media blasting instead of sanding

[amanphoto]

I want to bottom paint my boat. It has nothing now but gelcoat. I was told I need to sand the entire bottom with 80 grit sandpaper before I put the barrier coat on. I was wondering if I could media blast the boat to save some time and make it easier on the uneven surfaces of the bottom.

 

[r.j.dawg]

Re: media blasting instead of sanding

Sure can. Soda blasting works best. Just make sure the areas you don't want blasted are taped off and covered with plastic sheeting.

 

[fish master]

Re: media blasting instead of sanding

all kinds of blasting can get you into a lot of trouble uneven, too fast doesn't do a good job to slow can possibly put holes and an uneven surface that would have to be filled with body filler /primed and sanded for paint. if you just sand it with a finer sand paper 220 or finer. The only spots that would need primed is repairs. Talk to your local boat repair shop or body shop. to find out what there doing. I have done industrial blasting and painting and bodyman painter. the automotive industry is not much different. hope this helps.

 

[5150abf]

Re: media blasting instead of sanding

+1^ and the media blast won't give you anything close to an 80 grit surface so you paint may/may not stick.

As with many things in life you can do it right once or do it again if your wrong and this probably isn't somthing you want to do twice.

I paint to and understand, sanding is the worst and most time consuming part of painting but it is also the most important part.

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: media blasting instead of sanding

Soda Blasting blasting uses a very coarse version of common Baking Soda, Sodium Bicarbonate.
It is fairly gently on the substrate. Commonly used to remove paint graffiti from wood or brick.

Other bast media can be more abrasive than driveway gravel if you wanted it!
Media Blasting is the same thing as sanding, just without the paper.
You can get any grade of finish you wish by using the proper media and air pressure.
The real plus is NO Elbow Grease required, and it goes much faster.