6 real jobs, start to finish

What each job was, why the old way didn’t cut it, the setup, how it ran and what it took. Photos from the jobs themselves.

    At a glance

    Project The job Time Media Media cost Rig

    * Estimate for a job this size, media at the BMW job’s rate (15 bags ≈ $350). Only the BMW figures are measured.

    VW Baja Bug body: Before and afterVW Baja Bug body: BeforeVW Baja Bug body: Close upVW Baja Bug body: BlastingVW Baja Bug body: Bare steelVW Baja Bug body: Under the canopyVW Baja Bug body: A door, up closeVW Baja Bug body: The rockerVehicles
    Before and after

    VW Baja Bug body

    Yellow paint off the whole body, outside in a dirt yard.

    Time
    ~1 day
    Media
    ~10 bags
    Media cost
    ~$235

    Estimates for a job this size.

    The problem

    Yellow paint over old filler and rust spots, on curved panels a sander would flatten. Plus a front end full of tubes and brackets.

    The setup

    Outside on ground you can hose down, a canopy for shade, a pressure washer and the Carbide 600. Ceramic for the tubes and door edges.

    How it ran

    1. Big panels with the Carbide 600
    2. Overlap each pass a little
    3. Doors and rockers up close
    4. Tubes and brackets with the ceramic nozzle
    5. Rinse it all down

    The finish

    Rinse, dry, AP1 on the bare steel and primer the same day. Only blast what you can prime that day.

    Get this setup Carbide 600 Pro — Gravity-Fed Bag System $651.00 Read the full project
    1972 BMW 2002 shell: Rust on one side, bare steel on the other1972 BMW 2002 shell: Before1972 BMW 2002 shell: Blasting1972 BMW 2002 shell: Bare steel1972 BMW 2002 shell: Primer1972 BMW 2002 shell: The tank beside the shell1972 BMW 2002 shell: The bare shell1972 BMW 2002 shell: Wiping down before treatingVehicles
    Rust on one side, bare steel on the other

    1972 BMW 2002 shell

    Paint, filler and rust off the whole shell in a driveway, ready for primer.

    Time
    4–6 hrs
    Media
    15 bags
    Media cost
    ~$350

    Real figures from this job.

    The problem

    Decades of paint, filler and surface rust on every panel, plus the inside of the shell. Sanding would take weeks and still miss the seams.

    The setup

    A gas pressure washer, the Tank Rig and a canopy for shade. Plastic over the glass and the interior, a tarp under the car to catch the media.

    How it ran

    1. Mask the glass, openings and anything you keep
    2. Rockers and lower panels first
    3. Roof and upper panels, top down
    4. Jambs, edges and seams with the ceramic nozzle
    5. Inside surfaces, their own pass
    6. Rinse the whole shell, then treat it

    The finish

    Inhibitor in the last rinse, AP1 on the bare steel, primed the same day.

    Get this setup Carbide 600 Pro — Inductor Tank System $1,304.00 Read the full project
    1980s Chevy Caprice frame: Before and after1980s Chevy Caprice frame: Before1980s Chevy Caprice frame: Blasting1980s Chevy Caprice frame: Bare steel1980s Chevy Caprice frame: Painted1980s Chevy Caprice frame: Hung from a chain hoist1980s Chevy Caprice frame: The bare frame1980s Chevy Caprice frame: Sealed in gloss blackFrames
    Before and after

    1980s Chevy Caprice frame

    Rust and old undercoat off the frame and suspension, then sealed in gloss black.

    Time
    ~1 day
    Media
    ~8 bags
    Media cost
    ~$190

    Estimates for a job this size.

    The problem

    A frame is all corners: boxed rails, brackets, spring perches. A wire wheel can’t reach most of it, and rust left in a seam keeps spreading under new paint.

    The setup

    Body off, the frame up on stands or hung from a hoist. A pressure washer from 1,800 PSI up, the Bag Rig with the gravity bag hung from a beam.

