# Dry Ice Blasting



## DSMTiger (Nov 17, 2012)

Anybody on the forum have any experience with using dry ice blasting for paint removal during a restoration project? I really prefer not to use soda blasting because of the cleanup issues associated with that media. I've done the old DA sander process before but am just looking for a good alternative to that time consuming process. If you haven't heard of blasing with dry ice, Google it,I think that you will see that it is a neat process. The equipment is expensive so it is not something that you would buy for do it yourself projects but, there are contractors that come to you and do the work.


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## mrvandermey (Jun 15, 2011)

I have seen dry ice blasting on American Resotration, and yes, they used it to remove paint off a metal item. It seemed to work well. The question that comes to my mind is what kind of clean up is expected. I understand the dry ice will melt to water and drain or evaporate, but what about the rust, dirt, grime, bondo and paint that comes off the project? What happens to that? Also, I bet it is very similar to either Soda Blasting or Media Blasting with regards to needing priming & sealing the bare metal immediately afterwards in order to prevent new rust from materializing.


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## jmt455 (Mar 26, 2012)

Also replied on PY forum...

I've never used dry ice blasting on any of my car projects, but we used it at work to clean the surfaces of our thermoforming and molding tools. It left a beautiful, clean, matte finish.

One thing I recall is the process/equipment was VERY loud. That might have changed over the past 10 years, but it was not something your neighbors would appreciate...
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## DSMTiger (Nov 17, 2012)

mrvandermey said:


> I have seen dry ice blasting on American Resotration, and yes, they used it to remove paint off a metal item. It seemed to work well. The question that comes to my mind is what kind of clean up is expected. I understand the dry ice will melt to water and drain or evaporate, but what about the rust, dirt, grime, bondo and paint that comes off the project? What happens to that? Also, I bet it is very similar to either Soda Blasting or Media Blasting with regards to needing priming & sealing the bare metal immediately afterwards in order to prevent new rust from materializing.


The beauty of the process is that the only residue is the paint and/or dirt and grime. There is no water. Dry ice is carbon dioxide. It does not melt to water. It sublimes directly from a solid to a gas. Yes you need to get the bare metal protected soon after stripping as you would with any paint removal process. Also, as indicated by JMT455, the equipment is noisy. If I go with this type of stripping it will be done on an acreage with no nearby neighbors. Will report back if I end up using this system. I need to get a price quote from a local contractor to see if it is a viable alternative.


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