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MG TD TF 1500 - Media blast or Soda Blast?

I'm going to repaint "Rocky" this Winter, and have heard several different points of view on Soda Vs. Media....
I'm now hearing that Soda blasting leaves a difficult-to-remove coating, which prevents rusting, but must be removed completely , to paint....I've heard that a couple of the paint mfg's will not warranty, if soda blasting is used....Also heard that the minute the vinegar/water removes the coating, the metal will rust.
Media blasting leaves no rust-preventative coating , but also will rust virtually immediately...
What do you guys think?
Edward


E.B. Wesson

I've only used soda blasting on smaller, fragile parts like carb bodies and the like - with fine success. I have paint removed with walnut shell blasting, a medium that does not get the metal hot enough to warp. Lots to vacuum up, thought.

Tom
t lange

The previous paint layers on Tommy were removed by abbrasion allowing the use of the high and low spots to ding out dents while stripping. Since painting a T-Series really requires that the bonnet, wings, fuel tank, and valances be shot individually and assembled, I would be tempted to use aircaft stripper. We just used it on the bonnet and boot lid (and the engine bay) of the MGB and it worked great. A final scrub of the surface with #3 steel wool cleaned everything up very nicely. On the TD, I may not use it directly on the tub or the doors because of the wood and its porous nature with regard to rinsing off all the residue.

You can check out the refinish of Tommy (the TD) and Maggie (the B) at my website, http://www.dbraun99.com

warmly,
dave
Dave Braun

Airplane stripper is great stuff ...make sure you have several large buckets of water around with some rags in it!
At some point it will make contact with your skin ...and you WILL KNOW when that happens.
It also rendered useless the few brain cells I had left that had survived the 60's.
Nasty / Wonerfull stuff!
Ever see coke on a rusty bolt? It's like that on steroids.
The medium I used on other parts was a "glass beed".
My painter gets the stuff they mix with paint for road lines.
David Sheward

I have used paint "stripper", on some car parts, with decent results, but I was hoping to get opinions on Media (glass or walnut shells) Vs Soda blasting....
I would be nervous about paint stripper's affect on the wood, as well...Makes sense on the all metal parts, like fenders.
Looking for more opinions.
Thanks
Edward
E.B. Wesson

I don't know if you can find any shop with one left, but all my TD parts were stripped in a machine shop engine block dip tank. These use lye and they come out totally stripped.

I don't think many shops have the big dip tanks any more. (PS. The shop was owned by my uncle and I used it just prior to the tank being drained and refilled).

The commercial companies that do car stripping would be a good one for dipping the various TD fenders, running boards, hood etc. just not the body.

Bruce Cunha

Soda will do a great job stripping to metal but it is expensive and they charge by time, not a set charge. Also it will not strip rust in case you have any.

Rob
Rob Welborne

Edward, for a car that needs painting, Rocky is sure doing a good impression of a car that does not need painting. Just wondering what issues there are with the current paint? Colour?

Cheers,
Matthew.
Matthew Magilton

I did mine a year ago (see Youtube for videos). I used every media but soda (sand, black beauty, alum. oxide, beads, 3 kinds of aircraft stripper, orange friendly stripper, etc.). In my case sand was the most used followed with aircraft stripper and lots and lots of elbow grease! If possible, send it out. Better yet, leave Rocky alone! Looks very nice from here. It's a dirty, dangerous, nasty job and not fun.
Ed
efh Haskell

Have a friend who did his TR6 with soda and they didn't give him any instructions on paint prep... he did all the usual and the paint is bubbling and coming away....blames it on the soda?
gblawson(gordon- TD27667)

If you use soda, you must clean all the surfaces with a cleaner designed for that purpose or the very expensive paint will be a total loss! I wouldn't use soda on anything but small parts and better yet if they don't get painted. I'm a believer in a chemical stripper. Dirty work, but done in small areas at a time, it's not so bad. Just have plenty of ventilation! For my blasting cabinet, I use either walnut shells or glass beads depending on the material to be cleaned. My chassis was commercially sand blasted. I never knew that there were so many nooks and crannies in a T chassis to collect sand. JMHO. PJ
Paul J

Regarding "Rocky's" paint, it is just a poor paint job...Yes, it covers the body, but , to me , it looks as if it was painted with a brush...
I like the non-stock color, which is very close to the BL color of Pale Primrose...In fact, that is the base color I used to get touch-up paint mixed...
In addition, the paint is easily chipped, leading me to believe that it was not preped properly....
Most folks that see it, like it, and so do I...but I want to make it better, if I can.
The other issues are that the frame is not painted, the wheel wells need serious attention, and the engine needs re-sealing of all the gasketed/sealed surfaces (except the valve cover, which no longer leaks).
These things can be more properly addressed with the engine out of the car....
I would also like to get several parts re-chromed, while I have it apart.
I'm not looking for a "points" car, but one that will look a lot better. Hope that makes sense.
In the meantime, I am enjoying driving the car, especially at highway speeds, when it is relatively quiet, and you can hear the wind in the cockpit....
(Unlike my "Cobra", in which you can hear almost nothing...but then , you can't go 0-60 in 4.5 seconds, in the MG, either!).
Thanks again for the input.
Edward
E.B. Wesson

I would like to add, that I have also heard that soda can cause paint problems, if not properly removed...and that is a very good point....
However, I have a good friend that has a prize-winning customized '38 Ford convertible, that he soda-blasted himself, and the paint on it is virtually perfect , many years later....So it must be doable.
Edward
E.B. Wesson

I had a place soda blast a MG midget that I turned into a vintage racecar. I don't know exactly what they did post-blast, but I recall them telling me they just power washed it.

Besides leaving clumps of soda in some nooks and crannies, I didn't have any trouble with the prep and paint.

The paint job has lasted very well for the last ten years, except where someone "ran out of talent" and smacked me in the right door and fender.
David Littlefield

I cleaned my entire car with a few of those nylon/silicone carbide paint/rust remover discs in an angle grinder. Took everything off in no time flat and left a ready to paint surface.

AJ




A R Jones

AJ
Do you know who made the brushes?...3M etc...
Also, were they the edge-cutting type, or the flat style?...More info would be helpful...Some are color coded for grit..Do you know what grit they were?
Thanks
Edward
E.B. Wesson

This thread was discussed between 07/06/2011 and 08/06/2011

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