Q. How much does it cost? That is usually the first question I get after the introduction.

A. The answer to that question is predicated on many things on your vehicle or parts. I base my prices on the size of the vehicle, assembled or disassembled, multi-layers of material build up & what the base material consists of whether it is sheet metal, aluminum, Fiberglas or composite. How much of the surface area  is also a factor. As a paint & body repair specialist, I do other things beside blast off paint. I take many things into consideration before pricing. So seeing & discussing is part of the pricing process for me. Other people in the business do it differently most of the time. The ones that will give a one-price-all are not doing what I do.  They don't have background experience as I do so there lies the difference in the prices you will get when you call other operations. Like calling Maaco & a Lexus dealer for painting. Just different pricing levels for the quality of product, along with the service that you get for what you are trying to accomplish.

Q. Do I have to remove the glass & chrome?

A. No, it is not necessary to remove the glass & chrome. The plastic media is not aggressive enough to harm glass & heavy chrome. The media is harder than most acrylic paints & softer than the metal. The plastic lenses along with lead, potmetal & soft chrome will pit it not protected or removed. Emblems and soft ID badges will also pit. I do recommend removing the glass & handles to get a lot better strip job. Everything is exposed if it is disassembled & therefore will save the time to come back & either sand around or remove it later. All the inner mechanisms usually have oil & grease on them & will build up with the dust from blasting along with some of the plastic grit. Therefore, I would rather do it with the inner mechanical removed but either way will work depending on what you are wanting to accomplish.

Q. Can I just blast the outside, my jambs are in real good shape?

A. Yes, the outside can be blasted only. If color changing, I recommend doing the jambs too as to not have any incompatibility problems when you go back over them with new & improved materials we have today, especially if it hasn't been painted by a reputable shop in the last few years. OEM Paint from the 30's-90's are not as durable as what is on the market today so it is better to do the jambs. Always a choice for the vehicle owner to make. If I am to do the restoration, I will strip the complete vehicle to avoid down the road problems that arise in the process. Also most reliable shops will not even give a ballpark price on a resto without seeing the vehicle completely stripped. On the other hand  the jambs are a matter of choice if you are wanting to cut corners to save funds.

Q. How long does it take?

A. Some shops that are blasting will give you one day service. Most of the vehicles I do for people will need to be prepared for the stripping process. If I have to build brackets to be able to use the rotiserre then it is longer. I have rarely been able to blast a vehicle in an 8 hr. day due to layers of paint, bondo, taping jambs for protection for outside only blast, & doing steam cleaning underneath to remove grease & road grime before blasting to eliminate contamination of the blast media. It has to remain as pure as possible to insure that the next vehicle will not leave with a coat of grease or oil on the metal surface. Every shop that does Plastic media Blasting has to recycle the media numerous times to make it cost effective to operate. The media product is pricey compared to silica, black beauty, aluminum oxide etc.

Q. Do I have to get primer or sealer on the surface as soon as you are done?

A. Not necessarily. If the vehicle has not had the zinc phosphate coating that was on the vehicle from the factory removed by grinding or heavy sanding, then the surface will hold up very well in a garage or shop for quite a long time. The only things that need to be treated are areas where bondo was removed or the areas that have been ground. Of course it is always to your advantage to get the surface sealed to prevent oxidation as soon as possible. Some people have heavy acid content in the system, then if they handle the metal or touch it, the surface will show a hand mark within a couple of hours. Otherwise, I have had vehicles in my shop for months to years without sealing or having an oxidation problem. I also offer this service in house for a fee.

Q.Why not just sand blast it to make sure I get all the rust off?

A. Just because you can not see the surface rust does not mean it is gone from the lower levels of the metal. Without doing a microscopic test to see if there is anything smaller than can be detected by the human eye. I always recommend treating after sand blasting. Plastic media will only remove the light surface rust areas & stains at the most. Plastic media is a paint removal product, it does not remove metal as the other blasting procedures do. Plastic, unlike sand, aluminum oxide or any other grit products is propelled with 20-30 psi instead of the 90-110 of the other products. Therefore the grit is what removes the paint not the force of the impact. A few people mix up the term bead & grit. Plastic is a grit cut product that works  with edges of the grit to do the stripping. Beads are just that, small round beads that have to pulverize to cut what needs to be removed, therefore more force is needed to do removal process. Thus the heat transfer is a problem on some sheet metal, can cause warping.

Q. Will there be any warping on my vehicle?

A. With plastic grit, there is not heat transfer to the base metal. The low blast pressure & the shape of the grit remove the paint fairly easily & a layer at a time in most cases. The strip rate on every vehicle is different.

Q. Can you do Fiberglas & will it pit it bad?

A. A lot of variables are present again. As I said in earlier question/answers above, that all the surfaces will strip differently. Fiberglas cars vary through the years with different types of substrates. Late 50's to early 60's are mainly Fiberglas resin layups with mat or cloth laid under for the strength. Mid 60's & up have more of a real thin layer of epoxy type gel coat with a composite substrate for the strength. Depending on how long the vehicle sat in the sun through the years plays a major role in the integrity of the substrate when it is stripped. Some absorb & integrate the paint into the gelcoat/epoxy & are difficult to get just the paint removed without light pitting of the fiberglas. Sometimes 3-4 paint jobs are stripped off of one vehicle & then the original has UV damage hidden underneath with the OEM paint that is still on the car. Removing with some pitting can be expected but can be surfaced with file board & 40 grit paper & redone with 80 grit to smooth. All surfaces will have to be flattened with resurfacer & blocked to achieve the desired results. No different than if you take the paint off with a grinder or sander. Aircraft chemical stripper is another alternative but is extremely time & labor intensive & doesn't do as good a job as Plastic media blasting. The cracks & crevices take a long time to clean out with this method. Not to count the hazardous issues when using it, plus the softening of the get coat if used too extensively.

Q. Can you blast aluminum?

A. The answer again is yes. The different types of plastic grit can be used from the size of baking soda to the grit a little smaller than kitty litter. The desired results can be achieved with the smaller a majority of the time. Aluminum comes out with the best results over sheetmetal & Fiberglas. It has to be done with TLC just like the fiberglass but the results are very surprising to most. Vehicles & aircraft types of aluminum will come extremely clean without warping. Most aircraft manufacture facilities use this process to strip in house projects & for cleanup. Bell helicopter is a prime example. They use this method extensively.

Q. Can I do it in stages or pieces while I work on other parts of my project?

A. Yes, I will blast parts, assembled or disassembled along with helping with disassemble for a nominal charge. Can do parts first & body later, etc.

Q. How long have you been doing the blasting?

A. I have been doing the blasting for 2 years now but have been working around it by using the Plastic media blasting process for over 20 years. Plastic media has been around that long but has been used mainly by aircraft industry due to cost factors.

Q. Do you pick up & deliver?

A. Yes for pick up & delivery charge depending on distance.