Paint Removal with Dry Ice

[Mosesatm]

Has anyone heard about the new paint removal process using dry ice? It's used on buildings but I don't know if it's ever been used on cars.

The dry ice evaporates as soon as it touches the surface so there is no residue from the blasting medium.

 

[ahainline]

Sounds cool.. I found this site that talks about it
http://www.enviro-blast.com/itworks.htm

It mentions this:
Can CO2 be used to remove paint?

Yes, however, the removal rate is dependent on a great many factors including: the underlying surface profile of the substrate; the thickness of the coating; the adhesive bond strength of the coating; and the cohesive strength of the coating (generally a function of age). Paint removal rates can vary dramatically, from 300 square feet/hour down to 1 square foot/hour. Generally speaking, if you have concerns with contamination, toxic substances, waste disposal, or substrate damage, dry ice blasting should be considered as a cleaning option. Otherwise, grit blasting is probably a more efficient method for paint removal.

 

[carezcs]

The dry ice method must work fairly well because they blasted the exposed portion 10 foot dia water pipe from northern California in my area with it before they repaired and painted it. The only residue was the old paint that probably had lead in it because it was so old. I think they used this method because it has a grammar school on one side and a high school on the other so no toxic fumes or dust from the blasting media.
Bruce

 

[JGFRANCK]

Dry ice

Has anyone heard about the new paint removal process using dry ice? It's used on buildings but I don't know if it's ever been used on cars.

The dry ice evaporates as soon as it touches the surface so there is no residue from the blasting medium.

I have used dry ice at work for cleaning machinery. I found it to be very expensive, and slow, plus you have to order the ice, and use it as soon as posible because it will disipate, and it is expensive to purchase. We no longer use unless we have too. Joel

 

[patty.dilabio]

Hi to all on this thread.The best and safest way to blast a metal surface is with baking soda.It is also enviro friendly and will not hurt chrome,rubber,or fiberglass.Many types of media can be blasted-teflon-walnut shells-all have different removal rates and have precise applications.Please dont experiment on your car until you know and trust the results!!