Sand Blaster

[Deleted User]
[Deleted User]
edited November -1 in HUDSON
Folks,



I want to setup a sand blaster in my shop for my winter project of rebuilding a couple of 308's. I got lots of parts to clean.



I am looking at a model like this http://www.bosstoolsupply.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2428



I need any info you can supply about setting up the cabinet and hooking it up and what kind of dust collector to use. Any advice you can offer or any gotcha's so I don't endup filling the shop with dust. Whats the best type of media to use and all that stuff. Any help appreciated.



TIA. :o

Comments

  • 50C8DAN
    50C8DAN Senior Contributor
    I would suggest getting a pressure pot type blaster from: http://www.brutmfg.com/



    I have had one of their units with the 38 Special gun for several years and it is great. I use play sand from Home Depot, but you need to let it dry out before using it. Also get a starter kit with screen and some spare gun parts. Would also recommend getting extra nozzles, they can go quickly if you are doing a lot of blasting. I recently bought a carbide replacement since it is supposed to last 10X the ceramic.
  • rambos_ride
    rambos_ride Senior Contributor
    51hornetA wrote:
    Folks,

    I want to setup a sand blaster in my shop for my winter project of rebuilding a couple of 308's. I got lots of parts to clean.

    I am looking at a model like this http://www.bosstoolsupply.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2428

    I need any info you can supply about setting up the cabinet and hooking it up and what kind of dust collector to use. Any advice you can offer or any gotcha's so I don't endup filling the shop with dust. Whats the best type of media to use and all that stuff. Any help appreciated.

    TIA. :o
    I had one at home that I recently sold on ebay so I can offer up my experience with them pretty well.

    I bought the pictured blaster and pneumatic (air) vaccum from Harbor Frieght. The size of this particular cabinet did limit me on the size of part I could do and with the vacuum system it made my 110v 5hp compressor pretty much run non-stop while blasting.

    It kept up the pressure just fine - but didn't build up air in the tank to shut off the compressor unless I stopped using it. This also created a huge amount of moisture in the lines - luckily I have a decent enough sytem and filter to prevent the moisture from getting to the hose ends.

    My Old Blaster Cabinet
    blaster1.jpg
    Moisture Traps

    I know it looks like a "still" but the coiled copper line allows cooling and condensation of moisture. You notice the coiled line t-s into a expansion tube with a drain then up and over to the filter mounted lower than the expansion tube. I am able to keep moisture at a minimum - but wouldn't want to do any painting with it!

    You can buy electric line dryers for around 300.00 that are really slick and then you never have to worry about moisture!

    rambosstill.jpg


    I ended up selling the blaster and vac on ebay for less than 1/2 of what I had into it :(

    1) because I decided to do my 49 "resto-rod" and I had less small parts to clean
    2) It took up all of my precious bench space in my little 6x8 workshop
    3) although it was an "adequate" setup it was slow and my buddy who owns a body shop scored a used Snap-On one about 3x the size and with a 3bag filtration system for 1200.00 - so now I use that one!

    Conclusion

    So heres my advice in a nutshell

    1) You need a good compressor (5+hp 220v with a bigger holding tank) or it will run constantly and create a lot of water.
    2) Regardless - you need a good water filtration setup or line dryer
    3) Get a blast cabinet that has a LIGHT INSIDE!
    4) Get the largest cabinet you can afford and have room for!
    5) Look for a good used one first - call your local Snap-On or other tool dealer to see if they have a used one - or one of their customers and check classified/online etc...
    6) Get one that has an electric blower system - the pneumatic ones just eat more air.

    Oh - and just one more thing - even with a 2000.00 blaster cabinet setup with its own dust collecting system there is a certain amount of dust/media that get out anyway. So be aware that you can't use one of these in your paint area and/or keep your immediate area surrounding it "pristine" without additional cleanup each and everytime you use it!
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    Folks,



    thanks for the info and advice. As per usual tons of great information that will help me get my setup right.
  • 50C8DAN
    50C8DAN Senior Contributor
    TwinH, see my previous post about Brut Mfg. They bought the assets of Truman Skatblast equipment when the Mr. Truman closed his business due to health concerns. Brut has all the models previously sold by TP. I have no idea why TP did not buy the stuff. I have one of the 99ers with a 38 Special Blast Gun.



