Let the blasting begin!

[DCrippa]

So out of curiosity where would one go to in the DC metro area to have something like this frame dipped? And how much more would it cost?

[sparki]

i live on a different continent i'm afraid....

[Nessism]

blasting makes one hell of a mess, takes a little setup and needs cleaning, a few times, both before and after the process... all the poster was asking about was for his future reference. getting a frame dipped takes little time, makes no mess and most of all contains no blast media(!) after it's done..... and after it's dipped there's every chance the company doing the dipping can dip it in a rust inhibitor so that the INSIDE of the tubes are protected as well.

........ you can't clean out the INSIDE of a frame with blasting, nor protect it with a lick of paint , while dipping you can.

hth makes an imformed choice to those wondering the same

Sandblasting not only removes rust and paint, it also gives the metal some "tooth", which is an ideal surface to paint on. Sure, you could dip the frame in acid to eat off all the paint/rust, but as already noted it will remove the VIN label too, and you will still have to rough up the metal somehow before painting. As far as cleaning inside the tubes, there are very few open tubes on a GS frame so I don't think this is detail is significant.

[rustybronco]

As far as cleaning inside the tubes, there are very few open tubes on a GS frame so I don't think this is detail is significant.

Especially when I turn the frame over and don't hear any loose rust rolling around.

[ddaniels]

Blast away...

[DCrippa]

hmmm not a bad price I may have to get me one.

http://www.harborfreight.com/15-lb-portable-soda-blaster-66742.html

any reason not to buy this one?

[Agemax]

Sandblasting not only removes rust and paint, it also gives the metal some "tooth", which is an ideal surface to paint on. Sure, you could dip the frame in acid to eat off all the paint/rust, but as already noted it will remove the VIN label too, and you will still have to rough up the metal somehow before painting. As far as cleaning inside the tubes, there are very few open tubes on a GS frame so I don't think this is detail is significant.

any good powder coating company in the UK bead blasts aluminium or shot blasts steel before coating it anyway, so if P/C is the way you want to go then dont bother with the expense of dipping it first,
if you want to spray the frame then the options are up to you for preperation but, as you say blasting is a perfect key for painting

[rustybronco]

any reason not to buy this one?

What do you plan on using it for?

[DCrippa]

stripping the tank and frame.

[rustybronco]

If the frame is rusty, I don't think soda will be aggressive enough.

keep in mind, soda is a one time use. you can't sweep it up and reuse it.

[DCrippa]

That's good to know - I was wondering if it could be re-used. The frame isn't that bad at all it just looks it's age - as for the spots that may have some age grime & rust they could be sanded down by hand I imagine. I've just seen how much of a difference a nice paint job on the frame does for the overall clean look of some of these builds and I now want the same - granted my motor will be no where near as nice/clean nor will it compliment the paint job but whatever... First I gotta get her to turn over - so all this is kinda daydreaming...

[sparki]

Especially when I turn the frame over and don't hear any loose rust rolling around.

in that case all is good.... all i can tell you is that on a number of the bikes i've worked on over the years have been rather "rattly" from the inside and that dipping has sorted them out nicely... clearly this isn't the way YOU want to go but as i mentioned in my previous post, there are options available should anyone else wonder in the future....

maybe the UK's glorious weather isn't that condusive to keeping 30 year old mild steel in tip-top condition

[sparki]

Sandblasting not only removes rust and paint, it also gives the metal some "tooth", which is an ideal surface to paint on.

you are absolutely correct.... but so will any half decent primer after a dippin'

Sure, you could dip the frame in acid to eat off all the paint/rust, but as already noted it will remove the VIN label too

again, absolutely correct.... everything will be gone. but as i mentioned in my previous post.... there are options available and should anyone else in the future need this information they'll know what the options are. clearly the op wants to keep this particular sticker so this option isn't available to him

As far as cleaning inside the tubes, there are very few open tubes on a GS frame so I don't think this is detail is significant.

i wish someone had told my katana frame this all those years ago.... i guess the UK isn't as forgiving, climate wise, as sunny california

[rustybronco]

On your mark... get set...

[chuck hahn]

Remember.....blast it early in the AM so it can be wiped down and primered all in the same process so theres no chance of flash rust. Once you start have everything ready in production line fashion...