Rust Stains, A First Mistake, Then A Second Mistake ..... Just One of Those Jobs

First mistake, second mistake, just one of those jobs sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't. I did a rust stain removal job last week I had put a bid in on it and got it. This was great, I have the new 9 gallon system with a 3 bar head on the 24" surface cleaner it makes thing go fast, over confident first mistake. I had just looked at the drive way and did not do a test on the stains, second mistake. These stains turned out to be harder to remove than any other I have come across. The concrete was quite porous and had taken a good staining. With that stain setting on the concrete for a while. Fresh stains are easier to remove, third mistake.

Some spot cleaning had been going on.

With two different cleaners the HO was working on the stains until it got to be too much. I needed to blend this together to make it uniform without the rust stains.

Home owner had been working on spot removing the rust stains. They were doing quite well removing the stains. I have to give them a thumbs up for getting this far and removing what they did. As I stated these were the toughest rust stains I have come across to date. Coming in and redoing or trying to blend all this work together, fourth mistake.

 Taking on the job being the "Super hero" to the recuse, ego could be the biggest mistake of all. We are a service business and that is what we sell. Some times not doing your home work will bite you in the but.

Rust stains on the drive way Cleaned by Pete, Springfield MO.

Closer view of the rust stains the driveway, sidewalk, and curbing was covered like this.     Cleaned by Pete Springfield MO.

Working hard to get these stains up, as usual I start off with a good washing using our standard concrete wash then let dry before applying the rust remover.

First step is to clean and open up the pours in the concrete.

Cleaned by Pete's first step in the job is to cleaning and wash the concrete surface with our surface cleaner and concrete wash.

 I start with the one in powered form we all use first to see if it would treat the stains. The stains just sat there, I believe I saw a rust stain flip me off then winked at me. Moved to our liquid rust removers tried both I keep onboard, they removed or lightened most of the stains but left shadows. Even using it straight with a pump up sprayer working it in with a broom still had light rust spots. I would say maybe just over 80% removal had taken place. I talked to the customer once again and not being one to give-up I told her I would try one more time. Had some free time later in the week I would run by and try to apply the rust remover again. I did not have much luck with anything I used the first time but you never know right, that would have been another mistake. Mistakes were piling up on me this job I should cut my losses and let it go. That is not a real option with my personality or desire to do the best I can each and every time. Now what to do to make this customer and myself happy with the outcome.

After the cleaning and applying the rust removers look a lot better a good 80% of the stains are removed.

After the cleaning and applying the rust removers look a lot better a good 80% of the stains are removed.

Getting up close you can still see shadows of the rust. Lighter yes passable could be but I wanted better. Cleaned by Pete rust stain removal Springfield MO.

For about a year I have been researching the how and why rust removers work I am no chemist or scientist but I have a general knowledge of things. One local manufacture had a product which seemed to fit the bill but it was for a different application so I have been asking questions to them on the product. How it did this or that, what is in it, and the safety of the item. Since I was using it for another application I went a head with it and was able to get 5 gallons today and give it a try. With a reassuring yes, that it is safe to use on concrete, they have a modified version (weened down in strength) to use even on clothing. Using common sense and as always you want to use the proper protective gear, eye covers, gloves and boots to be safe. I was able to cut the product with water by 2 product to 1 water and give it a try it worked very well and did what it claimed it also contains a soap which would have helped to clean the concrete, If I had been using it at first.

I'm sorry as of now I can't say what it is but as soon as I can I'll post the name. I'm not going to be selling, marketing, or promoting it, in the future or now, I'm not looking to compete with the two major rust products in our industry. If it works after testing it out I then will let you know. It is local product and for me working with local businesses is a must if I want them to hire me I need to work and support them also. This is my main interest in this product, working with other locals, then what it can do for Cleaned by Pete to make the job easier with the best results. Buying local when we can helps the Small Business Community as well as saving money on shipping and handling charges and I can pick it up today. I now have just shy of 4 gallons left to do some playing around with, as I used just over a gallon and 1/4 to treat the drive way with. My customer called  to give me their opinion on the product since they have used two different product on the side-walk, they could not believe the results it did. Customer claims it looks like new very very happy and surprised with the results. I win rust looses lesson learned also.

