Torbo Wet Abrasive

farrellpainting

whats up people im new here and glad to be a member!
i just started doing business as an exterior painting contractor in march o6(legally of course), i've previously worked for an insecure f your mother slave driver type contractor in the summers of 04&05, or however long i lasted until i had enough of his mouth and took off.i worked my *** off for the guy and became a very skilled and clean worker but he never showed me any gratitude for it so i started my own gig.anyway he used to have about ten of us shaving and back sanding houses like we were gonna strike oil, i undrstand that it's neccesary, but also extremely unheathy for anyone or thing in and around the property,he didnt even give us hepa resperators just normal paper ones.so iv'e been researching other safer and efficient means of paint removal and came across an article about TORBO wet abrasive sandblasting, does anyone know costs? workability as far as ability to feather paint like a makita?how badly do they eat up substrate etc.. in my area there are thousands of awesome historic homes that need very extensive prep so any input on a safer realistic way to approach these jobs would be much appreciated.
anyone ever used pre-tox then tear it up with makita's?

im really excited about this site and building a safe professional paint contracting business as im an ambitious 22 yro TIA!

Brushslingers

Only real safe way these days is abatement or chemical removal.... Even water blasting is EXPENSIVE due to containment these days. Would take loads on insurance and very expensive reclamation equipment to do it right, and OSHA standard. Now if you didn't mention Historic (lead)......

Good luck.

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Benn

farrellpainting

have ya ever used a torbo? what do you mean by cotainment with water blasters?almost all repaints in my area that require prep contain lead.by reclamation equip do you mean hepa vacs?.does anyone use pre-tox?what are certified abatement procedures, ive seen guys do it in clear plastic suits pullin clap off a burnt house,but i cant see how that is considered abatement .im not concerned about the extra overhead for the right equipment, people in my area are well informed of the dangers of lead,and have $$,so if anything the expensive equip will make jobs easier to sell,however i dont think i could sell a full chem strip nor would i want to do it.i would really like some info on TORBO would i be able to use it to strip decks, selling points on that would be no chems.i feel if i provide the safest service selling the higher price will be cake!

Brushslingers

Ya, when you are water blasting/sand/bead whathaveyou... lead, you have to reclaim ALL the run off, including water and contain it for proper disposal, 180 gallons of waste later..... Not that everyone does it right mind you. Abatement is simply covering it with a coating that will trap all the junk underneath. Just take care with the feds/osha in your area, check with your state department on regs.. they vary from state to state and in some cases, town to town.

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Benn

farrellpainting

torbo claims it uses 80% sand 20% h2o combind with blastox wich renders lead non-leachable. i figure if i fix some sort of tarp and stake contraption as low as i can get to the foundation to catch all of the sand i can just pour it into a hazardous waste container when i get done with the area,then back sand (if needed) and sand behind landscape pre-treated with pre-tox with the hepa makita shroud combo.im interested on how these macines preform on wood,how much they cost,and how much pre-tox and blastox are how many sqft they cover?torbo is not wet sandblating with sand fed into a pressure washer and a ceramic tip, it is a complete unit with a pressure vessel that holds and pressurizes the sand and water,not sure if the water is feed into the vessel or if you have to manually proportion the water to the sand and add it before you start i guess it doesnt really matter to me either way just curious.i think this machine would be awesome for stripping decks if not to costly. i know im taking a kinda commercial approach to residentials, but the bottom line is im not sanding toxic lead anymore and it would be real nice to avoid PITA chems on on deck jobs.i just want to know how they preform on wood.if good they could make all of our lives alot better,think about it no chems no dust no lead inhalation no grunt work shaving sanding etc.. you just stand there and blast away,or so i wish.someone please tell me its true!this thing will get my feet in the door to small commercial jobs wich is my goal,blast then spray and make a boat load of cash.can anyone give me any info on this macine?

Brushslingers

This particular machine no, however.. you still have to reclaim the water too, not just the sand.

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Benn