Does soda blasting remove rust?

[Lewis Downey]

I am trying to build a case for buying media blasting gear. My initial research suggests that soda blasting is not so great at removing anything other than light rust. I think walnut shells are softer and less likely to help in that regard.  My main focus will be cleaning large kettles, but lots of the iron I find in the wild has significant rust. It would really help justify the expense of the equipment if soda blasting could successfully clean those pieces without damaging the underlying iron.

Can anyone with media blasting experience on rusty cast iron offer advice?

Thanks in advance!

[Jeff Friend]

Lewis,

You are correct about soda blasting removing only light rust.  Soda blasters do not recycle the blast media and no cabinet is needed. But, like glass beads,  walnut shells and plastic beads are recycled, so a cabinet is required.  In my opinion, using either a soda blaster or walnut shells in a blast cabinet to remove rust from an old kettle will be just about futile.  You need to do something else, like electrolysis, to get the rust off.  About the only thing I use the blast cabinet for is waffle irons and gem pans, and that is after lye, electro, and a good bit of manual brushing.

Jeff

[Lewis Downey]

Ugg.  Thanks Jeff.

I need to figure out some way to clean and season or otherwise protect big kettles. A local collector has a bunch of them.   See the picture below. The average kettle is probably larger than 10 gallons; the pic does not show the scale very well. He lives in the Raleigh area but the iron is stored a couple of hours away. There may be more as I have only seen a portion of the collection.

I was hoping that blast media would handle the cleaning part, leaving the somewhat more manageable seasoning/protection part. My work space is too small to install large tanks (and a pulley system to lift-and-move liquid-filled kettles). The lifting part is a real challenge.

Suggestions encouraged :)

It is an amazing collection. I feel lucky to have the opportunity to work with it.

[Bill Walker]

Wow! :o

[Dwayne Henson]

That's a collection!

[Lewis Downey]

That's a collection!

Yes it is! and the remainder of the collection hasn't been shown to me yet...

I haven't given up 100% on media blasting but for cleaning  kettles that are 18" or less in diameter I am building a small dedicated electrolysis tank. The plan is to approach those pieces like any other pan.

Still scratching my head about the large kettles; ideas are still welcomed.