After working today I can post these results! Cleaned by Pete removing rust stains.

Rust stain removal Springfield MO. Cleaned by Pete

In summery I should have tested an area to see what I had that worked. I should not have assumed it was going to be a simple job. Most of all I should have not gotten behind the 8ball with all my little mistakes. I did find a silver lining a new product which I will be testing and working with, made here on a local level. I also have a learned a lot with this job with what to do and how much the other rust removers can go and what they can do. Best of all will be a very happy customer that will have us back to wash their house and will help to spread the word about the good service received from Cleaned by Pete.

The photos above show what I did and the ones below show the out come of the job. As of now I see this product will be a good add to our line up of rust removers and cleaners. Every stain is not equal and one product can not do it all.

While drying the shadows are all but gone now, Cleaned by Pete rust removal and driveway cleaning, in Springfield MO.

Concrete cleaning and rust stain removal Springfield MO.

Concrete cleaning and rust stain removal Springfield MO.

Hydro Blasting what is it?

Hydro Blasting what is it?

You can call it what you wish some refer to as sand-blasting or a all encompassing term of "Media blasting". Most of the power washing suppliers will refer to it as "wet sandblasting". With so many terms it is hard to bill and sell this service to customers. They simply do not know where to look or what the term means. I do a lot of auto and bike restorations a small market for us but it's growing quickly with that in mind I thought an article on blasting was in order. If you follow me here you know I have been in business for a while and have grown our company branding but we can always use help in getting recognition and promotion on this service.

Using attachments such as these with a pressure washer of 3500 to 4000 psi at 4 gallons a minute and specialized blasting media, Cleaned by Pete "Hydro Blasts" autos, bike, along with other items. Wet sand-blasting  or media blasting is a growing field in the power washing industry.

The power washing or pressure washing industry can not even settle on one general name or category for what we do as professionals washers. Even that term "professional washers" is a misnomer I do more than just wash. Blasting paint and rust removal happens to be one of those services. I feel it is one of the best add on services you can have once you know and understand it. It is far more than mixing media and squirting it out in a water stream. You need not have one of the large units that are specially designed for hydro blasting if you are like me and do smaller jobs the car pictured below took about 3 hours total time to do, and I did it with my 4000 psi @ 4 gpm machine just right for doing this type of blasting and rust removal.

I am try to raise up the level of what we as power washers do. Over the weekend I was working on a car that needed some attention. Knowing what to do, how to do it, and what to use is more important to me than just the job. What I'm saying is that it is more or an art an not damaging any thing is a must. Using water has advantages and disadvantages. You need not worry about tenting, respiration hoods or clouds of what maybe considered more toxic by the "EPA" water coated media falls back down and any stripped materials do also. This is the biggest plus or advantage. Hydro blasting also uses less media it can reuse any media that becomes trapped in the water stream. With air it hits and bounces off or becomes airborne thus the need for hoods and tenting. Water keeps sheet metal panels from warping under heat caused by the air method of blasting. With the same equipment we can use several different types of media.

I think we as an industry should consider coming together and referring to this type of work as "Hydro Blasting" and promote it under one such banner. I can do more with a power washer or pressure washer than you think this is just one service. It can be one of the larger growing services with the right knowledge of what it can do. We can start to ban together and doing so customers and promotions of it can help out our bottom line. If we can show that with water and the right media, hydro blasting will work for more that you can guess. 

Cleaned by Pete does hydro blasting or media blasting on several different surfaces or substrates. We do mainly auto and bike restorations a untapped field of blasting. Mobile blasting for those who are restoring their dreams from the past. Working on finer cars and bikes is what we like to do. This same service can be used for stripping paint from parking lots, graffiti removal and other service. Soda blasting in the food service area for cleaning is another field you can use soda to clean equipment inside and since soda is nonabrasive it can be used around moving equipment as conveyers and production machinery need to be cleaned or stripped. Bring this service to the for front can be a new large field for this industry. Soda is also great for removing hard water marks from tiles around pools and fountains it also can help to remove efflorescence from brick and other surfaces.

