Masking flutes ?

B

Bluefield

Guest
Anyone have any ideas on how to mask off the flutes on a barrel so that the rest of it can be bead blasted and leave the flute shiny? Too tedious to use masking tape and try to cut it off flush with the top of the flute. I tried. Fill with epoxy? Messy and you have to wait till the epoxy on each flute sets up until you can do the next.
 
Don, I am trying to do just the opposite. Shiny flute bottoms and matte tops.
 
You could glue appropriate sized round stock (metal rods) into the straight part of the flutes and mask the tapered ends.

If you could stand deeper flutes you could blast it then have the fluting recut...The first method sounds cheaper. A lot cheaper.

-Dave-
 
Not sure there is a quick, non labor intensive method to do what you want. Modeling clay can be applied to the polished flute and the excess cut off using a piece of monofiliment fishing line. That process is still somewhat time consuming, and masking tape ( or other stronger tape) and a very (very) sharp trim knife can be about as fast as anything. Check your tape adhesion and your knife, cause that's still the way I would probably do it...

Scott
 
Randy, That marble idea is very ingenious. I will have to give it a try.
 
Bead Blasting

Wouldn't the bead blasting tend to knock loose anything that was in the flute channels?

Best,

Dan Batko

"Where are we going and why am I in this basket?"
 
polish the flutes buy hand

hay here what id do use 600grit wet and dry and polish them buy hand you mite need to use so rougher fisrt
have there on quick way round it
:)
 
Bluefield,

What do you think about spreading bedding compound into the flutes with a plastic spatula. After bead blasting you could heat the barrel and peel the bedding compound back out of the flutes. Might work.

Greg
 
If you use tape, be sure.....................

to let it "set up" for 2-3 days before cutting, marbling, slicing, bead blasting, etc. etc. Works better that way. ;)
 
Shoot the barrel with truck bed liner. sand barrel in a lathe, bead blast the barrel then soak in MEK to remove truck bed paint.
Mark
 
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Try silicon caulk. Let it dry. Should peel out after it sets it always does on windows.
 
i would try

bead blast barrel first. polish the flukes with cratex points. just food for thought. Fred
 
Tape and marble idea worked. Marble cut the masking tape off clean and sharp with the top of the flute. Just had to rub it up and down the flute a few times to get it to cut. Then use a steel ball that fit in the flute to rub the tape down tight into the flute. I just had to go easy with the blast gun and angle it so that it would not blow under the tape.

Next I will do the same procedure but lift the tape out of the flutes and then spray paint the flutes. Maybe add some color to the gun to match the stock. Lot of possibilities here. Thank you for the help. Lots of bright minds here.
 
surely

the paint would take to a blasted finish better than to a shiney finish?Why not just blast the lot then mask and paint?
 
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