Vapor Blasting Service

[shelbydoug]

I just happened to notice this intake on ebay and the picture is a good representation of the finish. I first thought that it might be a tumbling process but I suspect it is a vapor blasting.

[Bob Gaines]

This is the one that everyone saw at last years convention in Califonia. The picture of the bottom shows the luster the best.

It isn't wet, it has a low level sheen to it.

You tell me how Offenhauser got it like that? I've seen original S1MS intakes with that sheen also.

I am skeptical if that intake with the brass plug is NOS . It almost looks like there is a clear coat on it . I have seen too many NOS aluminum intakes 65-68 including those sold through the Ford Muscle Parts catalog system that are the dull porous appearance to think that that was not typical when fresh. The majority of pictures from back in the day don't indicate shiny that I have seen.  I don't think I am alone in thinking that shiny slick surface is not fresh cast.  At least until compelling evidence convinces me otherwise. You will have to come to your own conclusion which is OK .   

[shelbydoug]

I can understand your perspective and skepticism entirely. My reaction was WTF when I first saw it. My first reaction was that it was tumbled?

The pictures posted here are BEFORE  I cleaned it. I shot it with some Windex then power washed it. What came off of it was a red/brownish wash. Almost like coffee, but not as dark.

I just read that as 50 plus years of southern California dust. Looked like the color of the hills that have no trees on them out towards the desert.

Here it is coming out of the box before I cleaned it. Price tag still on it.


I have never quite seen another like it but the point was this looks like a process was used on it rather then it coming out of the mold that way.

Randy thought maybe it is because of the quality of the tooling? Many Buddy Barr manifolds are their tooling and this one is Ford tooling.



I did glass bead my Blue Thunder 2x4. It was full of gas stains from the typical leaking Holleys.  It came out very dull and the color darkened. It looked much more like you are describing what you expect to see on the manifold finish now in judging. It was not like that before blasting.

Just thought I would add this all to the mix. Like I said, it likely won't change a thing. Something that could be put down as an anomaly but it certainly has been noted by me.

[Bobby Crumpley]

Intake manifolds are interesting, and I do think the finish depends on the casting process that was used. A new Blue Thunder is certainly different from a new Edelbrock. The FE intake on my website is an older Blue Thunder that has been vapor blasted. The original 1935 Ford flathead intake that I have here is a beautiful casting with a nice sheen and was fortunate enough to have been preserved with 80 years of oil and dirt. The aftermarket Evans intake I have is probably from the 1950s. The casting quality is not nearly as good as the Ford original, plus it has been blasted who knows how many times, so it has taken some work to get it to have a newish look, but it will never look as good as the grease caked Ford part does. Last week I did. 1979 L82 Corvette intake for a local guy. It was untouched but came out with a different finish than the ones mentioned above.

I guess the point of all this is that in my opinion there is no one right finish, but there should be a subtle mixture of dull and sparkle in a new sand cast finish. The finish on diecast parts is of course different and has a good variation of colors that can disappear very easily with buffing or bead blasting.

Also, unless persevered in a vacuum or some other sort of oxygen free environment, metals are going to oxidize and dull over time, so 40-50 year old NOS parts can possibly be a bit misleading. There's no reason to believe that an alternator housing on a new 1969 Mustang should have a different look and luster than that of a 2019 Mustang. Anyway, my offer stands to do a test piece for anyone here and let them decide if it's what you are looking for.

[shelbydoug]

I like it. It's a great alternative to what I've been using.

In my experience, sometimes solutions to one issue create new questions or alternatives.

The only thing that would shock me is if everyone agreed on something. I don't think that I ever need to worry about that as a possibility though? 

[Bob Gaines]

Intake manifolds are interesting, and I do think the finish depends on the casting process that was used. A new Blue Thunder is certainly different from a new Edelbrock. The FE intake on my website is an older Blue Thunder that has been vapor blasted. The original 1935 Ford flathead intake that I have here is a beautiful casting with a nice sheen and was fortunate enough to have been preserved with 80 years of oil and dirt. The aftermarket Evans intake I have is probably from the 1950s. The casting quality is not nearly as good as the Ford original, plus it has been blasted who knows how many times, so it has taken some work to get it to have a newish look, but it will never look as good as the grease caked Ford part does. Last week I did. 1979 L82 Corvette intake for a local guy. It was untouched but came out with a different finish than the ones mentioned above.

I guess the point of all this is that in my opinion there is no one right finish, but there should be a subtle mixture of dull and sparkle in a new sand cast finish. The finish on diecast parts is of course different and has a good variation of colors that can disappear very easily with buffing or bead blasting.

Also, unless persevered in a vacuum or some other sort of oxygen free environment, metals are going to oxidize and dull over time, so 40-50 year old NOS parts can possibly be a bit misleading. There's no reason to believe that an alternator housing on a new 1969 Mustang should have a different look and luster than that of a 2019 Mustang. Anyway, my offer stands to do a test piece for anyone here and let them decide if it's what you are looking for.

There is no right finish for all but there is a typical right or correct finish depending on the specific item and how it was processed during manufacture. That is why there are various techniques to achieve close to the typical finish depending on the item. The vapor blasting is a great technique and may get you all of the way there on some items or partially there on others . It may have to be used in conjunction with other techniques to achieve the desired finish. The challenge of figuring out the best combination of techniques for a given item is almost as rewarding as the finished product. Just me others may think differently.

[Bobby Crumpley]

That's what I was trying to convey Bob, but you summarized it much better than I did. The four intakes I mentioned above all have a different look, and no doubt that others will look different as well. On a different note, I'm doing some experimenting this weekend with some dried out, faded plastic 1970 seat backs and the results are promising.

[shelbydoug]

I had a Doug Nash Boss 302 "dual inline" magnesium manifold. I would have loved to see what it would do with the mag?

[Bobby Crumpley]

I would lie to try something magnesium. I'm assuming that it would come out great, but it could be a train wreck, so I need to find something valueless to try.

[shelbydoug]

keep me posted. I'm interested in the outcome. To bad you don't live next door? Maybe that's better for you though?

[Bobby Crumpley]

Ok, bought a magnesium cam gear cover from an early 911 to see how it would do. The good news is that it comes out very nice, both in look and feel. The bad news is that it takes about twice as long as aluminum.

[shelbydoug]

That's nice. It's still worth the price though. The intake manifolds are more porous though.

[Bobby Crumpley]

Here's a look at the process in action on a faded 1970 plastic seat back.  No grain was harmed during the filming of this video.

https://youtu.be/7-DA-J6kbFo

[kingchief]

Sent Bobby my 2x4v intake manifold from my '57 E-bird.  I would post pictures if I could but the manifold REALLY came out great!  I am very pleased and not too costly.  He really did a great job with a very fast turn around.  Just saying...

Steve

[Bobby Crumpley]

Thanks for the kind words Steve.  Looking at the 312 sitting the engine stand for my '55 had me thinking about not sending it back!  The surface of the E-Bird intake is the same as the original '35 Ford intake that I have here.  Makes me wonder if thy were cast at the same foundry.  Definitely different than a Buddy Bar or Offy casting.