Almost all major rental places have units available some self contained (meaning it has its on compressor and motor to power it) and just sand blasters with no motor that you must hook up to a compressor. They usely have media available there also by 100lbs
You can buy a decent pressurized sand blaster for $100-150 and do it yourself. I used sand for mine. Don't worry about all the naysayers commenting on how sand with warp your body.....it will, but using the kind of compressor most have at home you will be blasting at such a low pressure that it is a non issue. Even my 5hp 60gal compressor gets choked to it's knees by a sandblaster and the most I can sustain is about 20psi which isn't enough to cause the heat needed to damage the sheetmetal....unless you just shoot it at one spot for a long time. Simply keep moving and hold the sandblaster nozzle as parallel to the sheetmetal as possible while still actually doing something. I have blasted both my 57 T-Bird and 66 Fastback this way with no damage whatsoever and saved a ton of money.
You need to wear earplugs to keep the sand out of your inner ears. You should also wear a face mask to keep from breathing the silica dust as much ass possible. Get some screen material and a funnel to strain the used sand and reuse it so you don't have to buy tons and tons of sand. You are always going to lose some and it gets progressively smoother but I always reuse mine as much as possible. Be prepared to spend a lot of time chasing the sand out of every crack and crevice though. Get a good etching sealing epoxy primer and paint the car immediately after finishing so you don't have to redo it.
I got the sand at home depot, pretty cheap
the prob I had was keeping air pressure up... the normal home sized compressor doesnt have a big enough tank to last long
also, if you do it in the driveway, plan on having sand EVERYWHERE.. I'd sweep what I could up, strain it.. and use it again...
I skipped the ear plugs and got a hood used in clean rooms..
worked pretty good, ended up taping some of the vent holes in the safety glass because sand still found a way in..
Im not a big fan of sandblasting a car due to the mess. You will have a nasty sandstorm and sand will be all over your driveway/grass/house/car. Everything will get covered. If you do do it, I suggest a full face mask (like a welding helmet), dust mask, hat, earplugs, long sleeve shirt. You get the idea.
I would look into soda blasting. You can usually rent the machine for around $200 and the media you will use will cost about $40. The stuff just needs to be washed off and neutralized (use vinegar) and you have a nice clean car. Not to expensive.
well I am not to worried about sand everywhere I in Clovis NM and with the wind and sand already here no one will be able to tell,
Also is the sand used just normal sand, if so can I just sweep it up and shot it ,,
-fred
Sand blasting sand is basically normal sand that has been filtered so it of a certain size and it has been dried so it does not clump and clog the device so it blends in real nice with the landscape.
Hehe, I don;t think the humidity in Clovis will give you any trouble. Herer in Austin I had a few issues. Whatever you do not not underestimate how big of a mess you'll make. I spent as much time getting sand out of spots as I did blasting it in the first place