[TheForge] interesting project

Tue May 20 13:22:04 2003

Just a wild shot here, but what about a steam jenny?  Would it break 
down the tar, or just create a oily wet mess?   

Years ago when I was dirt poor, I was looking to buy a pressure washer.  
I finally broke down and bought a small electric one.  Two days later I 
saw what was labeled a pressure washer at a garage sale for $50.   It 
had a large tank, water fittings and suprisingly -- gas fittings.  The 
owner said it heated the water.  I passed on it since the motor was only 
1/3 hp, which I figured couldn't deliver much pressure, besides I 
already had a brand new one.  It was weeks later that it clicked and I 
realized that it was a steam unit.   For items fifty dollars and less, 
it seems I have far more regret for the things I passed on than the 
things I bought.

Charles

Paul Hewitt wrote:

>I said sweep up and scrape up as much as possible and wash the rest down. we
>do it quite often.  As for using nitrogen, only if you have about 100CFM or
>more.  I have built somewhere in the neighborhood of about 700 soda blasting
>systems, and plain old sandblasters won't work.  Soda has a high "shear
>factor"  sand will easily pour and slide down hill, soda cakes together, and
>forms steep cliffs, and will not flow through the system.  Also soda when
>not proportioned correctly will "jam" in your hose  and I do mean jam, its
>takes some time to clean a 15 foot hose.  Also DRY air is a must, any
>moisture from "cold" air will cake the soda almost instantly because soda
>wants to absorb moisture.  There isn't anything more fun that a 50# pressure
>tank FULL of caked soda break out the hammer and wrenches and start taking
>it apart.  We also manufacture water blasting systems, which use air/soda
>along with a neutral PH water stream (acid PH would destroy the soda
>instantly).  This does less damage to wood and soft substrates.  Also anyone
>worried about the effects of an little extra soda, wash it down with some
>vinegar or acetic acid.  (same thing just I purchase acetic acid in
>concentrate and dilute it 1/4 oz to 5 gallons as a wash.
>
>As for the soda, if you can buy it Cool, mind you its about 12.00 a bag, but
>from an autobody shop that's selling it "at cost" I bet he charges 25.00 or
>more.  I am often dismayed at sometimes the do-it yourself attitude, pay
>some dude with the right equipment for 3 hours work and 50.00 and hour,
>he'll burn about 2 bags of soda an hour, or go buy cheap equipment and 25.00
>a bag soda and spend 10 hours at it burning the same 2 bags and hour.  Which
>is more expensive?
>
>Its kind of like blacksmithing if you didn't do it as a hobby or a living,
>would you recommend someone go have a railing made or go buy all the
>equipment and spend thousands learning just to make one railing???????
>
>grumphh...........
>
>Paul
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "terry l. ridder" <[email protected]>
>To: <[email protected]>
>Sent: Tuesday, May 20, 2003 9:28 AM
>Subject: Re: [TheForge] interesting project
>
>
>  
>
>>hello;
>>
>>this runs counter to what i have been told by two automobile body shops
>>that specialize in depainting automobiles down to bare metal. their main
>>comments were to use cool and dry compressed air and a larger nozzle
>>then would be used for the typical abrasive media.
>>
>>as for cool dry air, we all ready have liquid nitrogen available. a
>>small vaporizer would supply cool dry nitrogen at the correct pressure.
>>nozzles are not really a problem either. the one automobile body shop is
>>willing to sell us the coarse baking soda at his cost.
>>
>>their additional comments had more to do with a side-effect which they
>>do not normally run into but have heard from others who use soda
>>blasting to remove graffit. while baking soda is non-toxic and
>>environmentally safe in large amounts it can change the ph balance of
>>soil and ruin landscaping. (plants, lawn, etc). they suggested using a
>>tarp to keep the baking soda out of the landscaped areas. i would assume
>>that this applies to acidic soil. would be like vinegar and baking soda
>>reaction. i am not sure if it would alter a basic soil.
>>
>>other than that they said common-sense safety practices are sufficient.
>>(respirator, full face shield, hearing protection, warning signs, etc)
>>
>>On Tue, 20 May 2003, Paul Hewitt wrote:
>>
>>paul>
>>paul> Ahh there is a problematic question, we purchase from distributors,
>>    
>>
>and they
>  
>
>>paul> ar epretty tight about only selling to people with the right
>>    
>>
>equipment, its
>  
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>>paul> about 5000.00 or more for the right equipment because of the way
>>    
>>
>soda
>  
>
>>paul> "shears" it won't work in ordinary sand blasting equipment.
>>paul>
>>paul>
>>
>>--
>>Terry L. Ridder ><>
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>>
>
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