Sandblasting truck tool box (or other rust removal technique)

Metal Shop
#1

I have a couple of pickup truck side mount tool boxes that were stored outside upside down (NOT by me!!) and filled with water. The inside and outside are both rusted. They are WAY too big (~60" long) to go in the vapor hone. I talked to a couple of commercial sand blasters and they want more than I could buy new boxes for.

My goal is clean them up and powder coat them. Any suggestions on how to get tehm cleaned up without breaking the bank?

They have a piano hinge that is beyond recovery. I need to grind it off and find a replacement. I have a few sources IDd, but I’d appreciate any additional leads.

Thanks,

Oz (in DFW)

#2

Yeah, I looked into the sandblasting around here a while back and the prices are absolutely insane.

What I ultimately ended up doing was using a chemical stripper to remove the paint and wire brush to remove the rust.

Not ideal for people that want to go to “the easy route”, but it was the best alternative for me because I was not going to pay $200 to have a 55 gallon drum sand blasted.

You might get lucky and be able to find somebody on Craigslist or Facebook that does it in the garage that’s going to be a little more reasonable ($50 - $75 range) but I haven’t looked so I don’t really know.

Personally, I would like to see an actual sandblasting booth put in a dms.
Something small, nothing too huge.
What used to be Hatcher’s Workshop would be perfect if we put good seals on the door, install an exhaust/extraction fan, run an airdrop and install a media blaster.
Because of all the different types of blast media out there, members would have to bring their own last media, but it would be very handy and large enough that you could do large Parts like hoods, fenders, 55 gallon drums, tool boxes, probably even a 6 ft truck bed.

But thats just my thoughts…

#3

Maybe angle grinder with twisted wire cup brush?

#4

The main thing I would be concerned about with an angle grinder and twisted wire cut brush is that those are super aggressive and truck bed tool boxes tend to be made out of aluminum.

I would be afraid that something that aggressive would seriously Scar the aluminum

#5

These are thin steel, but same concern

#6

Knotted wheels won’t scar steel. But they can warp it if you stay in the same spot too long. Just take a DA and 80 grit and sand it off. Wire wheel the rusty spots. A da at harbor freight is ~$30. We do have a nice one at DMS. The 80 grit stick it can be purchased at Ellis color near DMS for about $25 for 100 sheets

#7

DMS will never do sandblasting. It’s far too messy and people can’t clean up after themselves as is. (We used to have a blasting cabinet). Randy did buy that deburring device. It’s not gonna work for sheet metal but is really nice for small pieces

#8

Might look into pressure washer sand blasting.

#9

Never say never: I helped sandblast a horse trailer at the Ladybird DMS location back in the day (May 2013).

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