Soda Blasting

[kwaka]

Hi all. While my engine is apart, i want to clean all the alloy. Recently someone suggested soda blasting as opposed to bead blasting, because the soda they use easily disolves and therefore there is no risk of leaving garnet or beads hidden in some recess. It also means that you dont have to drill out the plugs in the head etc. Has anybody had experience with this, and if so whats the verdict? Is the finish good? Is it expensive?
Cheers

[Pasc]

I'd be interested to know of anyone who does soda blasting also. I have searched around on t'interweb but haven't had any luck finding someone.

[Pigford]

Actually its pronounced:

SOD-THE-BLASTING

coz elbow grease is best

[Pasc]

Kwaka, did a bit of searching today and found these two firms local to me.
I will be trying one of them out on a cylinder head in the next couple of weeks (providing their quote isn't stupidly excessive).
The process is ecologically sound so I reckon that means I can burn a bit more fossil fuel as a trade off.
http://www.ecologicsystems.co.uk/

http://www.ecoblast.co.uk/contact.php

Pigford, see me later.

[Pigford]

Pasc,

[Pasc]

I spoke to a couple of soda blasters down my way today. The first one has quoted me ?400 to ?500 for a cylinder head (robbing fekker).
The second chap was very helpful and quoted ?40 - ?50 plus vat for a head, which includes cleaning afterwards but he reccommended you also clean once more when you get it home and said the best cleaning fluid for soda blasting was diet coke. I will be having the head done in a week or two and will post the results. There is also no threat to your engine internals after the soda process.

[phil churchett]

I can only imagine what diet coke does to your stomach.

[floydsz1]

Phil, put a penny in a saucer of coke and leave it overnight. Brown sauce is good to. makes copper coins like new.

[Pigford]

Pasc, can you do a set of BEFORE & AFTER photos

Sounds quite interesting and keen to see results, Pasc the Guineapig

[Davy Doherty]

That's an excellent idea pigford you up for it pasc! I think they used soda blasting when cleaning the statue of liberty a few years ago!

[chrisNI]

That's an excellent idea pigford you up for it pasc! I think they used soda blasting when cleaning the statue of liberty a few years ago!

Davy you should go down the town and get a big packet of sodas and try cleaning some of your Z1 parts with them and get us some pictures of that. Or do a demo at Ballymena while Iain's doing the engine....

[Pasc]

Pasc, can you do a set of BEFORE & AFTER photos

Yep, certainly can. The head needs to go for a small welding job first then it will be off to the soda man so it might take a couple of weeks but watch this space.

Regarding the hidden properties of diet coke. Buy a packet of "mint mentos", drop one in the bottle of diet coke and see what happens.

[Steve Cooke]

[quote=" [/quote]

Not much chance of this soda stuff getting stuck in the engine orifices either.

[Pigford]

Thats all that SODA bread is good for, cleaning engines, 2nd only to a BRILLO pad

[ade woollams]

yes coke also will disolve raw steak overnight .and just as a twist they use out of date coke to prep the dragstrip with .think how sticky it is when its dry if you spill it on the floor.