I've got some C.I fireplaces with a 100+ yrs of paint to strip. I've tried chemical methods but end up with only about 90% success at getting them clean. The old paint in the crevices seems to be immune to paint stripper. Is there such a thing as a smallish grit blaster that could be used indoors? If this is a totally ridiculous idea I'm sure someone will let me know. : -)
Thanks
mark b
============== It's not ridiculous but it is probably very messy. Look here:
Check the compressor requirements before you buy.
Cic.
============== It's not ridiculous but it is probably very messy. Look here:
Check the compressor requirements before you buy.
Cic.
I had some success with a sort of circular fibrous pad thing that I got from B&Q which fitted onto a drill. It seemed to do a reasonable job but still made quite a mess,
Cheers,
John
"mark b" wrote | Is there such a thing as a smallish grit blaster that | could be used indoors? | If this is a totally ridiculous idea I'm sure someone | will let me know. : -)
That's the sort of question where it helps to state if you're married or not. It's a perfectly sensible idea if you're a bachelor :-)
Owain
The small gritblaster that works is a "pressure pot". Forget the cheap guns from Machine Mart - they work fine, but in such a tiny spot it's unusably slow. I use a pot welded up from a small propane cylinder, or you can buy them from the back of Practical Classics.
You'll also need a cabinet. Look at Machine Mart or Northern Tools for ideas, then make your own. I use an old '50s fridge, the sort with a "Michael Jackson" door lock handle to trap small children inside.
On the whole though, I wouldn't bother. Find someone local who does grit blasting and take them over. It's a horrible job as a one-off.
Wire wool? Worked for me and much less messy
Anna
~~ Anna Kettle, Suffolk, England |""""| ~ Lime plaster repairs / ^^ \ // Freehand modelling in lime: overmantels, pargeting etc |____|
No, no Anna. The *reason* blokes do DIY is so we can justify (usually to SWMBO) buying a new tool from time to time.
;-O
Tim
In message , mark b writes
I can't answer regarding the grit blasting, but do know *exactly* what you mean about the paint in the crevices :-(
I did three CI Victorian fireplaces in a previous home, each of which was covered in about a hundred year's worth of paint. The only way was to completely empty the room, remove the worst of the paint with Nitromors, then attack the small detail with a wire wheel in an electric drill. Worked very well, but there was paint, Nitromors and spikes from the wire wheel everywhere. Goggles and a mask are compulsory, so also old clothing. Being a bachelor at the time helped, too :-)
When completely clean, I painted Zebo over the whole thing, using a one inch paint brush (to get into the details), then buffed with a soft shoe brush, finishing with a duster. Looked absolutely wonderful, and still remains my favourite 'DIY' accomplishment.
I assumed that the OP was trying to remove the last traces of paint from his fireplaces (having done major paint removal by conventional methods) and that the fireplaces were still 'in situ' - hence the need for a grit blaster for indoor use. If this is the case then the Machine Mart guns are quite suitable for this particular job.
Nonetheless I find your idea of a large home-made pot quite interesting. What kind of gun / grit do you use and what size compressor? I ask because I recently went to buy one of the Machine Mart guns and was advised by a member of staff that the pressure / CFM figures quoted in their catalogue were misleading. It appears that they have now revised the figures in the latest online catalogue. I'll pick up a copy of 'Practical Classics' if I see one as I really do need to do some large scale grit blasting.
Cic.
I agree that the lightweight "Machine Mart" style blasters are slow - I tried one on a Landrover chassis. Died of boredom and used a wire brush in an angle grinder.
However, here, it might be suitable. What might be well worth considering is making a sand-blasting cabinet around the work area - use some light timber or broomsticks and duct tape, some clear plastic and lots of masking tape to seal the fireplace into the sheeted enclosure. Have a couple of holes in the plastic so you can work from outside.
One big advantage is that you will be able to recover and reuse much of the grit :)
Just an idea.
Tim
I used that too, coupled with paintstripper. Also used a heat gun beforehand, to lose most of the the bulk of the paint layers; especially on the flatter areas. The combo worked eventually!
David
Ive had teh big ones indoors.
Usng calcium carbonate.
Dust gets everywehere, but they sure work.
We have two home made pots, one small one made, like Andy's, from a propane cylinder, and a larger one made from an LPG cylinder from an old car. We use sandblasting nozzles on the end of flexible pipe and run it off a road compressor, can't remember the CFM figures offhand. This set up is mainly for large-scale blasting of walls and timber, something smaller would be better for smaller jobs but it is all we have so we use it for everything. We don't have a cabinet, we occasionally do small bits outside in the open but then again we have never lived anywhere with any near neighbours :-) Depending on what you mean by large-scale you might also need a helmet, preferably one with a separate air supply if you are working in enclosed areas. Even with that it is still a horrible job. In Ireland we sometimes used the black stuff, aluminium oxide???? but in France we use sand and recycle it sometimes, depending on its condition after the first use. Sorry that's all a bit vague, hope it is of some use.
We have an old fire extinguisher here, I'm just wondering if a good use for it might be to make a small pot which would run off the garage compressor.....
Holly, in France. Holiday home in the Dordogne, website:
Won't shift paint in crevices, IMHE.
If it's just a rust problem, not paint (or maybe even for paint) then I'd use electrolysis to clean it. An excellent process and much less work.
================ Thanks for this information which gives me some ideas for building my own grit blaster. I've also found some information in a back issue of 'Practical Classics' as advised by another poster. The Web page is:
Cic.
Plain steel tube works just as well. Of course it wears out faster, but then we're not talking about long usage here. The propane cylinder blaster I use was mde from a cylinder, plumbing parts, thick rubber hose and workshop scrap - no "grit blaster" parts at all.
It's worth swapping nozzles around a bit to vary diameter. Sandblasting is thirsty work for air and few of us have compressors really up to the job. If the lower velocity is still adequate, a bigger nozzle will give you more, slower, grit for the same air consumption.
Indeed they do, and whilst I have no idea of current UK prices, their prices look good compared to what we paid in Ireland a few years ago.
Anyone know whether the tungsten nozzles are really worth buying? We only have older ceramic ones. Most of what we do doesn't need to be very accurate and a big compressor compensates for a worn nozzle, but it might be useful to know for future reference.
-- Holly, in France. Holiday home in the Dordogne, website:
I think that would depend on the diameter of the air line pipe and the power of the compressor. Since we use a big compressor with a heavy pipe, it would just blast out too much sand much too quickly without a tapered nozzle. Much too much sand in fact :-)
Completely OT, but does anyone else find that a word used alot, like much in this case, suddenly seems odd? Same thing happened to me with shrub the other day. Or is it just me?! :-)
We really made only the pots. We scrounged bits of leftover hose but bought the clunk click turn type of connectors which go onto the compressor and join bits of hose to allow for different hose lengths, and put the same type of connector onto the pot. Easier to take to bits and put together again for transport when working on site. Also scrounged old worn nozzles and bought a couple of finer ones. We bought a water separator, which was invaluable in Ireland using recycled sand, but isn't necessary here where dried sand is available more cheaply and doesn't get damp if sieved and re-used quickly.The air might be dryer here too. Wouldn't bother buying one now to start off with, but would get one if water caused a problem. Also the helmet, which has been vital for some of our jobs, but I see from another posting that you have a DIY version.
Yes, can see how that would work.
-- Holly, in France. Holiday home in the Dordogne, website:
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