Fixing sandblasted aluminum

sam dupont · Feb 2, 2022

I have a carb that was sandblasted. It has a very rough finish. It is a rare carb and I would like to fix it. It seems like hand sanding would be labor intensive and still have a lot of nooks and crannies that would be tough to get to. Could blasting it with a less aggressive grit soften the sand finish?

threewood · Feb 2, 2022

I think you will need to get it bead blasted for the semi gloss look to come back.

5.7 hemi · Feb 2, 2022

Glass beads or maybe walnuts shells.

69Bee · Feb 2, 2022

Have it glass beaded, and even maybe turn the pressure down, then clean the carb out well

Geetex · Feb 2, 2022

Depending on how bad it is, vapor honing may be your best bet. @Woodruff Carbs is a sponsor here, maybe see what Dave has to say.

gkent · Feb 2, 2022

If the surface is rough then it has to be peened to flatten out the roughness. A fine steel shot is your best bet. And it can't be peened in a wheelabrator or anything like that - it has to be done by hand so none of the passages get peened over. Anything else might change the appearance some but that's about it. And having been sandblasted I think you're way beyond that thing ever resembling "stock" again.

Hemirunner · Feb 2, 2022

I would think some sort of vibratory tumbler would be the ticket.

Bee1971 · Feb 2, 2022

Any attachments for say a Dremel tool , sure you might spend a few hours but

Woodruff Carbs · Feb 2, 2022

What grit sand? And what air pressure was used?

Fixing sandblasted aluminum

sam dupont

Well-Known Member

threewood

FBBO Gold Member

5.7 hemi

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69Bee

FBBO Gold Member

Geetex

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gkent

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Hemirunner

Well-Known Member

Bee1971

Well-Known Member

Woodruff Carbs

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