Hydro blasting '67 Mustang, Cleaned by Pete 417.459.7869 media blasting, wet sandblasting, soda blasting.

Hydro blasting tractor sheet metal, Cleaned by Pete 417.459.7869 media blasting, wet sandblasting, soda blasting.

Hydro blasting soda blasting aluminium custom wheels Cleaned by Pete 417.459.7869 media blasting, wet sandblasting, soda blasting.

Hydro blasting with soda Thunder Bird rear end, Cleaned by Pete 417.459.7869 media blasting, wet sandblasting, soda blasting.

Hydro blasting removing factory clear coat and paint from a BMW wheel center Cleaned by Pete 417.459.7869 media blasting, wet sandblasting, soda blasting.

Hydro blasting motor cycle frames and parts Cleaned by Pete 417.459.7869 media blasting, wet sandblasting, soda blasting.

Hydro blasting with soda removing the factor clear coat and finish from a Honda 550cc motor Cleaned by Pete 417.459.7869 media blasting, wet sandblasting, soda blasting.

Hydro blasting is it for you? Hydro blasting we need to educate prospective customers and prospective technicians in this field. I was working on a '67 Shelby Mustang this weekend didn't look like much but the car if done right should be in the 40 to 50 grand area when finished according to the customer. He had be working on it for about 3 month trying to blast it himself. He heard of my "hydro blasting" service from a mutual friend, said he has been restoring cars for years and never knew any thing about this type or form of blasting. He was simply amazed at what I did in the 3 hours I was there. If we can get the word out on this service I know we can elevate it to a professional level. 

This is just something to think about, trying to change of the public view of what a power or pressure does. With so many "low ballers" "weekend worriers" and the perception of working for beer money. Specialized fields filling niche markets is one way of doing this. I pulled up with 3 washers and two blasting set-ups on our small S10 flatbed pick-up with all that would be need for the job. Customer was not quite sure that what I had could meet his expectations which he said I far exceeded. It was so nice since he could not trailer it to a blasting location to have the work done, and not seeing a large trailer with a huge compressor on it was amazing.

Hydro blasting tractor fender after paint removal Cleaned by Pete 417.459.7869 media blasting, wet sandblasting, soda blasting.

Hydro blasting the Mustang before an after photo. Cleaned by Pete 417.459.7869 media blasting, wet sandblasting, soda blasting.

Hydro blasting, media blasting or whatever we wish to call it. Cleaned by Pete 417.459.7869 #wet sandblasting, #soda blasting.

So what do we call this? How do we promote it? Where do we go from here? Knowledge is the key to success. I have learned to do most of this by years of hard work and some trial and errors. I grew up building bikes and cars and that is why I specialize in this field. Help us change the views of what we do and help promote a professional look to this industry.

Wash'n Wednesday Ozark MO now you see it now you don't

Wash'n Wednesday Ozark MO

It is time for the weekly feature "Wash'n Wednesday" let's see what Cleaned by Pete was doing in Ozark today.

Rust removal was part of the job description today:

 Elevation pins placed in the drive way may have helped with getting it level when it was poured. Now they just make an unsightly stain here is what Cleaned by Pete did with the rust on this aggregate drive way. Now you see it now you don't

Cleaned by Pete rust removal Ozark MO, elevation pin rust on a drive-way before starting,

Cleaned by Pete rust removal Ozark MO. Elevation pin rust on a drive-way with our special rust remover  applied starts to work right a way,

Cleaned by Pete rust removal Ozark MO, elevation pin rust on a drive-way as it is drying the rust stain is neutralized. When completely dry you will never see the stain. 

Cleaned by Pete rust removal Ozark MO, elevation pin rust on a drive-way before starting, set two pictures, Before

Cleaned by Pete rust removal Ozark MO, elevation pin rust on a drive-way before starting, set two pictures,During the first application.

Cleaned by Pete rust removal Ozark MO, elevation pin rust on a drive-way before starting, set two pictures, after you can see the outline of the pin still there but no rust.

I will try to add some pictures of the finished out come when I revisit this home. This product has to completely dry to see the results.

Cleaned by Pete

417.459.7869

serving the greater Springfield MO area