Soda Blaster For Carb Cleaning Rebuilding or anything clean
Posted
#909188
(In Topic #107461)
Settling In
Soda Blaster For Carb Cleaning Rebuilding or anything clean
Blast them!! "But wait", you say, "Blasting my carbs will fill them with grit that I'll never get out and my expensive carbs will be ruined." The solution is to use baking soda as the media. Yes, common, household baking soda!! "But don't I have to own a blasting cabinet or pressure blaster in order to blast my carbs??" The answer is NO. Below is a list of the items you need in addition to an air source like an air compressor (and you don't need a large compressor either):
-1 - air gun attachment
1 - two foot length of 7/16" clear vinyl hose
1 - one foot piece of wood dowel, metal rod or thick wire
1 - box of baking soda
1 - small roll of tape (masking or duct)
1 - sharp knife (or razor blade)
You start by cutting your length of vinyl hose approximately 2-2.5 feet long. Vinyl hose is available at home stores like Home Depot, Lowes, etc. for around $2.00 for a 10 foot roll. Then measure from one end in about 2" and mark it with a Sharpie.
Take your knife or razor blade and make a small cut across the hose ONLY through one side. The cut needs to be just large enough so that the tip of the air wand attachment will stick into the hose. Stick the tip of the air wand into the hose and let it stick in about 1/4" - 1/2".
Positioning your wand tip like this will create a ventricle effect in the hose causing the soda to be pulled up from the box and mixed with the high pressure air from the wand. Use one length of tape to wrap around the end of the air wand and hose. This will keep the hose in the proper position on the wand tip during blasting.
I cut the other end of the vinyl hose at a 45 degree angle to allow better flow of the soda into the hose. Then I tape the piece of dowel, metal rod or wire to the other end of the hose. This will help keep it from curling up in the box of soda and help you keep good flow into the hose.
Now you have your ultra low-tech & cheap soda blaster ready for blasting!!
WARNING: Blasting should ONLY be done outside in a well ventilated area such as a patio or concrete driveway. Of course proper eye protection and a face mask should always be worn. Baking soda is not poisonous but it feels like your breathing a soft drink if you inhale it and it's irritating, so protect those lungs!!
Baking soda will get all over you and the surrounding area, but don't worry, it won't harm anything. Just wear some cloths you don't need to wear for a hot date later because they will be coated white when you're done. Adjust your air pressure to about 80 - 90 psi on your compressor. You only need to hold the blaster tip about 6" or so from your carb parts and begin the blasting.
Soda is a soft media and will not harm the factory finish of your carbs. It removes all organic matter from the carb bodies as well as heavy corrosion scale in aluminum. It will not remove rust or corrosion from steel hardware; it only removes the scale build-up. You can freely blast into passages and the carb bowls since soda dissolves with water!!
Once you are finished blasting, simply place all your parts into a pot of warm tap water. The soda will dissolve into the water and leave NO RESIDUE behind. Then blow out the passages with air just as you normally would and your carbs are ready for re-assembly.
The mess on the concrete cleans up just as easy. Simply spray it down with the garden hose to dissolve the soda. NO caustic chemicals to seep into the ground water for future generations to deal with; this is a real "green" solution to carb cleaning and it's inexpensive too.
Below are a few before and after photos of some rare Porsche 356 carbs that I cleaned with this exact low-tech blaster. The results speak for themselves. Total cost for this blaster is about $5 including the box of soda!! So the next time you need your carbs cleaned, give this AircooledTech; Tools-on-the-cheap soda blaster a try and see what you think. I'll bet you never go back to chemical carb cleaners again!!
Posted
Moderator
I use a ultrasonic cleaner, but i'm lucky.
Ever growing range of new mk1 golf parts www.classic-vw.co.uk
Posted
Local Hero
Posted
Old Timer
Would this be okay to use on other parts of the engine; gearbox, engine block etc?
Posted
Old Timer
you will never go back to a wire brush
booze and boredom, the greatest mix
Posted
Settling In
Downster32 said
Nice work.
Would this be okay to use on other parts of the engine; gearbox, engine block etc?
yes
Posted
Moderator
Posted
Settling In
Of course other supermarkets are available !
Posted
Old Timer
Posted
Settling In
Posted
Settling In
Posted
Old Timer
One thing to note though it kills grass lol
Still paying the price with my wife
Posted
Settling In
scott
0 guests and 0 members have just viewed this: None.