Blasting bottom paint on a fiberglass boat

[Hachimo]

Just wondering  what medians people use to sandblast the bottompaint off.  After lookin into it and other members said usually they use sodium bicarbonate “baking soda”. I cant find it in bulk anywhere. Anyone know where i can get 50lb bags?   Also is there another median i can use without risking damage?

thanks for any help. 

Edited October 18, 2020 by Hachimo

[Hachimo]

LOL.  Just went to harbor freight and they have 50lb bags of sodium carbonate.  Maybe i should have read the bag last time i was there. I thought it was sand

[mudflat]

You will also fine sodium "bicarb" at most feed mills and farm stores

 

 

 

 

[High Bidder]

I tried this once. A sand blaster from Harbor Freight will probably not work very fast as mine didn't. It is also an extremely dusty operation. Right now the proper respirators are not available because all the companies are making Covid masks. I searched everywhere for new ones. The full coverage Tyvek coveralls are a must.  Tape your gloves to the sleeves. You will also find it will take quite a lot of medium to sand blast the whole hull. I would research the cost you'll get into the project and the frustration of doing it.  It might be more cost efficient to hire a company 

[High Bidder]

I should have mentioned. I ended up getting the special stripper to remove bottom paint. More elbow grease required but was less costly and did a excellent job. The hull I did was not sanded before painting however so all I had to do was use rubbing compound and Finesse finish coat to return to original finish.

Edited October 19, 2020 by High Bidder

[Hachimo]

I have a tagalong sandblaster and fresh air suit. Do alot of blasting on heavy equipment. Just never blasted fiberglass before.  I ran a few cups of soda trou the harbor freight blaster and it worked pretty good.  Definitely gonna take 5-6 bags of soda at $40 a bag to do a baha 280 weekender. 

17 minutes ago, High Bidder said:

I tried this once. A sand blaster from Harbor Freight will probably not work very fast as mine didn't. It is also an extremely dusty operation. Right now the proper respirators are not available because all the companies are making Covid masks. I searched everywhere for new ones. The full coverage Tyvek coveralls are a must.  Tape your gloves to the sleeves. You will also find it will take quite a lot of medium to sand blast the whole hull. I would research the cost you'll get into the project and the frustration of doing it.  It might be more cost efficient to hire a company