Sandblasting plastic - need help please.

[Mrs. DantesDame]

In my quest to make my 2nd KLR Awesomer^tm, I'm going to paint it. However, in the KLR's dark and shady past, someone sprayed the outside of the front fairing black. The color's not an issue, but the cheap chipping and flaking black paint is  

When I painted my current Awesome^tm KLR, I used a friend's shop and we "sandblasted" the plastics to remove sticker residue, etc. I put "sandblast" in quotation marks because quite honestly, I don't know what he used. Fine grit? Glass beads? Shards of old Britney Spears CDs? Regardless, it worked great and 3 years later the paint is holding up fantastically  

Now I'm on the other side of the country where it is apparently uncool to have a sandblaster. Can someone either offer up an alternative way of removing the paint or point me to some information to find the person who can sandblast this?  Oh, and I don't want to sand it by hand because there's some intricate "grill work" that would be nearly impossible to get to with sandpaper...


Thanks for your bountiful assistance once again  

[chornbe]

In my quest to make my 2nd KLR Awesomer^tm, I'm going to paint it. However, in the KLR's dark and shady past, someone sprayed the outside of the front fairing black. The color's not an issue, but the cheap chipping and flaking black paint is  

When I painted my current Awesome^tm KLR, I used a friend's shop and we "sandblasted" the plastics to remove sticker residue, etc. I put "sandblast" in quotation marks because quite honestly, I don't know what he used. Fine grit? Glass beads? Shards of old Britney Spears CDs? Regardless, it worked great and 3 years later the paint is holding up fantastically  

Now I'm on the other side of the country where it is apparently uncool to have a sandblaster. Can someone either offer up an alternative way of removing the paint or point me to some information to find the person who can sandblast this?  Oh, and I don't want to sand it by hand because there's some intricate "grill work" that would be nearly impossible to get to with sandpaper...


Thanks for your bountiful assistance once again  

I'll call my old shop and see if it's cool if I drop by with a few pieces to glass bead. THey're about 40 miles from my current home, so it's something that'll be a scheduled thing. If they say it's cool for me to do so, I'll make arrangements with you to get the part(s) or have you come down and accompany. Worst that can happen is they say no, right?

[Mrs. DantesDame]

Sounds good, Chris. Thanks!  


I can't believe no one else chimed in here. Usually the Experts on Everything^tm are all over a problem like this  

[Jes_VFR]

Well I would have said Glass bead or Walnut Shells to remove the paint on the plastics.
But I don't know where to send you right now.

I don't have access to a cabinet as the welder I would have asked to clean them for me is going through some family crap right now.

[photomd]

I'd start with walnut shells at a low pressure and slowly increase the pressure. If it doesn't work, start at a low pressure with glass beads. If you're on your way to SC let me know. I have walnut shells and glass bead as well as cheap cabinet in the garage. I also use old brake fluid to strip plastic. It's messy and takes time, but does a good job.

[antvq]

What about soda blasting?     Uses backing soda so it's all green and shit.   If you have a compressor you can do it in your driveway without the hippies getting mad.

[Andrew]

if you can't get the job done on the right coast, just box up the parts and send them out here

I have access to a huge blast cabinet  

[Mrs. DantesDame]

Thanks guys!

I'd forgotten about baking soda. And old brake fluid? I happen to have a ton of that laying around... ah, the possibilities!!!  

[chornbe]

What about soda blasting?     Uses backing soda so it's all green and shit.   If you have a compressor you can do it in your driveway without the hippies getting mad.

I'd forgotten all about that; good point.  

[Mrs. DantesDame]

Do you really think baking soda can work? I mean, I'm sure it must work on something, else others wouldn't suggest it, but I find it hard to believe that the soft powder that makes my cookies so good can also remove paint    But then again, drops of water formed the Grand Canyon, right?


I love the "It's all green and shit" comment, too  

[Mrs. DantesDame]

Ok, I found this site again http://www.aircooledtech.com/tools-on-the-cheap/soda_blaster/  I'd read it before and thought "What a great page!" and then of course completely forgot about it. Or more accurately, didn't think that it would work for this application. But I'll give it a try!

[bomber]

soda blasting can work nicely, thankyouverymuch . . . .while it DOES help your cookies, the individual particles, hurled at a high rate of knots at a surface, can be pretty abrasive . . . the greatest thing is they are not TOO abrasive, allowing you to bring back ancient Solex carbs and not so ancient KLR bits back to life . . . .

[tigertom1965]

From the times I have seen soda blasting used on TV that its green is a loaded question. Yes baking soda is safe for the environment.....but the paint you have just stripped off the bike may not be safe for the environment in any shape or form. It will depend on what your paint was made from. So i woldn't do this in your driveway. Although polluting the waters and ground with toxic chemicals in NJ it may not make a difference.  

[county]

Formby's Furniture refinisher....removes varnish and shellac, oughta take the paint offa plastic ok.

[chornbe]

soda blasting can work nicely, thankyouverymuch . . . .while it DOES help your cookies, the individual particles, hurled at a high rate of knots at a surface, can be pretty abrasive . . . the greatest thing is they are not TOO abrasive, allowing you to bring back ancient Solex carbs and not so ancient KLR bits back to life . . . .

So, they're ST.N member particles?

[bomber]

So, they're ST.N member particles?

Groan . . . . . . ..  .



actually, pretty good, but I hate to encourage that kinda thing

[Papa Lazarou]

I'd start with walnut shells at a low pressure and slowly increase the pressure. If it doesn't work, start at a low pressure with glass beads. If you're on your way to SC let me know. I have walnut shells and glass bead as well as cheap cabinet in the garage. I also use old brake fluid to strip plastic. It's messy and takes time, but does a good job.

Goodness

Formby's Furniture refinisher....removes varnish and shellac, oughta take the paint offa plastic ok.

Madness

[Kootenanny]

Being one of the "general experts" on this board, I will now chime in.

I do a lot of grit blasting, but you don't want to use what I use (black slag...).

And I'd be very careful of using any kind of chemical stripper on plastic parts.  They may be as effective at eating the plastic as the paint...

Blasting with soda is a very good suggestion...walnut shells would work, but they may be a bit more abrasive than you want.  The best would probably be dry ice blasting, but I believe that requires specialized equipment.  And hey, if you're gonna go for specialized equipment, might as well find someone who has a Sponge Jet unit.

No, I'd probably get a little suction-type blaster and a few boxes of  Arm & Hammer and go at it!

[BroRed]

I'm not an expert in the field, but I do know when they re-paint or repair the F-117 stealth fighter and the B2 bomber they use soda to prep the carbon fiber surfaces...  If it's good enough for the government it's got to be good enough for me

[ConPilot1]

WTF it's a KLR. Just rattle-can the bitch over the existing paint and ride it!