Ras or sandblaster

[Iceclimber]

I purchased the Yates jointer below last week.

I want to bring it back 100% to its original glory.

I got it adjusted to 100% with relative ease so its not a waste of time or money. Its a great little machine other than the dust

Anyone around here ever strip old cast iron machines. Im thinking of  investing in a RAS. I could pay about the same to have it sandblasted. Im sure it has some lead paint on it so paying someone to sandblast it is attractive.

Also I'm concerned about hurting the machined surfaces. Everything i can google suggest two layers of duct tape on all machined surfaces. Somehow that sounds risky. Less with a sandblaster and more so with a wondering RAS attachment!

Still i like doing stuff myself and if I'm gonna spend $300 to get the paint off this thing why not get a new tool for the same cost!

 

[greg mann]

Take everything any of us say with a grain of salt until Darcy Warner checks in.

 

[duburban]

I'll buy it from ya when your done fixin it up …

 

[Svirre]

If you can clamp some wooden plates with rubber gaskets under them to the machined surfaces, that would be good for blasting the whole machine. We do this for machined parts for subsea use prior to blasting and painting them.

 

[John Langevin]

The unit looks to be very clean and in good condition to start with. I would strongly advise against the RAS for (3) reasons:
    1.  It will disrupt the as-forged or as-cast textures of all the sufaces that are not machined.
    2.  It will consume a lot of your time and abrasive material.
    3.  It is not a suitable machine for restoring machined surfaces.

Could you post some additional photos of the areas that are compelling you to strip it or is it simply the wrong color?
If you are determined to refurbish it then my suggestion would be to disassemble the machine completely and then strip it using an eco-friendly citrus or soy-based stripper that can be rinsed or wiped off with water. If necessary you could then (depending on the texture and variation in same) have it Walnut-hull, Vapor Grit or dry Aluminum Oxide abrasive blasted,  it should not cost any where near $300 for this.

Regards,
John
Aerospace Engineer in Connecticut