media blasting my engine

Bead blasting gives a good finish for sure,just be wary if you want to polish the covers that it can pit the surface if the pressure is too high.I learnt this the hard way when i did my CB1100 Boldor cases and stuff,just created a lot more wet rubbing than i had to when it came to polish.(Shit load more blisters too, :laugh:).

Hey everyone i have finished bead blasting the lower engine cases. I have come to the conclusion that the soda would have been a better I dea. I taped up critical areas but still ended up with glass bead where I didn't want it. If it would have taken longer with the soda I would have saved time by not needing to clean the engine for three days straight. Anyhow I am now ready to paint my question is I currently have the engine apart I was thinking about assembling the engine then taping and painting, but have since thought that maybe i might be better off painting it disassembled. Anyone have any advice on this matter

thompsonmx100 wrote:

Yeah i have a soda blaster but it doesn't work that well. takes forever to take paint off.

a soda blaster is not meant for paint, it is a gentle abrasive for delicate uses like carb bodies, cylinder fins etc....

paint it disassembled.

mask all holes with tape

take your time

let it harden a WEEK before reassembly and then be careful.

Enjoy!

martyn

What Martyn said.

Yeah thats what I was thinking. I will probably do that this weekend then i will have to wait a week for parts anyhow. I have used the soda blaster to remove paint before it just takes longer cause it is softer. But it will take off paint. I'm gonna do my head and cyliders with it once I'm to that point. Thanks all.

Where is the best and cheapest place to get the soda media? I do not have a cabinet and lose it all when blasting. Where do you get the box of arm n hammer in that size?

if youre really worried about use some heavy duty paint stripper to remove the paint then soda blast everything to make look uniform.dishwashers are da bomb for fine cleaning,just use water no soap and dry parts really good when done.

if u are going to paint it, i would stick with the glass. even sand. u will get better adhesion for the paint. the rougher surface will actually help the engine run cooler . the surface will dissipate heat 15% better when blasted and painted with .003" black Guncoat paint. This is according to Pop Yoshamira, back in 1980.
Take your time and tape it well. put old bolts in every hole. It is a very tedious job.
degrease it first, so the media is less likely to stick. Blast away.
after u have completely cleaned the media out.
wash it with Acetone, or high quality thinner, Don’t use cheap thinner, it will leave a residue, and the paint wont stick.
Paint it as thin as possible, so it wont chip as easily.