HF Blast Cabinet lighting upgrade..

BellyUpFish · Sep 26, 2013

Ok, so I picked one of these cabinets up fully understanding it'd be in need of tweaks..

I'm going to pick up a new gun from TP Tools soon, but today I upgraded the lighting.

Anyone who has this cabinet knows how horrid the lighting is, so I remedied it..

Grabbed a small spot light, switch and switch box..

Mounted the light.

Wired it up and boom.. I can see.

ed_h · Sep 26, 2013

Belly--

This will help immensely. I did something similar, but with 3 x 50W halogens. Someone suggested later that painting the interior of the cabinet white might make it even better. I might do it next time I have it apart.

http://bullfire.net/Blast_Cabinet/Blast Cabinet Mods.html

SeattleKent · Sep 26, 2013

I did something similar to Ed. Unfortunately the fixtures filled with dust/grit. Belly, is the light you used sealed enough to keep the grit out? I'm thinking of switching to a different fixture. This could be the answer.

John Timmins · Sep 26, 2013

That lamp in the corner really gets the job done ! I would suggest that you cover the glass with another piece of glass and simply mount it with duct tape ? See how bad the glass gets etched up ? It would be cheaper to change the disposible glass tha th the lamp.

Here is how I blast with no lamp...since I do it outside with the sun behind me. The window film not being needed as suggested by the last poster is interesting. When my film gets used up I will try blasting without window film. I need a new piece of glass since I dropped something and cracked a corner. I think I paid $5-6 to have the glass cut :

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=82265

ken w. · Sep 26, 2013

I mounted a HF florescent stick light in mine and it worked well until it filled up with grit. I had to shake it out a lot. I like both of your ideas.

Thruxton · Sep 27, 2013

Good ideas here, and I have done a few of these with my cabinet, fluorescent stick light, legs, better sealing. And I have been thinking about ed_h's approach to the "hopper" problem, and about adding a fitting on the bottom exterior, maybe an el, to recirculate the sand. from ed_h's remarks on his site I'll have to take into account an air supply to the tube. Has anyone tried this? (Sorry, I guess this is a partial highjack but I hope the discussion will be useful.)

TapperMan · Sep 27, 2013

I did something similar but with outdoor LED lights like these. They don't throw off too much heat.

J Persons · Sep 27, 2013

I used the TP Tools lighting kit on my HF blast cabinet. The kit consists go an electrical box and a receptacle with a spot light bulb. The spot light bulb is less than optimal. It causes shadows in the corner below the bulb.

I replaced the HF gun with a Campbell Hausfield gun. It has been great, but I've been Thinking about replacing it with one of the guns from TP Tools.

DCarr · Sep 27, 2013

ed_h said:
Belly--

This will help immensely. I did something similar, but with 3 x 50W halogens. Someone suggested later that painting the interior of the cabinet white might make it even better. I might do it next time I have it apart.

I painted the inside of mine white and it helped out a lot. I'll be adding a light to it soon.

liquidh8 · Sep 27, 2013

I bought one of these a few weeks back. Sealed it all up. Going to do the lighting soon. I have to figure out why it is pulsing first.

Great ideas guys.

Clay54 · Dec 21, 2013

TapperMan, I realize this thread is 3 months old but I just found it. You should have had plenty time to test this light by now so - Does it provide enough light and do you have one or two? Is there a transformer involved? Also, how often do you need to empty media? I appreciate your time. Thanks, Clay

TapperMan said:
I did something similar but with outdoor LED lights like these. They don't throw off too much heat.

brownbagg · Dec 21, 2013

i had some small sparrow birds get in the shop and made nest in the arm hole, ripping the rubber

Higgins · Dec 21, 2013

OK Guys, Here is a little secret to keep ANY light from filling up with STUFF!

There is a product called "Peel N Seal" and it is a temporary sealant used to close up drafts over the winter months! I work with some non profits, and I will go thru a couple of cases in the fall, calking up rattling windows, and doors! Then in the spring, just catch an edge and you can "Peel" the calk back off! Great Product!!! Just run it around the lens on the light! Problem fixed!!