    How it ran

    1. Body off, frame up where you can reach underneath
    2. Rails first, one side at a time
    3. Crossmembers, brackets and spring perches
    4. Inside the channels with the ceramic nozzle
    5. Flush the sand out of every rail

    The finish

    Flushed, inhibitor then AP1, dried inside the channels, then chassis black the same day.

    Get this setup Carbide 600 Pro — Gravity-Fed Bag System $651.00 Read the full project
    Ford Raptor hood: Before and afterFord Raptor hood: BeforeFord Raptor hood: BlastingFord Raptor hood: Bare steelFord Raptor hood: CoatedFord Raptor hood: Treating the bare hoodFord Raptor hood: Dry, then coatedPanels
    Before and after

    Ford Raptor hood

    Factory paint stripped off one hood in a single session, then coated.

    Time
    ~2 hrs
    Media
    ~2 bags
    Media cost
    ~$50

    Estimates for a job this size.

    The problem

    A hood is big, flat and thin. Sanders heat it and can ripple it; chemical stripper is slow and messy on clear coat.

    The setup

    The hood flat on a pallet at a height you can work at, a tarp under it, a pressure washer from 1,800 PSI up.

    How it ran

    1. Edges and vents first, with the ceramic nozzle
    2. Then the flat in long, even passes
    3. Keep the nozzle the same distance
    4. Rinse it down

    The finish

    AP1 sprayed on, brushed in, wiped clean, dried, then coated.

    Get this setup Carbide 600 Pro — Gravity-Fed Bag System $651.00 Read the full project
    Ford truck door: Before and afterFord truck door: StartFord truck door: Close upFord truck door: Bare steelFord truck door: CoatedFord truck door: Against the wallFord truck door: Working down the doorFord truck door: Up closePanels
    Before and after

    Ford truck door

    Old paint and surface rust off a door skin, back to clean steel and recoated.

    Time
    ~1 hr
    Media
    ~1 bag
    Media cost
    ~$25

    Estimates for a job this size.

    The problem

    Old paint and surface rust over a bead line and sharp edges. A sander cuts through the edges and flattens the line.

    The setup

    The door stood up on wood blocks against a wall. One person, one gun: Carbide 600 for the skin, ceramic for the edges and the handle pocket.

    How it ran

    1. Start at the top corner
    2. Work down in strips, overlapping a little
    3. Bead line and edges with the ceramic nozzle
    4. Rinse it down

    The finish

    Treated and primed the same day, the inside face too: water sits in the bottom seam and rust starts there first.

    Get this setup Carbide 600 Pro — Gravity-Fed Bag System $651.00 Read the full project
    Utility trailer: Rust coming off the meshUtility trailer: The jobUtility trailer: RailsUtility trailer: Close upUtility trailer: MeshUtility trailer: The tank beside the workUtility trailer: Along the side railUtility trailer: The top rail, bareTrailers
    Rust coming off the mesh

    Utility trailer

    Rusty rails and mesh deck blasted clean before the frame rots through.

    Time
    One afternoon
    Media
    ~6 bags
    Media cost
    ~$140

    Estimates for a job this size.

    The problem

    Rails and a mesh deck: hundreds of small openings and edges where rust starts. A wire wheel can’t get into the mesh.

    The setup

    The tank on its stand beside the trailer: fill it once and keep going. A pressure washer from 1,800 PSI up, ground you can hose down.

    How it ran

    1. Top rails, one side at a time
    2. The mesh deck, at an angle so the stream goes through
    3. Uprights and corners
    4. Under the deck and the tongue
    5. Rinse it down

    The finish

    Inhibitor in the last rinse, the mesh left to drain, AP1, then paint the same day.

    Get this setup Carbide 600 Pro — Inductor Tank System $1,304.00 Read the full project

    Watch it strip steel

    Carbide 600 and the inductor tank, running on everyday pressure washers.

    Carbide 600
    Rust → bare metal

    Caprice frame rail · 0:13

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