Wet/Vapor/Blast Machine's

[W-Cummins]

So I have been looking at one of these machines for a few years and now I have decided that I need to own one.... Seems like they are a great metal refinish machine. The only problem with them is the cost of a true quality machine! A medium sized machine seem to be $10k and up!
So in my normal mode I guess I'm going to make one...That.and given the fact that I under bid one at the local surplus sale about 9 years ago. It was a nice unit all stainless steel from an aerospace company ( over $20k at the time) I don't like the sealed bid format As I now have the means to build one, I have started to design one.
1st design question; $tainless or just use the more economical cold rolled sheet? Looks like I can get 304 12 gauge 5X10' sheets for about $900 each (ouch!!!) I have 4 sheets of 12 gauge 4x8 that I picked up years ago to replace the belly box floors in my moving van. I painted them with dp40 and catalyzed enamel, I can use for "Free" as I'm not replacing the floor. The down side is that I'm not sure how well the paint will hold up to cutting and bending the sheets?? I can always touch up the cuts lines and bends if they cause paint failure. Also the current design it set for the 5x10 sheets so more cutting and some more waste with the 4X8 sheets.
I know the SS will last forever but I don't have forever left, probably 20+ years of blasting left in me and I'm thinking that the mild steel will last that long??

So if any one has one or has used one, post up your thoughts/pictures etc...

William...

 

[larry4406]

@Keyblazer built a really nice one and documented his build in his thread.

 

[DaveAndStuff]

I would go with the sheet you already have. I think you mean hot-roll, yes?

 

[W-Cummins]

I

I would go with the sheet you already have. I think you mean hot-roll, yes?

The stuff I have I think is hot rolled but I have had it over 30 years so I don't remember for sure.


I built my bead blast cab a long time ago but I had to pay for it to be bent as I didn't have a press brake then.
I


Here is the start of the plan

 

[DaveAndStuff]

I

The stuff I have I think is hot rolled but I have had it over 30 years so I don't remember for sure.


I built my bead blast cab a long time ago but I had to pay for it to be bent as I didn't have a press brake then.
I


Here is the start of the plan

If you've had it thirty years, it's time to burn it up. I'm sure it will be fine.

The bead-blast looks great!

 

[OccupantRJ]

Stainless to prevent rust while not in use would be my choice but I would likely use 18 gage ss at .050. Stainless is fairly stiff material especially when bent. 12 gage seems unnecessary And more expensive. There should be no ballooning air pressure when a cabinet is properly pressure balanced by the correct amount of ambient venting. It becomes basically a cabinet that should not leak.

 

[dkmc]

Brad Arnold is a heck of a smart guy, and he's spent a lot of time building his DIY Vapor cabinets.
He has a book about his designs and part choices......can't go wrong @ $10 IMO

Vapor Blaster Handbook — Arnold's Design

www.arnoldsdesign.com

Use the 'free' carbon steel, stainless is not needed. And 12ga is way overkill IMO
I picked up one of the larger generic china blast cabinets (their in all the tool catalogs)
from a guy that closed his body shop, $150.
My plan is to seal it up good as possible, maybe spray the inside with bed liner,
and use it as a Vapor cabinet. They just get crapped up anyway, its a messy process
and the cabinet is a mule not a pampered thoroughbred.

I think we DIY'ers all overthink and overbuild. Then many of us have the after thought of 'what was I
thinking' .......Overthinking.
But if you derrive pleasure from the design and build process......that's a whole different thing.

 

[W-Cummins]

The design choice of 12 gauge comes from the class of cabinets I'm looking to copy. The one I bid on is the model I really want to own/copy and it has 12 gauge upper and 10 gauge lower in the sump.



The material thickness is not really for strength but rather for abrasion resistance. My bead blast cab is also made out of 12 gauge material ( it's a copy of a tip model 1250?? that they used to make!) I looked at the catalog for many hours to figure out how they made them 35 years ago, and funny story... I was welding it together at the community collage (welding seminar) and one day an instructor from the autobody section walked through the welding shop and said... come check this out, walked over to his area and there was a brand new TIP cab sitting there! I could not see in the inside of the cab from the catalog pictures, and it turned out that mine is made better than the original.

