/rant

You know it.

Absolute destruction.

Even getting the blasting media out of an engine that's DISASSEMBLED is hard to do.

Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2016 9:22 pm

Shawn_Mc wrote:

Noblehops wrote:

With respect to you DonR, and as a guy that does this for a living, I will offer an emphatic, "no way!" to vapor blasting an assembled engine, and "no way" would I leave those blind threaded passages on your engine exposed to the blast stream. That CX engine looks great, but there is media inside it. The only question in my mind is 'will it do much harm?'. I would say there is a fair chance it might get swept up in hot oil and end up harmlessly in the sump or filter. But maybe it ends up down a crank bearing journal and spends some quality time in a babbitt bearing.

Let me put it this way: How many of you have soda blasted an assembled engine that you had carefully masked and plugged? And what did you find when you removed the masking and plugs? Further, what did you find when you removed the valve covers, ignition and generator covers? Ever try to plug an intake or exhaust with the valve stem casting projecting into it? And don't say "use freeze plugs" unless you've tried it.

Strongly advise against this. It may run fine and sound normal, live a long enough life, but I have witnessed a first hand account of someone that found dry blast media in his engine and what it did to his babbit bearings, and I personally would not take the chance with my own engines. I also attempted it myself years ago (dry blast with walnut shell), used duct tape to mask and hammered in rubber plugs and when it was finished and polished and we removed covers, we found a tablespoon or more of blast media in the sump. More recently I redid an entire Ducati engine for a customer that another vapor blast outfit had processed without complete disassembly. And when I disassembled it you get one guess what I found tablespoons of behind bearings and seals that were left installed.

Vapor blasting assembled engines would certainly would save me scads of times on some projects and I'd get tons of customers if I'd do it, and possibly they'd never be the wiser. There are better alternatives including dry ice blasting and then paint, or soda blasting and then paint, followed by vapor blasting and selected hand finishing of the side and valve covers. And when a potential customer with a good running engine calls me up wanting me to vapor blast it assembled, that is what I tell them they ought to do.

/rant

You know it.

Absolute destruction.

Even getting the blasting media out of an engine that's DISASSEMBLED is hard to do.

We spend FAR MORE time precleaning, plugging, masking, rinsing and blasting parts dry than we spend in the vapor blaster.

Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2016 8:14 am

metalganz wrote:

Bikeboy I am curious after the pressure you have used?

Wim

Sorry Wim, it wasn't me that did the work, so I have no idea what pressure was used.

Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2016 12:40 pm

I think the only blasting you could do with the engine together would be dry ice blasting. It's done with dry ice (CO2) and so just evaporates.

Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2016 1:03 am

petrat wrote:

I think the only blasting you could do with the engine together would be dry ice blasting. It's done with dry ice (CO2) and so just evaporates.

I agree Darren. I have used soda before and I think that's OK, but I think dry ice as a prep for paint would be ideal.

Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2016 1:39 am

petrat wrote:

I think the only blasting you could do with the engine together would be dry ice blasting. It's done with dry ice (CO2) and so just evaporates.

If media such as soda works its way in on a 'sealed' engine, why wouldn't the paint/grunge being removed find its way in as well?

Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2016 7:47 am

DonR wrote:

Stueecat wrote:

Could this process be used on a complete engine if the exhaust, inlets etc were properly sealed before hand?

I'm asking as I have a friend who needs a CX500 engine cleaned but doesn't want to strip it down.

This before and after may motivate him...

Clean or dirty, it's still a plastic maggot...

Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2016 7:49 pm

sillygoose wrote:

petrat wrote:

I think the only blasting you could do with the engine together would be dry ice blasting. It's done with dry ice (CO2) and so just evaporates.

If media such as soda works its way in on a 'sealed' engine, why wouldn't the paint/grunge being removed find its way in as well?

I'm sure it does to some small degree Rick. In my case I don't whip out the soda blaster until the engine has been scrubbed and degreased and blasted with a pressure washer, then dried. THEN I soda blast it, rinse it thoroughly, degrease, etch, paint. It ain't quick. I'm eager to get oil circulating after I do this, and as prior, I've always found at least a little evidence of soda getting past seals and the rubber gasket of the valve cover, the rubber plugs, etc. So I'm sure that included at least some grunge, or oxide, or clear coat, but that stuff is a lot less harmful to have circulating or dissolved in your oil than intentionally abrasive particles.