We Strip!
Have you seen those two words on trucks, cars, hoodies, license plates and t-shirts? I just had to find out who is stripping! It’s Blasting Technologies, Inc. located at 8264 Huffine Lane, Bozeman, MT.

I asked a guy getting out of his truck with We Strip! on the back and it turned out to be one of the owners, Cal Arnold, and I got the facts.

Q: “We Strip!” What do you mean?
Cal  chuckled, grinned and answered…

A: Well, (and then a pause) I’d like to think we get paid to take our clothes off… but that’s not the case. We strip paint, stain, coating and finishes off surfaces. We’ve stripped log homes, decks, cars and trucks to name a few things. Basically finish preparation from metal, aluminum, wood, concrete and more.

Q: How do you strip?

A: Generally, it is abrasive blasting (for example, sandblasting) in a variety of mediums, using dry abrasives at different air pressures.

Some abrasives are:
·         Sand
·         Walnut Shell
·         Recycled Glass
·         Baking Soda
·         Coal Slag
·         Corn
·         Plastic and more

Q: That’s a wide range. Using both abrasives and air pressure how do you determine what to use and how do you control the stripping?

A: Experience. We’ve blasted millions of square feet. We control the stripping by air pressure and the choice of abrasive, some being tougher than others. Soda for paint, grease and to neutralize rust, Walnut Shell for your log home, Recycled Glass for epoxy. It depends on the finish and the surface. We always say, “You don’t paint a car with the same paint as you would a house, so we don’t take it off the same.”

Q: Can you give me some examples of jobs you’ve blasted?

A: Sure, the failing finish off of log homes to prep for new product is the most popular.  We’ve stripped paint and rust from cars, trucks, heavy equipment and more to prep for painting. We also blast decks, lawn furniture and antiques, you name it.

Q: For a log home or a deck would you come to the house?

A: Yes, we come to your house. We have mobile units and travel to where your job is located. Our mobile blasting unit allows us to have two guys blasting, making us timely and completing the job quickly. We don’t do the work and go, we establish a maintenance plan and work with you ongoing. But, don’t forget, we also have the shop on Huffine with the blasting booth.

Q: A blasting booth. What’s that?

A: It is a booth where we can blast cars, trucks, lawn furniture and more. If you can drive it, drag it or pull it in, we can blast it in the booth. If it’s too big for the booth, we can blast outside. We blast all year long.

Q: What is the most popular thing you are known for at Blasting Technologies, Inc.?

A: I would have to say, log restoration and wood siding are our most popular services. We offer abrasive blasting, hand sanding, staining, chinking, borate treatments and caulking. We also consult with you, setting you up on a maintenance plan to keep your surfaces at their best. If it is anything log or wood — we work with maintenance and care.

Q: Could I apply the finish myself and have you do the blasting?

A: Sure, that’s fine, we will work with you and consult with you throughout the project.  We also work along/or with any painter or stainer.

Q: Blasting sounds expensive. Could I get a quote from you?

A: Oh sure, it’s not as bad as you would think.  In almost every case, it is less expensive than the painting or staining. We would be more than happy to do a free estimate. No job is too big or too small.
Give us a call at 406-581-1588 or email me at cal@blastingtechnologies.com  and we can discuss stripping for you!

And, his grinned returned.