Sodablasting

Sodablasting is a process in which sodium bicarbonate is applied against a surface using compressed air. An early use was to restore the Statue of Liberty in the 1980s.^[1] It is a very mild form of abrasive blasting, much milder than sandblasting.

Sodablasting is a non-destructive method for many applications in cleaning, paint & varnish stripping, automotive restoration, industrial equipment maintenance, rust removal, graffiti removal, molecular steel passivation against rust, oil removal by saponification and translocation, masonry cleaning and restoration, soot remediation, boat hull cleaning and for food processing facilities and equipment.

Applications

Sodablasting can be used for cleaning timber, wood, oak beams, oak floors, doors, stairs & bannisters, cars, boat hulls, masonry, and food processing equipment. Sodablasting can also be used to remove graffiti^[2] and to clean structural steel. Soda blasting is very effective for mold and fire/smoke damage cleanup as it cleans and deodorizes.

Equipment

A sodablaster is a self-contained system that includes a blast generator, high pressure compressed air, moisture decontamination system, blast hose, and a blast nozzle. The blast nozzle in sodablasting applications is not a typical wear part, as a result nozzles can be ceramic or metal, such as tungsten carbide. The pressures used are very low compared to sandblasting e.g. 20psi as opposed to 120psi.

The blasting material consists of formulated sodium bicarbonate (also known as baking soda). Blasting soda is an extremely friable material that has micro fragmentation on impact, literally exploding away surface materials without damage to the substrate.

References

1. "Cleaning Leaves Streaks on Statue of Liberty", The New York Times, 1986-05-10, retrieved 2009-11-11
2. New Graffiti Cleaner Is Greener, retrieved 2009-09-15.