Sand Blaster Recommendation?

[83200e]

I’m looking to replace my old Craftsman sand blaster. I can’t hardly find replacement nozzles anymore, and when I do they are expensive. What I’m seeing at Harbor Freight and TSC is that they don’t have any ceramic nozzles that fit what they sell. Do any of you guys have a syphon type blaster that you would recommend?

[Dave8338]

I have one of the pressure-pot HF blasters and it works great. Holds about 2X bags of abrasive or soda and I have used it quite a bit. Not sure about the ceramic replacement nozzles as I’m still on those that came with it. I don’t have it hooked up to my blast cabinet but don’t see why it won’t work just fine with it either. Think I paid $150 for it a few years back.
I’ll have to check into the nozzle replacements.

[ATC King]

Siphon type blasters are very generic and it's easy enough to upgrade just the gun.

If the hopper is still good (a glorified bucket), there are at least a couple quality companies that sell complete guns. A higher quality gun will make a difference on how often the compressor runs or how much work is done for the same compressor cycle. Higher quality means higher efficiency.

A name brand gun will have parts support, unlike the generic type products. That Craftsman blaster is a disposable type of product, but you can upgrade it. That's what I do with my budget priced blasting equipment, upgrade the parts as they break, wear out, or are no longer supported.

I don't know of any companies off-hand that I've purchased from but they should be easy enough to find. No Ebay or Amazon search, just an online search for companies with an actual website.


Edit: A pressurized unit was mentioned but you need to know the pressure/CFM requirements. I think the pressure units need a larger compressor to operated properly.

[Dave8338]

Siphon type blasters are very generic and it's easy enough to upgrade just the gun.

If the hopper is still good (a glorified bucket), there are at least a couple quality companies that sell complete guns. A higher quality gun will make a difference on how often the compressor runs or how much work is done for the same compressor cycle. Higher quality means higher efficiency.

A name brand gun will have parts support, unlike the generic type products. That Craftsman blaster is a disposable type of product, but you can upgrade it. That's what I do with my budget priced blasting equipment, upgrade the parts as they break, wear out, or are no longer supported.

I don't know of any companies off-hand that I've purchased from but they should be easy enough to find. No Ebay or Amazon search, just an online search for companies with an actual website.


Edit: A pressurized unit was mentioned but you need to know the pressure/CFM requirements. I think the pressure units need a larger compressor to operated properly.

You are correct. I run mine on 35cfm at 135psi on a twin-stage 240V compressor.
When I had the siphon type I would keep the tank elevated. It didn’t help the siphon effect but did allow the abrasive to more easily flow through/down the feed line. A good gun will make a world of difference; however, how much do you want to spend on a siphon system?
They work fine for small jobs and on a cabinets…

[83200e]

I tried the HF 40# pressurized blaster and my compressor wasn’t enough to push it. I did however learn that the 10 pack of 1/8 nozzles do fit that blaster, which I believe has the same gun that yours has Dave. I can find plenty of guns for sale, but when I start looking for the nozzles I find either they don’t exist, are extremely overpriced, or come in a variety pack with a bunch of useless tips I’ll never use. I’d buy the Craftsman again in a heartbeat if I could find the nozzles. It lasted over 20 years and was used frequently. I’m still using it with steel tubing as a nozzle.

[Dave8338]

I tried the HF 40# pressurized blaster and my compressor wasn’t enough to push it. I did however learn that the 10 pack of 1/8 nozzles do fit that blaster, which I believe has the same gun that yours has Dave. I can find plenty of guns for sale, but when I start looking for the nozzles I find either they don’t exist, are extremely overpriced, or come in a variety pack with a bunch of useless tips I’ll never use. I’d buy the Craftsman again in a heartbeat if I could find the nozzles. It lasted over 20 years and was used frequently. I’m still using it with steel tubing as a nozzle.

Good to know. Much appreciate the update.