Modern Vespa

Hey everyone.

This is a two part question:

1) What media blasting cabinet do you use and what media do you blast with? (Silica,walnut shells, etc)

2) is there a different approach to cleaning parts that I'm missing?

I'm looking for the fast way to clean parts. And not necessarily greasy parts. Like that front end I just cleaned up. It took many hours with a wire brush and Dremel. I'm thinking a media blasting cabinet would've made short work of it...

So what do you all use? Thanks for the input!

I use a blast cabinet often to remove rust from anything that will fit in it. The biggest advantage is that it will take anything down to rust free clean metal. I almost never use it for engine parts though.

It's not a huge time saver as really rusty stuff can require a few of passes, but it if you're looking for pristine rust free, it's the way to go.

For engines or anything greasy, I boil a few pots of water, get it as hot as I can stand and wash it with Dawn dish soap. I also use a small pressure washing air tool to get into nooks and crannies.

I've seen that some smaller biz/home mechanics are starting to use the newer generation of "safer" paint thinner or low VOC minerals spirits with like 65% lower fumes to clean parts. I would like to grab a Big Red parts washer and try that. Solvents are pretty bad for you in an enclosed shop environment.

I also agree that hot water and dawn work great, either in a parts washer or in one of those cheap large plastic cement mixing tubs.

Started with crusty engine




Most of the crud hosed off


Media blasting cabinet at local cylinderhead rebuilding workshop.


Media used is glass bead with a touch of aluminum oxide granules to really get to the harder stuff that bead only is not able to knock loose.



Out come nice matte parts

Here is the thingy I use for cleaning engines.

https://www.harborfreight.com/engine-cleaning-gun-68290.html

Good for my bus cases for cleaning out oil galleries. I would never blast a bus case as I would never get all the media out. Vespa cases don't really have that problem. Fine glass bead is good for smoothing out a scored piston. Blast cabinets are like welding machines…you will find no end of use for it.

One last thing about home sand blasting. It's tedious even with a decent size home compressor. The air heats up from continuous use and gets moisture in it, so you are taking the gun and hose apart to clean, unclog, etc…another stretch of good blasting and repeat. As a hobbyist, I have found that it's still worth it, because nothing else will get something clean-pristine rust-free. Some parts are worth the effort.

One cycle in the dishwasher (while the wife is visiting her mom (remove the evidence before she returns (most important))) does wonders for aluminium engine parts.

The old vinegar-electrolysis method is very good for removing rust.

Thanks you guys. Great info! I'd love to have access to a cabinet after parts have been pressure washed and scrubbed but it's a big debate because of size constraints.

I really don't have the room for a 3'x2' cabinet hogging up parking space for a scooter.

i bought a harbor freight blasting cabinet about 15 years ago. Most of the time it kinda sucks...the rest of the time it sucks. When it works, it's a REALLY slow process if there's only light rust or flaky paint. I did seal all the joints in the cabinet with silicone caulk. It helps keep some of the dust down. I usually just carry the whole cabinet outside whenever i need to use it so that i don't get a bunch of dust inside the shop. It's also very difficult to see in through the clear viewing panel because of all the shadows and glare. All that being said, i suppose it's better than nothing, but hindsight i wouldn't have bought it. The juice definitely wasn't worth the squeeze for me.

Thanks for the insight. All you mentioned is exactly what I was concerned might happen. Considering all the YouTube vids modding the cabinets to be useful.....

I think I'll stick with my palm sander and small pan sand mixing tray for now.

I recommend taking a visit to a shop near you that sales blasting equipment. I have no idea what is in your area, but that is where I would start. Decent equipment is not going to be cheap. . . And cheap equipment is not going to be decent.

The HF cabinet is not a bad deal. It's just a box. What makes the difference is the quality of everything else. A pro shop would have a big 2-stage compressor and a good air drying and dust collection system. The venturi at the bottom of the cabinet also makes a big difference.

A hobby set up is a lot of frogging around to keep it going. For me, it's worth it because of the low volume of stuff that I do.

HF also has a sandblaster with a hopper that works surprisingly well if you can work outside. I usually throw a tarp down and recycle the media after pouring it through a screen. Because it's so time consuming, I'm really selective about what I blast. I also remove as much of the paint and whatever mechanically before blasting and use it only to get rid of rust.

