Sand blasting machines

[Nicos]

Has anyone ever used these?

Just wanting a bit of advice really.
Not sure whether to hire an expensive one for the day , or buy a cheapish one.

Also any tips??

It'll be used to remove paint from granite and varnish off wood.

[allotmentlady]

wiash u were closer pal we have one we have never used..........wonder how much it would be to send to you!

[NOG]

Why do you want to sand blast it off. Get it wrong and you will damage the surface...I would use one of these Oakey Paint & Varnish Remover - Screwfix.com, Where the Trade Buys Sand blasters get grit everywhere and you need face shield and mask.

[Hilary B]

What is wrong with Nitromors? (sp??)

[Nicos]

It just suddenly seems an easier option- there's so much to do...and I don't fancy using very strong chemicals cos of the fumes..we've already tried a few products with little success

Not really bothered about the mess as the room is stripped to the stone walls...and basically looks like a buitding site anyway -it's just a lazy /practical option!!

[Nicos]

wiash u were closer pal we have one we have never used..........wonder how much it would be to send to you!

Aw...you are a sweetie!!

[SlugLobber]

I would take the stuff to a shotblaster. It's not so much damage to the items you should be worried about, it's everything else in the vicinity!! Shot-blasters have pits, to make it easier!

[Hilary B]

It just suddenly seems an easier option- there's so much to do...and I don't fancy using very strong chemicals cos of the fumes..we've already tried a few products with little success

Not really bothered about the mess as the room is stripped to the stone walls...and basically looks like a buitding site anyway -it's just a lazy /practical option!!

It's quite a while since I used Nitromors, but as far as I can recall it smells a lot less than you might expect. It just softens the paint/varnish so that it will scrape off easily. Of course there is also the hot-air gun.......

[Nicos]

OK- the problem is that it's one of the rooms of our house we are renovating.
We've stripped it down to the stone and basic wood frame.

Norman houses expose all the woodwork- including the beams and joists- every foot there is a 3x3" timber with tooled edges which have been varnished several times..it's all overhead work...so it's going to be pretty messy whatever we do.
The superb granite fireplace is about 6 ft square and has a huge granite lintel - which has several coats of solid lead based paint which, the French equivalent of nitromores is hardly touching..the stonework is pitted, so it's difficult to get into the tiny hollows.A wire brush thingy on a drill just polishes the stone A neighbour said that hydrochloric acid is the way forwards!!! ( sand blasting seems so much simpler!!!!)

...yup I know doing all a bit of a time is the way forward...and needs to be done...I was just feeling a bit low yesterday and wanted to crack on with pottering in my garden/pottager.

Ah well it's raining today...so back to scrubbing stones and scraping woodwork!!!- the plus side is that my OH has the day off work so we can have a good natter as we work ! ( well....I can natter on- he can listen...and you lot can have a break from my nattering!!!!)

A wonderful tip I was given is that to remove waterbased paints is to slop on ash from a wood fire ( bonfire would possibly work- or BBQ???)leave it to dry, and the paint just scrapes off quite easily with a scraper....works a treat..and not using chemicals!!

[Hilary B]

If you sandblast the wood, you will lose any 'shaping', which would be a pity.
Hydrochloric acid is dangerous stuff. Nitromors is acid (don't know which one), but in a gel form that will stick where you want it. Liquid acid will probably run off too fast to soften the varnish. I am not convinced that sandblasting would remove paint from in the 'surface texture' of the granite. Try a hot-air gun, because most 'gloss' paint, and most varnish, softens when warmed (Nitromors does the same thing chemically).

Be careful handling ash-water. Added to fat/oil it makes soap; it can do this with the natural oil on your skin too, which results in VERY dry skin for few days!

[TEB]

I supposed it depends on how quick you want it done and how much you want to spend, you may end up spending just as much on a chemical solution and a lot more time as opposed to the sand blast option. Hire costs in the UK are about £100 for a days hire and that comes with all the safety gear but not the grit however you may also need to hire an air compressor. I have seen them being used on oak timbers to great effect, they are very messy and potentially lethal though.

[Flytrap]

Do you have a pressure washer?
I got a fairly cheap pressure washer a few years ago. I got an attachment for it that converted it into a sand blaster. This was basically just a metal thing that you attach and push into a bucket of sand. Although the sand had to be of a certain grade and was available to buy from B&Q at the time.
Not sure if all pressure washers have this function.

[Nicos]

OK- managed a good morning with the wire brush on the water based paint on the stone walls...every little helps!!!

Yup- we do have a pressure hose..I'll Google it to see if it can be upgraded- thanks- never knew some of them can!

The other thought about sandblasting the joists is tee is plasterboard resing on it above..I reckon we'd destroy that- and give ourselves an even bigger job!!

The builder is nipping over tonight to look at a replacement lintel he's going o set in ( It supports the main beam)...we'll pick his brains too!

[Hilary B]

OK- managed a good morning with the wire brush on the water based paint on the stone walls...every little helps!!!

Yup- we do have a pressure hose..I'll Google it to see if it can be upgraded- thanks- never knew some of them can!

The other thought about sandblasting the joists is tee is plasterboard resing on it above..I reckon we'd destroy that- and give ourselves an even bigger job!!

The builder is nipping over tonight to look at a replacement lintel he's going o set in ( It supports the main beam)...we'll pick his brains too!

There are all sorts of reasons for not sandblasting those timbers!
It may be the answer on the stone (I wouldn't do it that way, but I can see the point) but with timbers, there is the risk to the ceiling plaster, and if there are any slightly softened areas in the timber, sandblasting would rip those away too, possibly weakening the joists......

[Nicos]

but with timbers, there is the risk to the ceiling plaster, and if there are any slightly softened areas in the timber, sandblasting would rip those away too, possibly weakening the joists......

Good point...

The builder suggested we bought an attachment for the drill - called a 'Bouchard' for cleaning up the stones
No idea what that is in English- and can't seem to find a piccie on Google. It's something which apparently oscillates and gets into all the crevices. No good for wood though.
Might nip over to the 'tool yard' and act a dumb blonde

Looks like it's back to the original idea of lightly sanding the flat edges of the joists and using a varnish remover for the tooled edges so there's less gunk dropping on my head!

It's not as if it's going to take as long as the Sistine Chapel...although goodness knows how Michelangelo managed to paint upside down!!!!