sandblasting a trailer

JML755

Well-known Member
I've got an old horse trailer that I'm re-purposing into a utility trailer. It's in so-so shape but considering it was FREE, I don't mind putting some money into 2x6 decking and repainting/rewiring it. I've already welded on a hitch frame to the front (it was a gooseneck that was torched off) and am looking to clean up the rusted frame.

I figure sand-blasting would be the easiest and would get into the nooks and crannies better. I'm thinking about setting up a framework of plastic sheeting around the area I'm working on and just using a large tarp and cardboard box of media under the area and moving it as I go.

My thought is to do it in the driveway instead of the garage so I wouldn't have to bother with a vacuum for dust collection.

Like to hear how others have done similar projects.
 
Check around for a commercial place to do it. Will probably be cheaper and a whole lot less of a mess than doing it yourself. We have a local place that uses steel shot. Does a real nice job
and couldn't buy the sand for what they charge to do a project.
 
I would NEVER do it in the garage. I sandblast in the yard, A tarp directly under the work will catch any piles and the rest
scatters causing no problems, as a matter of fact the grass seems to like it. I would only caution that it would probably be
prudent to not do it near the well or if pets run the area. The rust wont hurt anything, lead paint being the worry.
 
We live rural, I sandblast in my driveway outside my shop. Takes a lot of air, hope you have a large compressor. Large work here would be steel bar joists 25-30' long. No problem with a cheap HF pressure blaster. I replaced the IR air filter with an automotive one, large enough for a V8. Cheap to replace, and not where you want any restriction.

My original compressor was a small Sears unit. Worked, until it blew up one day. IR recommended I set my cut-out lower to give more volume. I also added a supplemental air tank, larger than the horizontal IR tank. Works great.
 
(quoted from post at 07:34:41 05/04/15) Check around for a commercial place to do it. Will probably be cheaper and a whole lot less of a mess than doing it yourself. We have a local place that uses steel shot. Does a real nice job
and couldn't buy the sand for what they charge to do a project.

Check with powder coat shops too, and then paint it yourself.
After I re-deck three haulers with jungle mat, my plan is to brush paint them with Rustoleum yellow.
 
Pat's repair in New Vienna Iowa does a lot of trailer blasting and priming.

I would give him a A+ rating.
 
Forget the paint.
After sandblasting bring it in and have it hot dipped galvanized.
This one was done 15 years ago and still doesn't have a speck of rust.

100_06691.jpg
 
I would second the galvanising suggestion . Here is my 6'x4' utility trailer , it is still almost as good as the day it was dipped after close to thirty years out in all sorts of weather . I have left it full of soil , brick sand and manure for weeks on occasions . Apart from the odd worn part of the deck surface caused by shovels scrapping it is still rust free.
mvphoto20377.jpg
 
hadn't thought about having someone else blast it and then galvanizing it. I'll check around. As for the air compressor, I've got a big accumulator I added to my smaller sears a/c. Haven't had a volume issue in a while.
 

I agree with the economy of the big outfits for a big job like that. They use big equipment that lets them get it done fast.
 
If you have a pressure washer get one of those siphon kits Northern Tools sells. Works great. No dust. You can stand back 5 feet and blast away.
 

Is that the '' wet sand blaster'' attachment available for Karcher and other brands ?
I have often wondered how effective they were .
 

hey guys, thanks! I checked out the Northern site and they have 2. The General model at $65 appears to be the best. I like the idea since I have a pretty good 3800 psi P/W. One reviewer said they used masonry sand but there were a few complaints about clogging. Masonry sand would be cheaper than buying the media at an industrial supply house. Any feedback on media for wet-blasting a rusty old trailer?
 
(quoted from post at 05:49:07 05/08/15)
hey guys, thanks! I checked out the Northern site and they have 2. The General model at $65 appears to be the best. I like the idea since I have a pretty good 3800 psi P/W. One reviewer said they used masonry sand but there were a few complaints about clogging. Masonry sand would be cheaper than buying the media at an industrial supply house. Any feedback on media for wet-blasting a rusty old trailer?

Regular sand is supposed to be really bad because of silica, but if it is in water I don't see how it could let out microscopic particles for you to inhale. I've never seen anybody us anything but the Aluminum Oxide
 
In spite of the risk od silicosis, sand is what they put on the roads in winter here. I guess bad lungs are ok, but rust is not?
Having COPD I tend to avoid a lot of dust, the waterblast seems a good method as long as you keep it from flash-rusting and keep the new beach damp.
 
I've never heard of a wet sand blaster, but perhaps there is a decent unit now. I can't imagine it could be as efficient as a pressure pot blaster. I have an old pot blaster I've used quite a bit over the past 30 yeart. I don't blast inside any kind of shelter. I do it sometimes on my driveway. The media I use is play sand. I run all my media through some scrap screen wire before it goes in my pot, even if it's straight out of the bag. It also must be completely dry. If you don't do that, you can guarantee it will clog. I re-use my sand. After a lot of blasting there will be quite a bit on the drive way. I'll sweep it up and re-screen it and use it again. It's a nasty job but it cleans very well. One thing for sure, you'll have a dust cloud around you while you're blasting. You should invest in a blast helmet if you don't want to be digging sand out of your eyes and ears for a week. LOL
 
(quoted from post at 14:48:31 05/08/15) In spite of the risk od silicosis, sand is what they put on the roads in winter here. I guess bad lungs are ok, but rust is not?
Having COPD I tend to avoid a lot of dust, the waterblast seems a good method as long as you keep it from flash-rusting and keep the new beach damp.

So they are blasting the sand down onto the roads there with enough pressure that it makes silica dust when it hits the road surface?
 
So they are blasting the sand down onto the roads there with enough pressure that it makes silica dust when it hits the road surface?

No, but cars grind it it to dust, and on a dry day it gets pretty dusty, and eventually ruins our windsheilds.
 

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