Megabyte":om0zesrs said:
jdbic":om0zesrs said:
Is soda blasting like sand blasting? Can I do it myself?
Soda blasting is not like sand blasting...
Without
extreme care, sand blasting would ruin the bottom of your boat.
Can you do it yourself? Probably not... thought I do not know the extent of your resources.
this isn't true...
there's a considerible amount of misinformation surrounding this very subject...i've had numerous boat sand blasted,to remove the bottom paint,"numerous" being more than 45...not one,was damaged in any way shape or form-EVER !!! the reason i now use soda blasting,is simply due to the fact the gentleman who did the blasting for me gave it up,i found coastal soda blasting and i began using them...
the media,media being either sand or baking soda,is shot at the hull with approx 100psi air pressure...go read the pressure washer either you use or the marina uses to pressure wash the bottom...alot higher pressure huh ??? when you hear the word "damage" concerning blasting,the damage was allready there...if the hull had blisters,or voids,the pressure from the water or the air will blow them out...gel coat is pretty thick stuff,it's pretty difficult to blast the gel off,if the gel does come off,there was a problem underneath,the blasting certainly didn't cause it...personally,i've never seen a case where blasting has damaged a hull,and i've been doing this for quite some time... :wink:
one thing i read from a moderator on another site concerning blasting was really funny,this gentleman actually claimed "blasting fiberglass disturbs the matrix of the glass",exactly what that was supposed to mean,i'm not sure...
don't be afraid of blasting,either sand or soda,it's not a problem,it's the best approach to removing the build up of paint...i've actually had boat's that the paint line was too high,after the boat was soand blasted,these areas were sanded then wet sanded and buffed,they appear to never have been painted... :wink: got pics to prove it too...
removing bottom paint,and repainting...
it's true if the hull is over 5 yrs old about it not gonna blister...however,it's like this...it's common to have a hull blasted then voids are discovered,the voids are repaired,then the hull should be barrier coated,this will seal the repairs as well as smooth out the surface,then i use the process i described earlier...
if you guys have questions concerning this and you want the truth,not rumors or incorrect answers,gimme a call...609-214-7556 i'll be glad to discuss this with you... :wink: