November 6th, 2008 by SB Editor

I had the privilege of visiting SodaBlast Systems the other day in Houston. I’ve been producing videos and writing blogs for them for the last few months, but had never paid a visit to their facility. I’ve learned a lot about the products from their various websites and press releases, and I’ve also learned a lot about the shortcomings of other soda blasting brands. Seeing things from the inside gave me a whole new appreciation for this company. Here’s a few things I saw that I didn’t know before.

The Original SodaBlaster: They’ve been producing blasters since 1946. That’s over 60 years, so when they say they are the original SodaBlast company, they mean it. In fact “SodaBlaster” is their trademarked name.

Made in the USA: Every blaster they sell is built by hand in the USA. I watched one being welded together here in Houston Texas. No machines assembling other machines. After a blaster is completed, they check every detail of it, and if there are any defects they scrap it and start over.

Lifetime Warranty: They have a lifetime warranty on all their products. In fact they still get calls about needing hoses or parts for blasters that are still running after 40 years.

Superior Patented Design: Other soda blasters are bottom fed. This means the soda has to funnel down into the bottom of the blast pot before it can be propelled through the blast hose. Since the soda has to funnel down it often clots up and interrupts the blasting process. The SodaBlaster is the only top-fed blaster, and SodaBlast Systems LLC holds the patent for this design. For this reason the SodaBlaster never clots, and provides uninterrupted use.

Extreme Control: While I was there they showed me a piece of vehicle body where the paint had been stripped in one area, and just the clear coat was removed in another area. By varying the settings on the blaster they are able to remove only clear coat and not paint. This was also done on a fiberglass section of vehicle.

No Flash-Rusting: My first job was part-time at a company that serviced governors. One of my duties was to sand blast steel parts. Once they were blasted we had to paint them the same day. If we didn’t, by the next day they’d already show light oxidation, and we’d have to blast them again. It was particularly amazing to me to learn that when metal is soda blasted, it hardly rusts. This picture shows a plate that’s been sand-blasted on one half and SodaBlasted on the other. Two months later the sand-blasted half is as rusty as you’d expect, and the other half shows only minor rusting.

These were all things I didn’t know about SodaBlast Systems before visiting their facility, and I felt like I should share them. I hope you’re as impressed as I was. For more information go to www.SBSLLC.com

September 24th, 2008 by jacobg

We’re proud of our products, we know we produce the most powerful blasting systems in the world, and we want everyone to know about it. But to avoid being too egotistical we’re not going to toot our own horn in this blog - we’re going to let our customers do it. Here’s what SodaBlast users have to say:

“I highly recommend sodablasting, in fact, I have suggested it to several of my friends. Since we finally got rid of all the stinky chemicals involved in dipping, and sodablast the parts, I would NEVER go back.” – Ron

“We Clean an average of 20 square feet per minute when using the SB200 Mobile SodaBlaster.” – Don

“There is an extensive amount of space we have cleaned, and countless hours we’ve put on the machine with very little maintenance, etc. Thanks.” –Steve

“Thanks I really appreciate your concern with my capabilities of generating business! Believe me I have talked to a lot of soda blast distributors over the past couple of days. None were concerned with how I was going to succeed but more so how I was going to pay for a soda blast system.” - Mike

Marine Maintenance:

“The superior finish left by Sodablast saved us days of skilled labour. I highly recommend them and will definitely be using Sodablast again for antifoul removal.” -Karl

“There were multiple layers of antifoul on the Christine Ann and we knew that hand sanding was a daunting task. We were very wary of using abrasive blasting on her spotted gum hull but the Sodablast method proved to be very successful and left the timber intact. I would highly recommend Sodablast to timber boat owners who would normally avoid abrasive blasting” –Graeme

“Hi Benny, I am Mr. Jenny Garcia from ARUBA. I hope ever thing is well with you and your family. Well, what I can tell you, the SodaBlaster machine is one of the best buys that we did. We did 76 boats till yesterday, from 20 ft up to 60 ft boats that is, without counting the car, bike and engines that we did. That machine is one of the best.” - Jenny Garcia

Graffitti and Restoration:

“SodaBlasting is an extremely effective method of paint removal, building restoration and fire/smoke/mould remediation. The key is that the process does not damage the original surface and is environmentally friendly. I was very impressed and would highly recommend SodaBlast to anyone with cleaning challenges in the building and property management industry‘ -Sam

“SodaBlast removed the paint from a wall to be rendered so quickly it was unbelievable. We use the SodaBlast team regularly for paint removal from a variety of surfaces. The best thing is there is no clean up as they did it all!” - Mal

“SodaBlast successfully removed two layers of paint from sandstone on a Heritage building in a fraction of the time of other methods. The finish was beyond our expectations and I highly recommend them.” - Nigel

“Works great on statues, and is great for industrial cleaning. My customers are telling me it saves them time on clean up after the blasting is finished.” - Ken

Check out our product line.

July 28th, 2008 by SB Editor

If you’re looking at buying a sand blaster, first consider this. Sand is not the only media to blast with. Sure it’s the oldest and most well known, but there’s also aluminum oxide, walnut shell, glass beads, corn cob and baking soda, just to name a few. Each have different properties making them uniquely valuable for different applications. Don’t get stuck using only one blasting media.

For instance, aluminum oxide is harder, sharper and leaves a smoother surface than sand, it can also be recycled many times. Glass bead blasting is a slower process than blasting with sand and aluminum oxide, but it leaves a smoother finish and doesn’t remove a significant amount of the base metal. Walnut shell is a soft blasting media which still has impressive stripping abilities without damaging the substrate, and is biodegradable.

SodaBlast Systems makes a blaster that can use any of the most common types of blasting media, so you can choose the best option for each project. In addition to well known blasting materials, SodaBlasters ™ are perfect for blasting with sodium bicarbonate (Baking Soda), and more. The Blasters also include a complex moisture separation system, for uninterrupted use with any blasting media.

So if you’re making the investment for a blaster, make sure you cover all your bases with the versatile multi-media blaster by SodaBlast Systems. Check out SodaBlastandMore.com for more information.

July 15th, 2008 by SB Editor

Anyone who’s ever been to an auto show knows the importance of a great paint job. An amazing paint job can turn heads even from a distance. But what about when you get a little closer? Even with the most dazzling colors and the most aesthetic designs, your ride can’t have that glassy, glossy, perfect show-car shine without the proper surface preparation BEFORE the paint is applied.

A “Classic” car is only classic because of it’s age, but with that age comes at least one older coat of paint, with possible chips, weathering and rust. If you’re about to spend your hard earned money and time repainting your vehicle, it’s important to make sure you do all the necessary surface preparation beforehand. Removing all old paint and rust rather than painting over it will make a night and day difference in the finished product. But what’s the best way to remove the relics of your cars former life?

When you think about removing paint, sandblasting often comes to mind first. Sandblasting has been around for decades and can have decent results, but there are downsides to the sandblasting method. Sand is a very harsh abrasive that can warp or stretch sheet metal, as well as damaging any rubber seals or chrome. Not to mention that the mess left over afterwards can cut into precious cruising time. Sandblasting works fine for thicker metal parts with rust, but why not save yourself some hassle and use the same blasting media for all areas of the car?

1936 Dodge before & After Photos

Soda blasting is a similar but better process for this application. Instead of sand, it uses baking soda, which is 100% natural and non toxic. Blasting with Baking Soda will not warp metal, and will not damage glass, chrome, or rubber.

For more information visit: www.SodaBlastCars.com