Posted by Brian in Oregon on November 11, 1999 at 00:29:45:
For small lightly rusted parts and others that need minor stripping, you can vibra-hone them easily.
Gun owners will of course know what I am talking about, but there is a device called a case vibrator that is used to polish empty cartridge cases for reloading.
For automotive purposes, do not use the recommended corn cob or walnut shell media but use clean sand. River bank sand works fine as it is usually coarse. DO NOT use beach sand (salty!). Clean the grease off the part and drop it into the cleaner and turn it on. Do not overload it, because solid steel parts and sand weigh more than corncob media and brass cartridge cases. Let it run for a few hours. The parts will be cleaned and, if to the bare metal, it will have a nice frosted appearance. Paint that will not come off will be prepped enough with a toothy surface and smoothed edges that you can just consider it primed and use it anyway.
This is the poor mans method for vibra-honing and bead blasting for small parts. While not as fast as a glass beader, you have virtually no labor.