I'd get into contact with Blastech.

But if you want some advice from a blaster;

I have only ever had experience with Sandblasting. You can get all sorts of material depending on the guage of steel you are blasting.

I understand that soda blasting (larger particles than your standard shop shelf Baking Soda) is alot softer in terms texture and grain. The 'soft' aspect of the material and the fact that you can blast at 30psi makes it a very gentle process. I have seen it used to take stickers off glass, that's how soft if it is.

It is still the same operating system, maybe a few differences here and there but the trick with Soda is the crystal particles. Sometimes (well most times) water is used (with Soda blasting) primarily as a dust supressant and secondarily as a cleaner (activates the baking soda). I suggest you stay away from the water. They generally use soda blasting for cleaning up.

By the sounds of things I would suspect that soda blasting would be ideal for automotive application. However, there is nothing wrong with using blasting sand, you can purchase the fine stuff. I actually pick what material I use (secondhand grade which is finer and softer) off the floor of the blasting bay. Normally on hotter, drier days.

You can sand-blast at 75PSI and your dead-mans handle will still engage. At this pressure you'd have to be pretty daft to bugger a panel up.

There is nothing wrong with using sand-blast material. The particles do abrade the steel alot more but that is the whole idea of using high build primers, to fill the minute imperfections.

Soda is soft and behaves so well that you can still blast at very low PSI.

Running 115psi on the big Ingersoll -Rand (Blastech blast system, air-prep etc) using a size 4 nozzle will give an approximate particle speed of 475km/h (optimum particle speed). When the particles hit the steel they do not collapse or disintegrate as much. When soda crystals smack into the surface they explode and abrade on a minute scale, making the Soda Blasting proccess alot more appealing for people doing small scale, light guage work.

So when people make provocative, generalised comments (in the other thread) like:

"Nah sand blasting is a thing of the past belongs with Dinosaurs, extinct. Soda blasting kicks but over it now."

They lack the capacity to recognise that Sand-blasting isn't just specific to the automotive industry. It is by far the best performer when you're doing heavy guage, rusty steel. And larger, bigger scale work projects like Truck Bodies, Terex Diggers, Dozers, STPs, Shipping Containers etc etc. Hence why there are still so many sand-blasters around.

I would do Soda if I had the cash and if were for spot work. But I would definitely consider Sand if the price were an issue (I don't know cost per ton of Soda).

We don't do vehicle bodies at work purely because of the brute strength of the Sand-Blaster. I however took to my little 1000 with it and blasted much of the body at 125psi (running two compressors into the same line) and got no issues at all. I did screw the Bonnet up basically because the second compressor didn't get shut down (so I eat my words!).

Your choice Don.

I Sand-Blasted because it was free. But I'd choose Soda if the price was good.

Is this for the 120y?