As for the interior light, I use a small outdoor light and put a BIG magnet on the back of it so I can position it where ever I need it. Then I glue a welders shield in front of the glass, so it takes care of etching the glass, and toss them every few months!

AL

BellyUpFish · Dec 21, 2013

Magnet is a great idea!

I need to put another light in mine, on the other side. I think I'll try that!

NUTTSGT · Dec 21, 2013

I put a regular spot light in mine, same corner as the OP. The issue it has for me is it creates a shadow on the side I'm looking at.

I saw a blast cabinet at a swap meet a few weeks ago. It had a light box right on top that shone down into the work area. It used CFLs and they were protected by a sheet of lexan or plexiglass. It seemed to work quite well, but not sure what would happen once the dust starts.

I thought about trying to do something along those lines with mine.

BellyUpFish · Dec 21, 2013

NUTTSGT said:
I put a regular spot light in mine, same corner as the OP. The issue it has for me is it creates a shadow on the side I'm looking at.

That's exactly what I'm experiencing.. I'd like to move a light to the lower-opposite corner of the box just to solve that.

TapperMan · Dec 22, 2013

Clay54 said:
TapperMan, I realize this thread is 3 months old but I just found it. You should have had plenty time to test this light by now so - Does it provide enough light and do you have one or two? Is there a transformer involved? Also, how often do you need to empty media? I appreciate your time. Thanks, Clay

If I recall correctly, I used the 10 watt LED lights. I think 20s might have been better. I put two in the back corners, but I may add another pair in front.

The lights don't require a separate transformer. I mistakenly linked to the 12V DC version, but they do come in 120V AC version too. The fixtures came with about 1 foot of bare cord. I removed the existing cord and used some BX to run to a handy box with a switch which I mounted on the outside. I mounted the lights on some magnetic disks with a threaded stud so I can re-position them a bit.

I did find one drawback to using magnets to mount them. If you use steel grit as a blast media, it will accumulate around the mount.

metalmagpie · Dec 23, 2013

there are lots of cool mods to these little cabinets. One I might try to do is to use a small shop vac hooked up through a rheostat to pull dusty air out of the cabinet. At the same time, I'll plumb PVC pipe to the air intake and run it right across above the window, with holes drilled pointing downward. Idea is that the incoming air flow deflects dust from your viewing path, keeping vision much clearer.

I'm also modifying mine to use a piece of double-strength glass. I'll get my local Laird Plastics shop to shear me up a bunch of thin polycarbonate sheets the same size, to set inside the glass to keep it from etching. I already have them shear me up shield plastics for my welding hood. Cost per is about 35 cents, where cost from Speedglas is a ridiculous $4 plus.

I'm also thinking about lining mine with rubber from an old truck innertube. It's supposed to quiet them down a lot and also really stops sand from bouncing off the walls with velocity.

metalmagpie

Clay54 · Dec 23, 2013

metalmagpie, how many tubes will it take and how in the world will you attach them to the cabinet walls. Clay

cparcell · Dec 23, 2013

why not drill and seal in leds all over it to increase light and they are sealed so no dust issues

BellyUpFish · Dec 23, 2013

cparcell said:
why not drill and seal in leds all over it to increase light and they are sealed so no dust issues

That's actually not a bad idea.. You can get adhesive backed LED's, but they're 12V.

stsmytherie · Jul 3, 2015

I recently got the HF blast cabinet. Here's my solution to the lighting problem:

1. Paint all the interior surfaces white. 3 cans of Rustoleum x $6

2. LED under cabinet lighting strips (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OH4XWNM/?tag=atomicindus08-20) $35

LED strips need to be sealed up at the ends to not fill with dust. I used clear packing tape. Then used double-sided tape to attach on the back, top, and left sides of the cabinet. Supplied connectors will reach, no problem.

I got fancy and wired the LED strips into the supplied switch box. Nice touch, but more trouble than it was worth, honestly.

The paint scratches and gets blasted easily, but it does the job.

