Bead Blasting vs. Soda Blasting vs. Hot Tank for Engine Case

[keb709]

So I'm in the process of rebuilding/restoring my '83 VT750C. I plan on completely disassembling the engine and individually restoring each part. My question is this: What's the best method to do this? I have read differing opinions, but the three most popular methods seem to be bead blasting, soda blasting, or using a hot tank (with aluminum friendly chemicals, of course). I have a sand blasting cabinet with #8 silica beads, but I want to clean up the inside of the case a little bit, and the general consensus is that the glass beads can become embedded in the case, and come loose once the engine heats up, critically damaging the engine.

Anybody have some expertise in this area?

Cheers

[kenny83]

I am rebuilding my bike as well, I'm gonna sandblast all my stuff at my work with glass bead including my motor so I can powdercoat. Just make sure you clean really good after blasting to remove media.


Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using Motorcycle.com Free App

[rkforrest]

You can media blast the outside of the case all you want just not the inside.Soda Blasting will only take paint off and is safe for aluminum also.when done then Hot tank to clean the inside

[SkullCrusher]

Buy some plastic blasting media, it won't imbed like glass bead and it won't burnish the bearing surfaces in the crank case. Hot tank would be good too. I wouldn't be super worried about getting the insides of the motor immaculate, won't really make a difference. Good luck with your build, why are you doing it? Is the motor burnt out or something?

[h13man]

Bead blasting of any sort is very hard on internal engine parts if some just accidently find its way past the outside "perimeter". If might look @ chemical strippers for paint removal. Duct tape is a good "sealant" for blasting cases and blast the surfaces at angles that least likely to penetrate the tape seal. Also glass bead will give a shiny surface than say silica sand. I'd suggest about a 120 grit silica for paint adhesion of paint. Good luck.

[dmeyer302]

Originally Posted by rkforrest

You can media blast the outside of the case all you want just not the inside.

+1. There shouldn't be any reason to blast the inside anyway. Be careful blasting the gasket surfaces, your blaster can probably remove the case aluminum without much difficulty.

Then when you're done, clean clean clean! Solvent, car wash, steam cleaner, hot tank, or a combo of those wouldn't hurt.

[SkullCrusher]

Or use plastic media, it removes paint and funk but won't deform metal. Walnut shells work good too

[keb709]

Originally Posted by SkullCrusher

Good luck with your build, why are you doing it? Is the motor burnt out or something?

I got the bike for cheap, with my main goal being to learn about how the bike works. I've always been really interested in this type of thing. I figured that while I'm learning, I may as well TRY to restore the bike. I'm a bit of a perfectionist, and I want this bike to be immaculate if I get it running. Thus the inside cleaning.

I plan to strip the engine and then clear coat it. I really like the look of raw aluminum, will glass or plastic media be the best for achieving this result?

So I guess I'm leaning towards blasting (either glass or plastic) the outside of the case, and then putting it in the hot tank to clean the inside and remove any left over media.

Thanks for your help so far everyone!

[keb709]

Here's my main rebuild thread in case you guys want to check it out:

83 VT750 Teardown & Rebuild Project (For "Educational" Purposes!)

[ejsaenz]

How about carbon dioxide (CO2) blasting? no residue to deal with except the junk that got blasted off. We've used it at work on porcelain and it gets the crud off. plus the CO2 beads are fun to play with.