Blasting aluminum head

[OliverB]

What blasting media would be best to use to lightly clean an aluminum head? Not an XS400 but a Honda Dream 305 head.

 

[Shaun Chandler]

baking soda is the least invasive. You would also use walnut shell. You could use glass or sand its not recomended but you can do it. Its important to make sure its really clean after from all the grit. Using some media actually hardens the surface its called brinelling.

Shaun

 

[xschris]

I had a head done with beads (plastic I think is what they used maybe glass) and it came out very good.

 

[OliverB]

baking soda is the least invasive. You would also use walnut shell. You could use glass or sand its not recomended but you can do it. Its important to make sure its really clean after from all the grit. Using some media actually hardens the surface its called brinelling.

Shaun

Shaun,
soda blasting sounds like the way to go. It appears that there is special soda blasting equipment. Can it be used with typical sand blasting equipment for a one-off small job like this? Thanks!

Edit: after some searching, I got the answer. NO! - unless using a retrofit kit as Eastwood sells.

 

[OliverB]

I had a head done with beads (plastic I think is what they used maybe glass) and it came out very good.

Chris, thanks! The head looks good. Sounds like soda blasting won't etch the aluminum, though.

 

[eric123]

Nothing exotic to build and use...

http://www.aircooledtech.com/tools-on-the-cheap/soda_blaster/

 

[Shaun Chandler]

ya I've heard of guys making their own soda blaster. I was actually going to try it to blast my carbs, already bought the baking soda just haven't tried making the blaster. Your right though it won't alter the substrate it will only clean. It would take off dirt and paint (might be slow). I went with blasting because I wanted to etch the surface for paint.

xschris- that appears to be a glass bead finish. I don't think plastic would have etched it that much.

Shaun

 

[xschris]

Thats cool.

 

[Shaun Chandler]

that is a cool setup. I think thats the rig I saw built awhile back that made me go buy the baking soda. I had never actually seen it in action till now

 

[OliverB]

Thanks to all! A good thread we can learn something from.

 

[kirkn]

Here's a pretty extensive write-up I did (with lots of before- during- and after- pictures) for the HondaTwins forum on my experiences with different blasting media, including walnut shells, glass beads, and soda blasting.

Have a look:

http://www.hondatwins.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=618&hilit=blasting

Kirk