1. Always wear a mask. Just safety glasses or even goggles wont cut it.
2. Dont chew gum while blasting, even with a mask the sand will find its way into your mouth.
3. Always wear sleeves.
4. Always wear pants.
5. ALWAYS...ALWAYS wear earplugs!!

I think i still have sand in my ears and my arms and legs have been sandblasted in a few spots, not very pleasant.

On a good note, i did get most of the frame blasted. Tomorroy i will get a few spots that were left and paint it. That is if it doesnt rain.

Great tips! I am about to sandblast a frame myself. Tell us about the type of blaster you used and what kind of blasting media you used on the frame.

Thanks
Robby85

I used a grade 4 blasting sand. With the equipment i have i find it works the best. I forget what size compressor i have but tank with the compressor on top is about 6 feet tall and the tank is a little over 2 feet in diameter. The sandblaster is just a small unit that any harbor freight, home depot or tractor supply would sell. The higher grade sand clogs up my unit. The grade 4 works best for me. It will cut through the gunk and grime left on the frame from over 20 years of use but it takes a while. To save time while blasting, and most importantly, to keep the load off your compressor, scrape all the thick stuff off first. Mine took me all day because we had 3 showers so i had to keep covering the frame with a tarp and waiting till it quit raining. I ran out of sand a little after dark so i quit. All i have to do is go back with a wire brush and get all those little spots of gunk that didnt come off and then blast over them. Hopefully i can get it painted tomorrow if it dont rain but its supposed to start :-(

I finished the frame I got from Robert last week. I have sandblasting headgear that covers my whole head(like a beekeepers helmet), I found that works the best.

Now I have to do all the control arms and springs, but I have a large cabinet for that

The air consumption is what really kills you when sandblasting. I keep a big fan going full blast beside my compressor to help keep it cool and I give it periodic cool down periods. Make sure you drain your water traps and filter as one spit of water will plug things up.
They have a Sandblast place in town here where you do it yourself and pay by the hour. Its geared towards large truck trailers so I wouldn't recommend doing sheetmetal but it is good for frames and may save your compressor

I've got a small 10 gallon pressurized tank sandblaster that holds 40 pounds of sand. I use a 40 gallon, 7 HP air compressor. It has a hard time keeping up when I'm doing a big job like a frame. I can get 10-15 minutes of use and I then I have to let it catch up. Always wear a sandblasting helmet, adequate gloves, and a respirator or dust mask. Make sure you have a water separator on the air inlet to the sandblaster.

I've found out that the childrens sandbox sand sold at toysrus makes for a cheap media to use. A 40 pound bag of fine sandbox sand is only $2.99 and works great for frames.

http://elcaminocentral.com/albums/album30/DSC01117a.jpg

But they look so good when they are done

But they look so good when they are done I see you've been busy! Looking good :thumbsup:

1. Always wear a mask. Just safety glasses or even goggles wont cut it.
2. Dont chew gum while blasting, even with a mask the sand will find its way into your mouth.
3. Always wear sleeves.
4. Always wear pants.
5. ALWAYS...ALWAYS wear earplugs!!

YOU NEED TO WEAR A RESPIRATOR!! This stuff (sand) is nasty. A dust mask or hood does not cut it, you must wear a respirator.

I was wearing my dads "gas mask" he uses for work. Guess i should have clarified.