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When cleaning the inside of a machine who prefers bead blasting vs lacquer
thinner? And why?

I bought a soda blaster, and use it pretty much exclusively. It does a great job taking off the paint, and cleaning up parts....yet doesn't pit the metal or dull the finish. Plus the soda is biodegradeable, and it leaves a kind of protective coating on steel parts to keep them from rusting. It is great for aluminum, and no nasty chemicals to deal with.

I use both. I wash the parts in lacquar thinner and then bead blast using glass beads.

Hi everybody!
Like the last posting, I use both. I first wash the parts in lacquer thinner to remove all oil and grease and what ever else is on the parts and then bead blast them with glass beads. I go so far as to then wire brush the parts and finally clear coat them with lacquer. It takes a while to do, but leaves a lasting good look. It also protects against future rust.

The soda blaster sounds interesting, I have never heard of it. Does applying lacquer after bead blasting prevent the rust or does silicone work better? How long does it last before you need to protect from rust again?

I would never use silicone, as the cross contamination can really cause issues if you need to paint later. Laquer gives the best protection. I use the soda blast to clean up any grime, paint, etc without any damage to the metal. The protective coating it leaves is not for long-term protection, but will keep things nice until you clear coat or apply some other coating. All you have to do to remove the soda residue us run a little warm tap water over the object. The soda blast media is relatively cheap, and is very easily disposed of.

I have a few questions about soda blasting. Are you using a cabinet? Does the soda pass through one time or does it recycle? How much is a 50# bag?

If you watch the sales at Harbor Freight, you can get a bag delivered to your door for under 30 bucks, and if your blaster is set up correctly, it will last for a long time. I lived in a rural area, so I was not using a cabinet, however I now am after my move to the city. I did it in my driveway for years, and it dissipated quickly with a garden hose. To be environmentally correct, you should probably use a cabinet if removing old paint, so you can dispose of correctly.

I forgot to add that the way soda works, the granules kind if explode on impact, rather than having sharp edges or hammering the metal like glass beads. So consequently, it doesn't pay to use it more than once, or so I am told. I have never tried.

Can you use the soda blaster on the casing and the internal mechanism?

Would this one work? http://www.harborfreight.com/15-lb-port ... 66742.html