    Dan
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    when i was buying my air comp. i knew the dealer and he was telling me that the ones you buy at lets say sears are made for about a 300 hour lifetime which if you look at what a normal homeowner use would be is fairly long but for what we use them for just won't cut it
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    My new compressor is cheating... I bought a 12.5 horse Kohler gas powered one with a 30 gallon horizontal tank. Usually these are mounted on contractor trucks for job site use. I wanted the portability to be able to change/air up tires when I go after those barn fresh cars... When it's not in my truck, I have it mounted outside on a pad with a flexible line to the shop. In the shop I have a 60 gallon tank with water traps and air dryers at the air exit. This compressor more than keeps up with my blast cabinet, etc.
  • faustmb
    faustmb Senior Contributor
    I also got a compressor similair to the Ingersoll Rand shown above. I lucked out and got a nice used 7.5 hp model with an 80 gallon tank. It works great with my pot blaster and has no trouble keeping up. It is overkill for home use, but it should handle whatever i might want to do. My previous compressor was a $300 Walmart unit, it worked well to blow up tires but that was about it. I used it with the blaster, but it I could only get 5 minutes at a time out of it.



    I just purchased a blast cabinet last year, and found the more expensive units have much better seals, better lighting, and better hose routing (less clogs). I ended up with a nice size cabinet (Cyclone brand) from Enco for about $1000.00. It also included a dust collector for that price.



    Matt
  • rambos_ride
    rambos_ride Senior Contributor
    backtohudsons wrote:
    My new compressor is cheating... I bought a 12.5 horse Kohler gas powered one with a 30 gallon horizontal tank. Usually these are mounted on contractor trucks for job site use. I wanted the portability to be able to change/air up tires when I go after those barn fresh cars... When it's not in my truck, I have it mounted outside on a pad with a flexible line to the shop. In the shop I have a 60 gallon tank with water traps and air dryers at the air exit. This compressor more than keeps up with my blast cabinet, etc.

    12.5 hp Hooohaaa!

    I could run a shop with 2 or 3 guys working on that one! Niiiice!
  • akcoop
    akcoop Administrator
    I looked for the largest most inexpensive blaster cabinet I could find with the ability to put larger pieces in. I was most interested in the clamshell type. I bought this one from Northern Tool because I could fit larger things in and it wasn't as expensive. It was about $50 cheaper than it is now.



    http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=6970&productId=200136574&R=200136574



    It has been a good blasting cabinet with the following issues:



    The gloves are too short to reach very far. They are about 2 feet long and I really would love a pair that are about 4 feet long so I could reposition things in the cabinet without having to open it up.



    I also added another light. It came with one light bulb, but I like to see what I am doing.



    It is made of a heavy plastic. I have found it to be very durable, but you cannot put really heavy things inside. I have considered welding together a metal rim to help support the wire mesh.



    Hope this helps.



    Aaron

    Central Iowa Hudson Club Chapter Pres
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    My experience is that the one you are looking at is too small. You are going to end up having to use a pot blaster too much, and unless you like buying a lot of sand and cleaning up the mess, you are not going to like that. I have one from TP Tools that is about 50" Wide. I can put everything put large parts in it with room to spare. Keep in mind that you want to be able to move the part around once in the cabinet, not just to move it around, but so you can SEE the part. The problem with the smaller cabinets is three fold. One, you can not fit in large parts, two, you cannot move them around to spray the bottom, get into nooks and crannies etc, and three, you cannot SEE what the heck you are doing. My two cents is that you need to get the biggest one your wallet and shop can accomodate. TP tools has fantastic service and often has sales. You can get accessories galore, and they are helpful when you call. Have fun blasting.
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