Blast Cabinet Shield opinions

GarageGuy89 · Jan 2, 2018

Anyone have advise for a glass/plastic window that doesn't get etched out from all the blast media? Making it impossible to see anything.

I've got the stock acrylic window with a plastic sheeting over it and it buggers up in about 5 min.

Would glass be an improvement?

OccupantRJ · Jan 2, 2018

Glass is an improvement, but examine the way you are blasting. Shoot at an angle to the object so the grit will rebound away from the viewing window. This makes a big difference. I had an acrylic window on my large cabinet that I had used for months. My grown mechanically inclined son killed it in a few days. I put a new one in and am making sure grit bounces away from it.

rsanter · Jan 2, 2018

Window screen
You need to install window screen about an inch from the glass. It will prevent most but not all of the sand from hitting the window.
I have the same window in mine for over 10 years

dkmc · Jan 2, 2018

What rsanter said

I haven't tried it yet, but someone also told me that metal (steel or alu.) window screen set in a frame, and stood off of the inside of the window 1/4" -1/2" will add many hours of life to the window and reduces the time that frosting becomes a problem considerably.

601HP · Jan 11, 2018

GarageGuy89 said:
Anyone have advise for a glass/plastic window that doesn't get etched out from all the blast media? Making it impossible to see anything.

I've got the standard acrylic window, with a plastic sheeting over it and it buggers up in about 5 min.

Would glass be an improvement?

I have the acrylic window, and use a sheet of Mylar as the protector. I usually blast for 1.5-2 hours before replacing the Mylar. I can probably get 3-4 hours out of a sheet.

I found the Mylar seller on Ebay about 2 years ago. Bought a box of 100 sheets. Each is 12" x 18", and is .004" thick. I can't remember the seller's name, but they contact me about twice a year to see if I need more. I believe their price was ludicrously cheap, about $35.00 delivered. Unfortunately for you, they just emailed me about 10 days ago and I deleted the email.

David

bob15 · Jan 11, 2018

TP Tools: http://www.tptools.com/Cabinet-Inner-Lens-Protectors.html

JABgj · Jan 11, 2018

I like the window screen idea and will have to try that. We buy single strength (window) glass sheets cut to size and use that as a sacrificial window mounted in front of the safety glass window. When it gets frosted, we change it and keep going. Lasts a while and dust does not stick to it as bad as plastic.

Showkey · Jan 11, 2018

Another vote for the Mylar sheet.........Pretty much the industry standard.

The frosting of the Mylar or unprotected window is a function of the media used, air pressure, cabinet design, gun technique size and shape of the items being blasted.

audioworks04 · Jan 11, 2018

I use masking tape and thin clear plastic to protect that actual shield. Tractor supply stocks these near me in 10 packs for just a few dollars.

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machine_punk · Jan 11, 2018

Probably the best plan I've seen is to buy several sheets of 'single thickness' glass, the same size of the window. Place this 'sacrificial' glass on the inside (or, in this case, put in 2-3 layers). The glass does seem to last longer and with the very inexpensive and thin spares of the inner layer, you can quickly replace it whenever needed.

This is how one of the colleges did it, with their large blaster. They have students using it all the time and they usually only need to replace the glass a couple of times a semester.

Kev

Blast Cabinet Shield opinions

GarageGuy89

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OccupantRJ

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rsanter

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dkmc

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601HP

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bob15

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JABgj

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Showkey

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audioworks04

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