Great idea, but I'm in a small town....

1) don'tgotheredotcom for the reasons Whodat mentions.

2) I've been following YOUR methods

Heh heh, thanks man!

Been toying with the idea of getting a 30L ultrasonic cleaner at my day job.
We've used a very small (less than 3L) and very old simple version for decades.

No substitute for elbow grease, right?
But it's pretty amazing what they can do in short order, as I imagine others here can attest with the smaller guys.

Bumps-up Evapo-Rust and Simple Green* -- both almost green enough to drink(?).

*Or other solvents a little bit more toxic

Love this - wonder how big it would need to be to fit our case halves.
Have seen guys in the model airplane world use and swear by anti-freeze for the "media".
I'm a fan of evaporust - and plan to have a large plastic tub with lid in the shop.
This sure would be tempting tho...

psst! psst! amazon sells 5gal of evaporust to your door for around $100

ultrasonic is next on my hit list... probably something in the the 30L size...

I'd be curious to get your take on one, there's one on my list too.

Trying the new lift table this week and working a deal for a lovingly abused 12-ton shop press. Other useful tooling will have to wait a bit.

I found evaporust and the other one pretty lackluster after using this product.

https://bilthamber.com/product/deox-c/

interesting... does it remove gunk, grease and all the nasty as well?

besides knowing that they work on small stuff I know very little about them. noise wise or amount of time needed or what's good or bad. but I'm ready to splash some cash and make it happen.

the center jack is a game changer. I've had my K&L for years and it works just as good as day one. it is, however like 3x the price of the amazon/ebay specials. a hobby/enthusiast that uses one regularly should be okay with one of those though and not need to splash the cash.

It's pretty great stuff. I like that it doesn't age as quickly as the pre made stuff. You only need to mix as much as you need. You can make it stronger by using more. Non toxic.

Still a fan of Simple Green.

I've got a HF small one, just big enough for a dismantled carb. It works decent enough but bigger would be better....

I've been using Oxi-Clean laundry detergent in the mini ultrasonic (just big enough for a carb). Decent cleaner for all material.

I've had reactions with simple green and aluminum before. Even hade the stuff safe for aluminum, so I don't use it anymore...

I have a K&L scissor lift and use it all the time. it's like all the blocks of wood in one adjustable package.

https://dealer.klsupply.com//jacks-stands/mc450-center-jack-with-optional-pad.asp

Anyone with a pressure washer can get a wet blasting attacment, about $30.
For say the grubby, oxidized engine in an above post.

I've been using a rust remover called Metal Rescue. It's a soak, similar to Evapo Rust, clear, biodegradable, non-toxic, etc. and quite a bit less expensive. Might even be the same formula. I think it works just as well or better.

By the way, rust removers work a LOT better if they're hearted up - 80° or above. Makes a big difference.

I have a 15L ultrasonic cleaner that I use Simple Green in, and it does pretty amazing work. It'll fit pretty much any engine part short of the cases, just drop it in, and I've even run cases through by rotating them to do a section at a time.

If I were doing it again, I'd probably go for the full 30L option, but I was trying to conserve bench space (and budget) at the time and was just thinking about parts, not full cases.

I do need to change out the cleaner, so maybe I'll try something new just to see how it compares.

I used to work with a guy who had a big, industrial-grade blasting cabinet and he had, at best, a love-hate relationship with it--and he had a professional grade air system for it. He eventually sold it off because he decided it just wasn't worth the floor space.

Interestingly, one of his hobbies was restoring and flipping old industrial air compressors, which I'd never heard of until I met him.

The ultrasonic cleaner is a great idea. A friend of mine has one and did my VW bus oil cooler. Amazing what came out of it.

I think even good blast cabinets are fussy. Every time they are used, they take some tweaking to work well. Since I have moved garages, it is the only thing I haven't set up yet.

https://www.amazon.com/Simple-Green-Extreme-Aircraft-Precision/dp/B001VXU7OE?th=1

$$ but the dilution spec in an ultrasonic cleaner makes it not so $$.

Thanks Ray - I'll give it a shot!