Vapour Blasting in Rosewater, Adelaide
Contact : Brenton Roy
Phone: 0458 571 436
Your components professionally restored
FAQs
What Would You Like to Know?
Dismantle the parts as far as you can and remove any paint or grease. If you can’t we can do it for you. But it may add to the cost.
The completed finish can vary, depending on the type, condition and quality of the metal in the part.
In general, completed parts will have a fine smooth satin finish. This finish is excellent straight out of the blaster for many parts including carburetors, manifolds, cylinders and heads, valve covers, wheel hub centers, and just about any rough-cast engine parts commonly found on British, American, European and most Japanese motorcycles and cars.
Some classic, often Japanese motorcycles and cars had their diecast engine side covers finished to a smoother, flatter finish, what we'd call a 3/4 polish. Some hand finishing or polishing will be needed to restore that finish to those parts.
Some high end components have Magnesium metal as the base. This is very soft and over time can oxidise black if left untreated. The magnesium parts we see can sometimes be heavily pitted if they have been poorly painted or if the paint has chipped and flaked, trapping water. The gentleness of vapour blasting makes it an excellent treatment for Magnesium components but we recommend a good quality final coating to stop oxidisation.
Sometimes, there are surprises lurking under the ‘patina’ of old parts. Vapor blasting reveals all.. Old metal parts frequently have scratches, gouges, pits and pockmarks that are much harder to see on oxidized or dirty old aluminum. When they emerge from the blaster they are front and center in all their glory. Existing cracks or other damage that were formerly unseen will emerge – and while that is sometimes disappointing, it’s good to know before something gets put back into service. If you need to have a part welded, we can usually 'touch up' the repaired area for very little cost.
Some parts of (usually) Japanese motorcycle engines were painted at the factory, or sprayed with a clearcoat that is now usually yellowed and flaking. Once that’s stripped away, any casting flaws or dings or pits will be easier to see. But a freshly vapor blasted part is going to look different than a formerly painted or clear-coated part. We think the parts look better.
Where is Motoblast Aquablasting? Is it near me?
We may be your local vapour blaster :) - Our address is 32 Gill st, Rosewater - near Port Adelaide
Aqua blasting and vapour blasting are the same thing. Bead blasting is a dry process and more aggressive than vapour blasting. Bead blasting will create a matt finish that absorbs oil. Aqua Blasting will create a satin finish that is easy to maintain.
We will endeavor to turn around your parts within 5 – 10 working days of receiving them.
In some cases, by prior arrangement, we may be able to blast your parts while you wait .
Vapor blasting is an outstanding prep step prior to painting or polishing that will save you a lot of time and help you get a better result. Vapor blasting will remove the super hard layer of oxidation and the remnants of factory paints or clearcoats, and reduce the amount of sanding needed to prepare for buffing. This helps preserve the original shape and fine detail of your
valuable parts.
We sometimes do work for spray painters - and of course, some components are factory painted. If the paint is thick and well bonded, the value blasting process will struggle to remove it ( remember, it's a cleaning process). Depending on your budget and the parts themselves, we can either chemically strip the old paint or dry blast it. We would generally prefer to strip paint than remove metal from your parts.
If the material is scratched dented or damaged, Aqua blasting will not cover it up. It will put a uniform finish onto the surface. Cast materials have many small blemishes. If you want all the marks removed, spend time to buff them out before sending, or we can polish after blasting to give you the NOS look.
You can personally deliver your parts. Make an appointment first, to make sure we are in and because the machine makes it difficult to hear you arrive!
Otherwise, we accept work by mail order from anywhere in Australia. Once we receive your parts, we will contact you and confirm price and delivery. If you do not want to go ahead, we will return them free of charge.
Upon completion we will re pack your parts in your box or container and return them by Australia Post. If you packed and posted your parts to us, we will return them to that address, free of charge.
Yes, but we do not advise it! This is something that is carried out entirely at your own risk.
High pressure water and air will force the media in through the smallest of spaces or past soft structures like seals. Once inside the engine it can destroy bearings, block galleries and rapidly wear out moving components.
We can work with you to prepare and seal components if you choose this path. Please discuss this with us before you arrive with a whole engine!!
IIt can vary, depending on the parts being refinished, but it generally follows like this:
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Once we receive your parts, we will inspect them and photograph them, then call you and confirm the price and delivery. If you decide not to proceed, we will return them to you free of charge!
- Oily or greasy parts will be run through the parts washer and or the dishwasher (yes, we have one and are allowed to use it :)
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At your request, engine oil passages, blind holes, and threads are plugged as a precaution, through-holes generally are not.
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The clean parts are then vapor blasted, then immediately rinsed with clear water, thoroughly blown dry with compressed air and left to air dry, then packed for shipment.
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Finished parts are photographed before they are carefully packed. We send photographs with a text message and confirmation of agreed or final cost.
We accept all major credit and debit cards and Paypal, together with Cheque or cash.
Yes please! This is a home business. The machine is noisy and it is difficult to hear. Most importantly, if it is a good riding day we might just be out..
Iron based metals – Vapour Blasting does an amazing job on Ferrous metals. However, during the process, the metal is obviously exposed to concentrated water and air. We use a corrosion retardant however, by the nature of Fe, ‘flash corrosion’ will occur within a relatively short period post blasting. Thought should therefore be given to how you will ultimately protect these ferrous metal parts from corrosion and timing of application. We are happy to discuss the uses of products like WD40, Blast X corrosion inhibitor and the like.
Alloys – Keep in mind that the Vapour Blasting process actually ‘micro-peens’ the surface of metals and therefore, alloys typically oxidise at a slower rate than previous. However, they will oxidise. We can recommend various products that will prolong/enhance your finished article.
Yes, for you and for us! The reduction in dust makes it safer to use silicacious materials for blasting and removes hazardous material such as asbestos and poisonous products.
There are three parts to this.
1. The first part is about quality. Vapour Blasting provides the premium quality finished surface - in looks and in durability. Secondly, the process speeds are generally not as fast as conventional dry abrasive blasting when using the equivalent size and type of media, in part because the presence of water between the media and the substrate being processed creates a lubricating cushion that can protect both the surface and the media, reducing breakdown rates.
2. Vapour blasting will not dimensionally change a part, the media used is much finer and gentler, and the resulting surface is much smoother and shinier.
3. The reduced impregnation of blasting material into the surface, dust reduction and the elimination of static cling can result in a very clean surface.
This process is optimized for aluminum, but yes, we can. We routinely do steel and iron cylinders, heads and occasional petrol tanks. it is a good pretreatment for repainting, but ferrous metals will need to be painted or otherwise coated after vapor blasting. Ferrous metals are prone to flash rusting using this process. We use a vapor anticorrosion additive in the slurry that will forestall the nearly instant flash-rusting that would occur otherwise, and ferrous parts can also be treated with metal protectant after vapor blasting if they are not being otherwise coated.
Sometimes the answer is no. Occasionally, old paint or corrosion that is deep in a crevice can't be dislodged without 'parking' the blast gun over the surface for too long, resulting in an undesirable 'hot spot'. If it's in a highly visible location we will stop and clean it by hand, then resume blasting, but if it's between fins or where it is unlikely to be seen, we may leave it. .
How do you do vapour blasting? How does it work?
The vapour blasting machine mixes fine glass beads and water to form a 'slurry' - which pumps out of the hand piece at about the force of a garden hose. A separate compressed air line blasts the slurry onto the work. This air is at low pressure - about 2 bar - providing a cleaning action, rather than an abrasive one. Many customers are amazed that we can vapour blast plastic. and remove the oxide layer from plastic mudguards and tanks.