Paul Dalton Dry Ice Engine Detail $295

allenk4

allenk4

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Polar Jet

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dfMgxBHZ9g]Polarjet 600 Trailer Master - YouTube[/video]

From Paul Dalton's Website:

Dry ice engine bay cleaning and detailing
Estimated time: 1-2 hours
Estimated cost: £180+ ($295)

The machine costs over $15k from what I can see.

Paintwork restoration and protection | Alloy wheel refurbishment and repair - Miracle Detail

How it works:

1- How Does Dry Ice Blasting Work?
Dry ice pellets are accelerated in a jet of compressed air and strike the coating to be removed at velocities up to the speed of sound. Cleaning results from three effects:

Kinetic Effect:
When dry ice pellets strike a surface at the speed of sound, any coating on the surface is cracked and loosened.

Thermal Effect:
The low temperature of dry ice pellets makes the coating brittle, cracks it and loosens it as a result of reduced bonding between the coating and the underlying surface. This allows dry ice to permeate the coating.

Explosive Effect – Sublimation:
Dry ice penetrates the coating and immediately sublimes (passes directly from solid to vapor state). This results in a 700-fold increase in volume, an explosive effect that lifts the coating off the surface.

Dry Ice Blasting FAQ | Polar Jet Blasting

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQ5Rsz4oveE]Miracle Detail - Engine bay cleaning and detailing with the Polar jet machine and dry ice. - YouTube[/video]
 
I'm a big Paul Dalton fan, but this looks a little like shtick - at least the way it's being used in the video. Dunno. I saw some ice pellets flying out of that wand. It may be good to clean dirty engines - then again so is a pressure washer, TAW, and some brushes - some stuff you already may have out when your washing the car.

But PD knows what he is doing, so I'm sure there is a reason for it.

When is AG getting the dry ice machine???
 
First....


I've seen more new technology introduced in the last 3-5 years than in my entire life and the big picture from this is it makes it faster, safer and easier for a-n-y-o-n-e to get good results and even professional results with little to no experience.


Second...

If this thing works as good as is shown in the video I'm all for it.

Engine detailing is messy work and I for one hate the risk of causing ANY kind of damage to any of the electronics underneath the hood.

I teach Cosmetic Engine Detailing in my Detailing Boot Camp Classes and this looks like the perfect tool for this type of engine detailing.

Just to note, I got the term cosmetic engine detailing from Mel Craig so as is my norm, I like to give due credit where credit is due.


If this tool works as good as it looks in the video I know I'd like to have one.


:)
 
After reading the FAQ for the tool, one question...

The dry ice evaporates into the air but where does all the grime that is removed go?

It would seem that the grime would be blasted or blown onto adjacent surfaces?


I know when I use a Sidekick to blow water out of cracks and crevices or a Tornador Gun to do the same I hold a towel in front of the blast path to collect the "stuff" being blasted.

BL_Wash_Car_070.jpg




2BootCamp075.jpg




Big picture is finding away to avoid doing a job twice, that is blowing grime off one area just to have to blow or wipe it off another area.


Still like the idea though...


:)
 
I agree with Mike. Where does the grime go. 15k for the machine. I'd rather find a cheaper way.
 
What I am wondering is what happens to the flimsy little plastic parts subjected to that kind of thermal shock? Dry ice sublimates at −78.5 °C (−109.3 °F), which means that its solid state form is even colder. I wonder if the shock of a surface at lets say ambient temperature of 80 °F degrees being bombarded with pellets at −110+/- °F would not raise the possibility of thermal fracturing.

I've seen thermal fracturing of glass (there is a FB video circulating showing how to make beer cups out of beer bottles) and also heard about the thermal fracturing process being used in the oil field!?. Actually my father was at the receiving end of a nasty windshield crack when the temperature at the house (living in Northern Quebec) dipped to -65 with the windshield factor.
 
Paul Dalton charges a premium to detail cars. He is famous for his £5000 ($8174.50 US) auto detail job. In contrast, some may consider $295 chump change.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNAmZPgcBzU]Miracle Detail - RTL - Formel Exclusiv - £5000 Car Wash - YouTube[/video]
 
The dirt goes onto the ground which you sweep or vacuum up afterwards. I looked into one of these type machines a couple years ago. You need a huge air compressor in addition to the unit itself.
 
So what happens when that hits the paint at that speed and for 15k kinda a joke really. Where are you going to get dry ice from cheap and you have to store the dry ice some where. The cost in every way is not worth it at all. Even if the machine was $500 you still have to deal with dry ice and if your not careful with it you can burn the crap out of your self. There are just to many things that make this very impractical.
 
Pureshine said:
So what happens when that hits the paint at that speed and for 15k kinda a joke really. Where are you going to get dry ice from cheap and you have to store the dry ice some where. The cost in every way is not worth it at all. Even if the machine was $500 you still have to deal with dry ice and if your not careful with it you can burn the crap out of your self. There are just to many things that make this very impractical.
Click to expand...


Sure is cool though!
 
Re: Paul Dalton Dry Ice Engine Detail $295

KillaCam said:
I know who he is. Just because you spend $8k on a detail doesn't mean it's going to be any better than an $800 job.
Click to expand...

From what I understand, this detail takes one week. So $8000/7days/8 hours per day = roughly $142 per hour. I don't think that's out of line at all for who many consider the best in the world. Ever take piano lessons from a grand master pianist? It ain't no $142 an hour.....
 
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