Very happy with this.

Next upgrade will be a SKAT gun, but it works well enough as is for the moment.

NUTTSGT · Jul 3, 2015

How about a picture of how you mounted the lights, end to end or row of three ?

Make sure you post an update of they work or hold up to the dust.

stsmytherie · Jul 4, 2015

NUTTSGT said:
How about a picture of how you mounted the lights, end to end or row of three ?.

Here's a better photo of the lights.

Idea was to get lighting from different angles and reduce shadows. Works pretty well. Total luminosity of the three strips is roughly equivalent to a single 15w fluorescent tube worklight and about the same price.

Much brighter in real life than shown in these photos, though.

bgarrett · Jul 4, 2015

I made a sand blast cabinet using a full sheet of plywood The right end is the door and the light is in the upper right corner pointed down at my work but the dust prevents you from seeing the work so I used a bagged upright vacuum. It has a hose and thats what I use. It will **** the media out of the cabinet so you need a shield over the hole so you get dust only

NUTTSGT · Jul 4, 2015

stsmytherie said:
Here's a better photo of the lights.

Idea was to get lighting from different angles and reduce shadows. Works pretty well. Total luminosity of the three strips is roughly equivalent to a single 15w fluorescent tube worklight and about the same price.

Much brighter in real life than shown in these photos, though.

Looks good and shows how thin those LED lights really are. Thanks for posting those pictures.

stsmytherie · Jul 4, 2015

I might move the light on the edge of the window to the right side. Working right-handed, that's the side that needs better light.

motofool33 · Sep 3, 2015

stsmytherie said:
I might move the light on the edge of the window to the right side. Working right-handed, that's the side that needs better light.

edit nvm cant read your first post apparently..

dodge610 · Sep 3, 2015

Not to hijack your post but you will love the skat gun. I have the skat blast cabinet when you get the gun its worth it to get the foot pedal gun. Yes I have both cabinets and both style guns skat beats the HF gun hands down. And parts on the skat are allways available.

Frank2918 · Mar 2, 2016

I realize it is an old thread but using the plastic material used in car wash bays for the interior of a blast cabinet would work pretty well instead of painting. I put a link below. If you put them in with double sided tape or magnets it would be easy to remove and wash off when necessary.

http://www.menards.com/main/paint/paneling-planking/paneling/4-x-8-textured-white-fiberglass-reinforced-plastic-wall-paneling/p-1444450799332-c-8168.htm?tid=-3239617703630521533

I temporarily rigged up some LED lights that were weather sealed but put them inside a plastic shopping bag that I taped up the bag opening and it worked great! Will make something more permanent but wanted to see if it would work. After a full day of blasting the bag was fine. Wouldn't work with anything that would get hot but LED's were fine.

stsmytherie · Mar 2, 2016

Dodge, I did end up getting the Skat gun and pickup tube and it works MILES better. Top tip. Thanks

dodge610 said:
Not to hijack your post but you will love the skat gun. I have the skat blast cabinet when you get the gun its worth it to get the foot pedal gun. Yes I have both cabinets and both style guns skat beats the HF gun hands down. And parts on the skat are allways available.

J Persons · Mar 2, 2016

I just upgraded to a TIP gun and foot control. I had some problems when I first set it all up, the foot control valve wouldn't pass any air. I took it apart and oiled it a little and now it works fine.

Iann128 · Dec 28, 2016

Is this the Skat upgraded that you guys are talking about. My HF cabinet is not working very well after using it only a few times..

http://www.tptools.com/USA-Cabinet-Gun-and-Pickup-Tube-Upgrade-Kit,2320.html?sku=us-30

BellyUpFish · Jan 24, 2017

Iann128 said:
Is this the Skat upgraded that you guys are talking about. My HF cabinet is not working very well after using it only a few times.. http://www.tptools.com/USA-Cabinet-Gun-and-Pickup-Tube-Upgrade-Kit,2320.html?sku=us-30

That's the one..

HF Blast Cabinet lighting upgrade..

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