I am bidding on an approx. 3' X 12' cedar sign for a golf course enterance. I am weighing the pros and cons of blasting it myself or (as per usual) farming that portion out. I have never blasted before. A do-it-yourself place in town charges $66 hour.
How long would you estimate a 36sq. ft. sign would take to blast assuming it is (Murphy's Law) dense??
I'd like to get 3/8 of an inch blasted out of it.
I got some quotes from other blasters but, not knowing how long such a job would take, I thought I'd ask you.
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Michael's favorite advice... Wear a respirator!!!!!!!!!!!!! And...cover your ears! Silica sand residue is dangerous. I send all my big signs to a guy who is a building contractor. In New York....when there is a fire in a residence and the structure is not lost...the code says all charred wood must be removed prior to rebuilding and repairing.Sandblasting is the answer This fella runs sandblasters in peoples attics and crawlspaces in fire damaged homes in summer!!! Can anyone imagine that? Point of story is....he knows how to get the sandblasting done in a hurry. He did a 4x8 for me a while back...2 sides..and he really cut it deep for me..I like that look as opposed to shallow blasting.I betcha he took nearly a 1/2 inch... He did both sides in about 40 minutes...He was wearin shorts! and a tee-shirt!! Hood and cotton gloves...oh...work boots...He was dancin..so dont think only sign people are nuts!! I would never argue a price with him...he treats me fair... If you can get a good job somewhere for this sign for 200-300 bux....I think you better jump at it. Sandblasted signs may well look regal and elegant when finished...but there aint nuttin glorious about runnin the nozzle.Its downright dirty and difficult work..
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So far, good advice, let someone else do it. I spent quite a few years as an industrial sandblaster/painter, mostly, at Kennedy Space Center, we'd refurbish launch pads.
Any dust is not good for you, especially silica dust. My brother used to blast with me, he recently had a checkup 'cause he is short of breath. They found scarring in his lungs due to silica. He's only 32 years old. Thankfully, I don't have any symptoms, but I scheduled a checkup anyway.
There are other types of media to blast with, I've used black beauty, plastic, soda ash, hell I've even used crushed pecan hulls. I figure sand is the easiest way on signs.
Here in Louisiana, lawsuites are flying, people are trying to collect for silica exposure, I'm not interested in that.
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My blaster charges $8.00 a sq. ft. 3x12=36x$8.00=$288.00. I think it will take less than two hours. $66.00 an hour isn't bad at all. My dad worked as a designer in the monument business, he died at age 49 from the sand dust. Let someone else do it.
-------------------- Rob Thomas 3410 Ketcham Ct Beautiful Springs FL 34134 Posts: 965 | From: Bonita Springs, Florida USA | Registered: Feb 2000
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We blast all of our own signs in house. Just got finished a 30inch x 8 ft sign for Subway. Alot depends on the material you are blasting. Sign foam blasts nicely and quickly. Redwood takes a little longer. We use a large commerical compressor with a large pot that holds about 150 pounds of blast medium. We use silica but will soon be switching to nickel slag. Everyone is right when they tell you to use extreme caution when working with silica. Now back to your sign. What is the material? Are you using a grain frame? Or just a pebbble effect? If you are using sign foam and it's one sided you should be able to get your 3/8 on a sign that size in about 40 minutes or less. If you are using a grain frame it will take longer. It's not that hard to do and you can get the hang of it quickly. Just keep your nozzle square to your work and keep moving. Once you get the hang of it you can slow down and remove more material but consistancy is key. At $66.00 bucks an hour I'd go for it! It will be a new experience for you as long as you don't wreck the sign which is somewhat unlikey if you take your time an pause to check how the blast is going. Make sure this outfit has good equiptment and WEAR a pressure hood that supplies fresh air from another source.
Oh yea one last thing. My time estimate is for me in the summer. Add 2 hours for blasting outside when it's 10 below and the moisture in the silica freezes and your hood ices over!
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