can I sand blast a lathe???

[Kristy Ingram]

I have a small walker turner lathe that I had high hopes of cleaning up myself, but 2 small children and one husband have hindered this idea. Can I get it sandblasted?? I'd like to clean it up and repaint it. Any ideas on how I can get this done? I have about 3 weeks.

[echnidna]

If you are going to sandblast it yourself mask the mchines surfaces so they don't get damaged.

[cedar n silky]

If you are going to sandblast it yourself mask the mchines surfaces so they don't get damaged.
You would obviously want to strip off the bearings and pulleys, and electric motor first, unless you can be sure to protect them from the sand. If you get a profesional to do it, just be very specific about the degree of sand blasting you want done. Sometime they have people that don'thave a clue, and will litterally blow it away, or a good part of it!:oo:
You can get some good machinery spray paint in traditional coluors. Look for "hammer finish" (I think the brand is white night). bunnings have it.
I recently did up a combination table saw jointer combo, and finished it in hammer finish blue. Just a couple of cans did it, and it loooks great!:D

[dai sensei]

I assume you want to sand blast it to get the old finish off?

My lathe was in a fire ,and after removing the electrical/motor components, I hit it with degreaser & paint stripper then high pressure water blaster. It got rid of most of the paint, but the bits that stayed were there for life :- . I then sanded, masked off the sliding surfaces, and resprayed it. It's got quite a few bits of CA/epoxy/finish blobs on it now but the finish still looks fine.

[Mobil Man]

I wouldn't recommend letting a sandblaster get within 50ft. of my lathes. That sand will get into places you can't seal off like the headstock bearings, pulley shafts, lubed areas, tail stock & you'll never get rid of it all. You can wash it off til you're blue in the face & there will be some you can't get rid of. I agree with a paint/finish remover & a wire brush. Once you remove most of the old paint & repaint it, it will look real nice. Bugger's gonna get dirty anyway, right?

[Hickory]

You can, but shouldn't... for reasons that Mobil man saidand others to boot. The machined parts (bed ways, etc.) can be cleaned with mineral spirits and green scotchbrites & elbow grease. A fresh coat of paint will make it look spiffy.

That sand is an evil thing.... Bead blasting is better or even Walnut Shell is better than sand. I sandblasted a part, moved to another state sold the part got married had surgery and still find that evil grit in things. It don't go away. My daughter just returned from a trip to a Florida Beach, she brought me her camera to make it work properly, (it is a digital and the lens telescopes out when you turn it on) It won't open properly because there is sand grit in the works. Sand is evil....sand Is evil... sand is Evil

[Ross]

What has happened to the lathe that it needs to be cleaned up?

Any chance of some pics?

Ross

[Kristy Ingram]

Ok, after reading these much appreciated replies I have come to the conclusion that maybe sand isn't such a good thing. I can definiteley understand the way it gets into things but I thought it would wash off ok. I guess I would be finding pink sand forever. I can go with the wire brushing though.

There isn't actually anything wrong with the lathe but I wanted to clean it up for my husbands bday at the end of this month. Unfortunately I had to delete all the photos I had off the computer so he couldn't find them as well.

I guess I was looking for a bit of an easy option as I know only have 3 weeks to work on it.

hopefully I can get it done.

[MurrayD99]

Kristy, a wire wheel on an angle grinder or drill might speed things up - including bringing the machined surfaces back to life. You can get an angle grinder for about $40 - not the sort you'd want to take to a cocktail party and brag about - but OK to do the job.

[hughie]

Ok, after reading these much appreciated replies I have come to the conclusion that maybe sand isn't such a good thing. I can definiteley understand the way it gets into things but I thought it would wash off ok. I guess I would be finding pink sand forever. I can go with the wire brushing though.



Kristy dont give up on the idea totally. Go and check out your local sand blaster as they have several differnet types of medium for cleaning, sand is but one of them. Many are very gentle ie bead or shot blasting. All of them will save you a heap of time and give a uniform finish which is ideal for painting.

[joe greiner]

Good point, hughie. On occasion, I've used granulated sugar with soap for an aggressive hand cleaner. Dissolves while or after, and doesn't gum up the drain like sand would.

Joe