Vapor Blasting - has anyone tried this?

[Visian]

http://www.restocycle.com/




.

 

[20774]

No but the issue has been discussed on the Vintage website:

http://www.vintagebmw.org/v7/node/11432

http://www.vintagebmw.org/v7/node/12216

http://www.vaporblastsolutions.com/

 

[Visian]

Thanks. I wish there were something that gave that fresh new look without taking everything apart.

The best think I can think of is that Barkeepers cleanser stuff.... which isn't half bad, but requires mucho elbow grease.

Ian

 

[Paul_F]

Don't know if this the same, but a friend recently had his bike detailed using steam cleaning. He was blown away by how wonderful it looked when he picked it up.

 

[Omega Man]

Of course nobody likes to let out proprietary secrets......The reading reminds me a lot of Soda Blasting.
SB is one of the new ways of cleaning material with minimal damage to the base material. I guess the next level up is walnut shells.
It would be nice to get an engine spiffed up without disassembly.
OM

 

[Anyname]

I don't think that vapor blasting technology is a secret. I understand that it's a abrasive blasting process where the media is carried in a pressurized stream of water:

http://www.vaporblastingequipment.com/wet-blasting/what-wetblasting-guide-vapor-blasting-process

A couple of the British classic bike mags have tried it and liked the result.

 

[20774]

Turns out the owner of the Restocycle company has a post in the Opportunities - Member and Vendors section of the forum. See the information here:

http://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?82498-Did-somebody-say-quot-Vapor-Blasting-quot

 

[globalrider]

Parts are then vapor blasted in the Vixen AquaBlast, then immediately rinsed with clear water, dried, and sprayed with protectant.

If it is "sprayed with a protectant" then that in my books would be a clear coat, anything from a mat to a glossy finish. Hell I can do that and looking at their finishes on line, they look a bit dark which is what a clear coat will do having done so myself. What I would want is the parts to be clear anodized.

As for the prep work before that, anything from soda or poly blasting (gentle) to silicon carbide (aggressive) will do that.

By the way, if anyone is looking for a tough two-part clear coat in a can, they should check out SprayMax.

 

[nilsmenten]

Thanks for your email this morning Alex.

Let me clarify that 'protectant' comment a bit - There are a few flavors of that, mine is good ol' WD-40 at the moment. That serves the dual purposes of protecting steel bearing inserts from flash rust, and restoring some of the luster to the aluminum (aka "makes it look great" )

With regard to the finishes looking dark, that's more a function of it being a PITA to photograph metal, especially clean metal. I take the photographs to the side of the packing area where I don't get direct reflections from the overhead lights, and what's reflected is the underside of the overhanging shelf. There's nothing dark about a vapor blasted finish from me or anyone else that does this - it looks as close to freshly cast aluminum as...freshly cast aluminum


Best,

Nils Menten

 

[globalrider]

Let me clarify that 'protectant' comment a bit - There are a few flavors of that, mine is good ol' WD-40 at the moment. That serves the dual purposes of protecting steel bearing inserts from flash rust, and restoring some of the luster to the aluminum (aka "makes it look great" )

Best,
Nils Menten

Yes, but how is WD-40 a long term (more than a few days) solution? If I am doing an R80 G/S engine case and going through the trouble of dis-assembly, rebuild and re-assembly, then I want the protective finish to last.

Consider getting into clear anodizing and you will have a long term solution to corrosion. That I would be interested in.

By the way, since I am familiar with media blasting and the bright finish it leaves, a coat of WD-40 is what will take a bit of that brightness away which is what I was referring to.

 

[nilsmenten]

Yes, but how is WD-40 a long term (more than a few days) solution? If I am doing an R80 G/S engine case and going through the trouble of dis-assembly, rebuild and re-assembly, then I want the protective finish to last.

Consider getting into clear anodizing and you will have a long term solution to corrosion. That I would be interested in.

By the way, since I am familiar with media blasting and the bright finish it leaves, a coat of WD-40 is what will take a bit of that brightness away which is what I was referring to.

