In <199701270512.VAA01328@mom.hooked.net>, sperling@hooked.net wrote:
>I hate to ask...since threads of bead blasting have been going on
>for quite a while...BUT WHAT EXACTLY IS BEAD BLASTING? Is this
>something that only those that feel comfortable pulling their engines
>out at a drop of a hat should do, or can/should the Sunday (or in my
>case, every 4th Sunday) mechanic like me try to tackle.
>
It's like sand blasting, but very fine glass beads are used to prevent
too much removal of base material. It yields a very nice matte
finish. In general, items to be blasted are removed from the engine
for a couple of reasons. (1) The bead media is pretty expensive ($30
for 50 lbs), so blasting is done in a cabinet to afford recycling of
the beads. (2) You don't want to be promiscuously spraying abrasives
around an engine in any case. Too much risk of entering the engine,
at which point the engine is toast. After beading, to clean corrosion
and muck from your bits, each bit should be _thoroughly_ air-blasted
and washed to get every little bit of abrasive off.
A. B. Bonds
|