StarBlast Ultra by DuPont....

[Swairlines]

I've been told that this is a superior sand blasting abrasive......I'm gearing up to put my vehicle on a rotisserie and would like to know if anyone here has any experience with this stuff....

[Yoda4561]

It's probably one of the best all around blast abrasives there is. Cheap, low silica, low dust. Ultra will blast similar to 60 grit AlOx and leave a pretty rough surface, good for primer adhesion. It's MUCH more aggressive regarding metal removal than glass beads or coal slag, so don't overdo it on sheetmetal. In fact I'd say go with the regular starblast or starblast XL on body panels. One really good thing is you're in tampa, they have a distributor there who sells it so you can get it locally, will save you BIGTIME on shipping costs.

[Happyfunballs]

I used fine river sand on the underbody, interior, etc. Everything but exterior body panels. $6 per 80lb bag. Worked fine.

[John Wright]

I used fine river sand on the underbody, interior, etc. Everything but exterior body panels. $6 per 80lb bag. Worked fine.

That will work too...but watch out for those lungs...they need some filtration to stay healthy

[Yoda4561]

Yah, If anyone does use sand, wear at the very least a fine particulate respirator, and I don't mean one of those cheapo dust masks. For small stuff outdoors from time to time, it's not that big a deal, but doing a whole car in an enclosed space, you're setting yourself up for severe health issues later on down the road.

[Swairlines]

It's probably one of the best all around blast abrasives there is. Cheap, low silica, low dust. Ultra will blast similar to 60 grit AlOx and leave a pretty rough surface, good for primer adhesion. It's MUCH more aggressive regarding metal removal than glass beads or coal slag, so don't overdo it on sheetmetal. In fact I'd say go with the regular starblast or starblast XL on body panels. One really good thing is you're in tampa, they have a distributor there who sells it so you can get it locally, will save you BIGTIME on shipping costs.

Dan,

Might you know of a point of contact down here in Tampa? I've run in to roadblocks trying to get some of this stuff.....pm me if you have any info...

As for needing a respirator I have a new 3M 6600 full face respirator. Will that be enough respiratory protection?

[Yoda4561]

I ordered mine in online, so no personal contacts. But these folks should be able to set you up. http://www.fsscompany.com/

A full face respirator is just fine for starblast, as is a decent dustmask. The warning was for folks using beach sand type media, when it impacts it shatters into ultra fine free silica particles that can bypass many masks, and used long term will cause irreversible lung damage, google silicosis+sandblasting if you're curious. It's a bigger problem when people recycle their media, but still I consider it too high of a risk to bother with.

[Swairlines]

Dan,

Thanks for that info...I did some further research and found a place called NT Ruddock (http://www.ntruddock.com/index.html) and found that they have their main office in Cleveland but have a warehouse in Tampa....Well since I live in the N. Tampa area I'm gonna be able to save shipping on about 200 lbs of StarBlast Ultra....I'm SO very luck to have found them...and some of their prices on this stuff are very reasonable...at least of which I found.

Thanks again...

[John Wright]

Re: respirator

be clean shaven, check for a good fit...place your hand over the exhale valve and make sure it will develope a good seal to your face....sometimes a light coat of vasiline will help it seal...but the grit will stick to it too.