That anodizing is an interesting idea, as is clear powdercoat, which another collaborator wants to test with me. Haven't got there yet, plenty of fish to fry at the moment as it is . One of the...byproducts of vapor blasting is that it microscopically peens the surface of the aluminum, sealing the pores as it does. This slows down the inevitable oxidization when aluminum is exposed to air, a lot I'm told, and reports from folks that have had this work done going back a few years is that the parts still look great and clean up very easily 3+ years later.

I"ve got a great local plater that I work with - I will get with him before too long and try the clear anodizing concept with him, will report back when I do. I appreciate the thoughts Alex.

N.

 

[globalrider]

Hi Nils,

This is my 1990 BMW R100 GS that I bought new in 1991. This photo was taken in August 2013 and although my GS was stored for about ten years (while I was riding my GS Adventure), it still had over ten years of use and quite a few tours behind it.

I cannot with 100% certainty say what process BMW uses to keep the cases that bright for so long, but it is a chemical process, not a clear coat.

This is what I am after when I get around to restoring my R80 G/S Paris Dakar.

If you can do that, I would be interested.

 

[globalrider]

One more tip from me, Nils.

Swish Facto AT34 is an aluminum brightener (also sold by Würth in a spray bottle but expensive for the small quantity) that I have used for many years.

It depends on the aluminum alloy, but in most cases it does a great job. By the way, this is a last resort for brightening aluminum (removes corrosion) and it not to be used on anodized finishes.

I used Facto AT34 on the engine case in the flywheel area of an old R65 that I used to use for my Euro tours. The R65 was 14 years old at the time and the flywheel/clutch area looked like crap. Sorry, no before photo and this after photo is as good as it gets since it is a scan of a photograph.

 

[nilsmenten]

One more tip from me, Nils.

Swish Facto AT34 is an aluminum brightener (also sold by Würth in a spray bottle but expensive for the small quantity) that I have used for many years.

It depends on the aluminum alloy, but in most cases it does a great job. By the way, this is a last resort for brightening aluminum (removes corrosion) and it not to be used on anodized finishes.

I used Facto AT34 on the engine case in the flywheel area of an old R65 that I used to use for my Euro tours. The R65 was 14 years old at the time and the flywheel/clutch area looked like crap. Sorry, no before photo and this after photo is as good as it gets since it is a scan of a photograph.

Alex - priceless info and experience, and much appreciated. I will investigate both.

Best,

Nils

 

[nilsmenten]

There is a wee bit of discontinuity on this thread, only because one of the moderators kindly split off one of my posts (with my knowledge and thanks) and relocated it where it really belongs, which is here:

http://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread...one-tried-this&p=1014460&posted=1#post1014460

Airhead parts are inbound, and I will update that thread when they arrive, just for a sense of before and after on BMW stuff.

 

[jamesevans]

Of course nobody likes to let out proprietary secrets......The reading reminds me a lot of Soda Blasting.
SB is one of the new ways of cleaning material with minimal damage to the base material. I guess the next level up is walnut shells.
It would be nice to get an engine spiffed up without disassembly.
OM

I had the antifouling removed on my boat with soda blasting - but the residue made a terrible mess of the deck which took months to clear up. It wasn't the paint, it was the soda. I imagine it would corrode your aluminum something wicked if you didn't remove it VERY carefully.

 

[nilsmenten]

Updated my vendor thread with a bunch of photos, R60/2 stuff and R100GS stuff just now as well. Have a look, and enjoy the transformations!

http://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread...uot-Vapor-Blasting-quot&p=1023615#post1023615

N.

 

[globalrider]

Hi Nils, any update on the "clear anodizing" aspect to protect the finish after this process (other than clear coating).

By the way, if anyone is looking to clear coat (gloss or mat) their parts, Spray Max (a German company) produces a 2-part paint system in a can which is also sold by Eastwood under their own name. A separate container within the can that houses the hardener is punctured by the user and then mixed within the can by shaking it. Good for a maximum of 48 hours depending on temperature so you need to line up all your parts. A can is pricey!

I have not used it myself yet (I bought two cans), but it produces a very nice tough finish according to a user on another forum.

Spray Max

Eastwood 2K Aero-Spray Paints

 

[Emoto]

I just want to mention that I have known Nils for many years and have a lot of respect for him. He's one of the good guys.

 

[globalrider]

I just want to mention that I have known Nils for many years and have a lot of respect for him. He's one of the good guys.

Nobody here said he was bad.