Automotive blasting · Perth & WA
Automotive Blasting Perth
Panels, chassis and full shells taken back to bare metal without warping the steel or filling your shed with grit.
What comes off
Restoration work fails at the prep stage. Filler over rust, paint over filler, and the job comes back in two years. Wet media strips enamel, filler, primer and surface rust in one pass and leaves a profile the new coating can actually key into.
Water in the media stream keeps the panel cool, so thin steel and alloy do not warp the way they can under dry blasting. We can work on your driveway, in your shed or at your restorer, and we mask glass, trim and rubbers before we start.
In short
Yes — we strip full body shells, panels, chassis, trays and parts back to bare metal without warping them. Water in the abrasive stream carries the heat away, and heat is what causes the oil-canning you get from dry blasting thin panel. Most of our automotive work is done at the customer\u2019s own shed or workshop.
Why wet blasting suits panel work
Dry abrasive puts energy into the steel as heat. On a car door, a bonnet or a guard, that heat expands the panel locally and it buckles as it cools. Once a panel has oil-canned it does not come back, and no amount of filler hides it properly. Water carries the heat away as the abrasive works, which is the single reason essentially all restoration blasting should be wet.
The second reason is the shed. A dry blast in a home workshop means grit in every tool, every drawer and every bearing for months. Wet media drops at your feet and sweeps up.
What blasting will reveal
This is the part worth preparing for. Stripping a shell removes the coating and everything the coating was hiding: previous accident repair, bog laid over rust rather than cut out, poorly executed patch panels, filler in places nobody mentioned when you bought the car, and rust holes in sills, floor pans and lower guards.
None of that is damage we caused, and finding it is the point of the exercise — you cannot plan a restoration around metalwork you have not seen. Where we uncover something significant we stop and call you before continuing so you can decide how to proceed.
After the blast
Bare steel starts flash rusting within an hour or two in Perth conditions. We apply an inhibitor as standard, which typically buys two to three days, but the shell needs to go into epoxy primer promptly. If your painter is booked, tell us the date and we will sequence the blasting to suit rather than the other way around. There is more detail in flash rust, explained.
Coatings and passes
| Coating | Typically | Passes |
|---|---|---|
| Enamel and 2-pack | 2K, single stage, factory enamel | 1 |
| Filler and primer | Bog, high-build primer, etch | 1 |
| Surface rust | Light oxide, pitting | 1–2 |
| Underseal | Tar-based deadener, wax | 2 |
Pass counts are for planning. Tim confirms on a site look, which is free inside the Perth metro area.
How the job runs
| Stage | What happens | Typical hrs |
|---|---|---|
| Site look | Access, water, waste and containment checked | 0.5 |
| Mask and set up | Glass, fittings and adjacent surfaces protected | 1 |
| Blast | Wet media at 6–9 bar, passes to spec | 4–8 |
| Wash and inspect | Rinse, flash-rust inhibitor, handover photos | 1 |
Bare steel wants a coat within 4–6 hours in Perth humidity. We can hold the job with an inhibitor if your painter is booked for the next morning.
Recent jobs
Real work from around Perth and regional WA. Every photo on this page is one of ours.
Common questions
Automotive blasting — your questions answered
Will blasting warp my panels?
No. Water in the media stream carries the heat away, so panel temperature stays low and thin steel does not distort. We also drop the pressure on panel work and keep the nozzle moving rather than dwelling in one spot.
Can you blast a car at my house?
Yes. The rig is fully mobile and self-contained across Perth, so a driveway, carport or shed is enough. We contain and collect the spent media, and we mask glass, trim and rubbers before we start.
How soon do I need to prime it?
Bare steel wants primer within four to six hours in Perth humidity. We apply a flash-rust inhibitor at handover, which holds the shell overnight so your painter can start the next morning.
Related services and areas
Marine blasting
Anti-foul, rust and tired primer stripped from hulls, keels and running gear — on the hardstand or in your own yard.
Metal restoration
Gates, balustrades, wheels, trailers and machinery brought back to clean metal, ready for powder coat or paint.
Dustless blasting Perth
Coverage, travel and typical turnaround across the Perth metro area.