Which SandBlaster?

[bucko]

What sand blaster's do you guys recommend?I need one for small jobs,removing rust spots and paint.I don't want to buy one that will clog up every minute...and with my luck id buy the worst one ever made lol

[leevarnado]

dont buy the small blast cabinet from harbor freight,i have one and there are junk.

[dksix]

How much do you have to spend and how big is your compressor?

[Dirtcrasher]

I'll share my experience.

Harbor freight cabinet -179.99.

Worked well with 1 tip out of 5 and 1 type of sand. You can only buy the tips in packs of 5.

My 6HP 33 gallon Craftsman compressor blew up twice. It would blast well for 45 seconds, then 4 minutes to get back to 125PSI.

Got much to hot each time I blasted.

Then I decided to get a TP Tools gun for it which worked much better with aluminum oxide.

Blew up another top end. Smashed compressor to bits with a BFH, moved it's tank indoors for storage and air in my basement.

2 weeks ago, I bought an Industrial Air twin cylinder/synthetic oil/start and run capacitors/60 gallon tank and it actually stops running while I'm blasting.

Now I am very happy with my setup. But, it came with a price.........

The HF cabinets do the job. Like everything, I modified it. I added 2 wheels, changed the grate, stiffened the legs and changed the gun. The plastic stick on covers that protect the light and viewing area don't last long. I haven't seen any other cabinets for a decent price. Connecting a Shop Vac to the cabinet helps allot as well as turning the lights off but on in the cabinet.

A good compressor with allot of SCFM's and a big tank are key......... Any way you slice it, we all want to blast parts but it is not cheap.

[Crash5291]

Since its related i have seen lots of different types of media for it like:

Crushed Glass $0.20/lb
Ebony Grit $0.24/lb
Corn Starch $0.50/lb
Walnut Shells $0.60/lb
Glass Beads $0.73/lb
Steel Shot $0.80/lb
Aluminum Oxide $0.90/lb

(prices are close)
Thoughts?

[bcredneck]

i was a sand blaster for a year working on cars and 5 or 6 hours of work with a small blaster takes a big auto body shop blaster about 30 min id save some money and get a shop to do it the blaster i used needed a 4 cylinder desil comp and i could strip a car in 8 hours if you do buy a blaster dont use the white silica sand unless you like coughing up blood and wasting time the black sand works best and is less hard on your lungs

[playasridebmx]

i was a sand blaster for a year working on cars and 5 or 6 hours of work with a small blaster takes a big auto body shop blaster about 30 min id save some money and get a shop to do it the blaster i used needed a 4 cylinder desil comp and i could strip a car in 8 hours if you do buy a blaster dont use the white silica sand unless you like coughing up blood and wasting time the black sand works best and is less hard on your lungs respirators save lives

[Scootertrash]

i was a sand blaster for a year working on cars and 5 or 6 hours of work with a small blaster takes a big auto body shop blaster about 30 min id save some money and get a shop to do it the blaster i used needed a 4 cylinder desil comp and i could strip a car in 8 hours if you do buy a blaster dont use the white silica sand unless you like coughing up blood and wasting time the black sand works best and is less hard on your lungs

Have you ever heard of silicosis? Seriously- a respirator is needed if you're going to be blasting like that. Silicosis WILL KILL YOU!! Not right away it takes years. I am in the concrete business and have heard of guys in their 30's already suffering from silicosis. Concrete, Portland cement, cement blocks and bricks all have silica sand in them, So if you are ever around guys sawing concrete bricks or bloscks don't breath the dust!!

[leevarnado]

you should wear at least a dust mask anytime you do any type of sanding,rather it be blasting or dry sanding with paper.

[Dirtcrasher]

Plan on hearing about my death someday guys.......

I have my hands in gas, solvents, brake cleaner, carb cleaner daily and have had to use plenty of silica sand in the past.

I wholeheartedly agree about a mask or better yet, a respirator........

[leevarnado]

dc,i have an extra full face that i only used once,also have new cartridges.its your if want to pay shipping.i get them from work when we have to go inside the ccr.

[jensenracing77]

i have this one and love it. http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/PhotoGallery.asp?ProductCode=HTSBC420

i started also with the cheep bench top model from HF but had to modify it to get it to work the way i wanted. then i found it hard to load the parts into if it was very heavy. i decided to get a bigger one and use glass in it. now i found that my IR 60 gallon compressor will not keep up. it is only 11.3 CFM but is rated at continuous duty. if your compressor is not big enough it had better be a continuous duty or it will not last long. i am going to sell the compressor and get a bigger one. you will find out that the compressor needed for a blast cabinet will cost much more then the blaster. the good thing is, now everyone around knows i have this and now i make money blasting small stuff for people.

[Dirtcrasher]

11.3 at 90psi isn't too bad, but as you know, 15 would be much better. They get real pricey once there a good dual stage compressor.

I'm at 11.7 from I think 6.3 on the junkman I demo'd, so I'm quite happy. Continuous blasting and I'm still at 125psi........

I can fit anything aside from a frame.

You must have a large cabinet/medium size gun?


dc,i have an extra full face that i only used once,also have new cartridges.its your if want to pay shipping.i get them from work when we have to go inside the ccr.

That would be great, thank you. I'll send you a PM..........

[dksix]

If you are handy with wood working and don't mind doing it TP Tools sells blasting cabinet plans/kits. You can alter the dimensions if you want to go bigger and for what you end up with, there isn't a better value. TRIGGER kit http://www.tptools.com/Product.aspx?display_id=336 FOOT VALVE kit http://www.tptools.com/Product.aspx?display_id=335 TS Tools sight gives some good info or air consumption vs nozzle size for blasters, it's on there somewhere but I can't remember where.

[leevarnado]

wouldnt the plywood flake off and cause clogging.

[dksix]

Not as much as you think. I wouldn't use MDF or OSB but I've seen plenty of people use the plywood. The media loses energy quickly as it leaves the gun and from 24"-36" inches is relatively easy on the back wall. People who use a plywood box heavily will line high wear area's with thin sheet metal, like 29ga picked up at a HVAC place or metal roofing place (metal roofing straight off the coil, unformed). In case other haven't seen it, here's a great cabinet conversion that looks really cool. http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/newbie-but-not-new-118463.html I think I've posted that before but in case some haven't seen it. I would have one like that but I need something bigger for the shop here.