 

[Firstram]

Use your carbon steel and line the back wall with thin aluminum. I converted a bench top HF cabinet to vapor and it has held up for years. I just leave the door open when it’s not in use.

I can’t find the pictures and I’m away on a job.

 

[OccupantRJ]

There is nothing wrong with a bit over overkill as long as a person can absorb the cost without wincing. The floor plate in my large blasting cabinet is 1/4” steel perforated plate with horizontal support bars and had a 2” hole worn through it when I acquired the cabinet. I drilled a piece of plate to the same perf design and cut out the bad section and welded it in. I have had the cabinet for around 35 years and can’t imagine the time it would have taken for localized blasting to create that wear hole In that one spot. The overkill is required in my case due to the things I blast. Here is a pic of loading a 218 lb Bridgeport mill casting with the forklift into the cabinet for blasting. I named the cabinet Mongo after the Blazing Saddles character.

 

[W-Cummins]

So here are a few examples of the cabinets I'm looking at

The one from above is the actual machine I bid on the winner of the sealed bid shipped it to PA from Iowa and then sold it later for $5k!
As you can see it's machine F-003 I have been hopping that machines f-001 and f-002 would be sold off 2, but so far no go....

The company has since closed down or got adsorbed into Vapor Hone Technologies after the founder passed away. They are going to be selling them again.

Video of the 60X36

I'm thinking about a 60X36 machine






I'm also looking at a Clemco Wetblast machine for "ideas"

 

[mepstein]

I’ve had mine for 10 years. Vapor hone technologies. It’s one of the machines I use all the time for parts refinishing. I think it was about $12k when I got it.

 

[Steve from Socal]

I have a Zero vapor blast cabinet I have to bring back to life! Needs glass, gloves, and a good going through.

 

[W-Cummins]

I’ve had mine for 10 years. Vapor hone technologies. It’s one of the machines I use all the time for parts refinishing. I think it was about $12k when I got it.

What model did you get ? Is it one of the SS models? does it have the 1/2hp Tsurumi Pump in it? if so how reliable is the pump?

 

[W-Cummins]

I have a Zero vapor blast cabinet I have to bring back to life! Needs glass, gloves, and a good going through.

Better yet sell it to me, and I can drive to Ks and pick it up!! Is it the model 260 above?

 

[mepstein]

What model did you get ? Is it one of the SS models? does it have the 1/2hp Tsurumi Pump in it? if so how reliable is the pump?

Wh1000 closed loop. It’s been a reliable unit so far. No issues with the pump. The wiper fluid pump is broken and the heater is burned out but I’ll fix those two things this summer. It’s gets a fair amount of use in our shop. Cleanup is a pain but that’s because the guys will sometimes get lazy and fail to clean parts ahead of time.

 

[LS1-IROC]

If you plan to leave your slurry mix in the cabinet when not in use, use stainless. If you want to go through the hassle of cleaning it out every time you use it, you can get away with using plain steel and coating it.
Also, I would look into a centrifugal pump vs using the standard diaphragm pumps. The performance difference is worth it.

 

[DocsMachine]

Anyone tried one of those cheap 'sandblasting' setups for a pressure washer? Could you get about the same results on aluminum- like an intake manifold- if you used a fine enough abrasive?

No one local offers the service, and I'd rather not build or modify a cabinet just for one or two pieces.

Doc.

 

[OccupantRJ]

Anyone tried one of those cheap 'sandblasting' setups for a pressure washer? Could you get about the same results on aluminum- like an intake manifold- if you used a fine enough abrasive?

No one local offers the service, and I'd rather not build or modify a cabinet just for one or two pieces.

Doc.

I have one of the pressure washer setups and was not impressed. The suction tube feed was too erratic to suit me. I feel it would benefit it to have a pressure pot blaster feeding the device with just enough psi to to get the abrasive to the blast nozzle more efficiently. My plans are to scoop up a small blast pot off marketplace to help feed it when one appears cheaply enough, then try it again.