Reply by PutnamEco

For a one off project, I believe you would be a lot better off taking it to a professional dry stripping company. I’m paying about $40 to have a frames striped. One thing most don’t consider, used blasting media is considered toxic waste, as such it can be hard (and expensive) to properly dispose of, and many non professionals resort to less than legal disposal methods.The blast cabinet you linked will not be large enough to fit many motorcycle components. I know you not going to fit a frame in that and I doubt a gas tank will fit. Blasting in open air…., Depending on the media, you have no idea the mess this can create. I hope it’s done on a windless day and hope the neighbors live far enough away to escape the dust cloud. Luckily that is a small blaster and should only leave about a 20 foot circle of media and old paint on the ground for future generations to enjoy.

A word on media, soda blasting is most often recommended for motorcycle components, walnut shell for more delicate components.

It is my understanding that automotive finishing is a system that works best when matching components are used, primer, undercoat and topcoat should all be compatible, therefor stripping to bare metal should provide the best results

On a side note, it often is worth having a pro do the painting as well, they have easy access to both materials and equipment that will produce a much better job than what can be done in the typical home shop and they can do it for a price that will be a fraction of the cost of what it would take to stock and equip a proper spray booth. Imron is a fairly common quality paint for motorcycle components, and can be a little tricky to mix and apply properly. While it can be done by someone in a home shop (I have heard HVLP works acceptably, a pressure pot is recommended), for one project it does not seem to me to be economically feasible. Even when I was making my living restoring vintage motorcycles, I always chose to leave the painting to people who are dedicated to the trade rather than invest my limited time and resources towards another trade, as they did a better job, much more affordably than was possible for me to easily achieve.

TL:DR If you expecting professional results, hire a professional, or be prepared to invest considerable time, money, and effort, to achieve the same results.

-- “The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.” ― Franklin D. Roosevelt