anyone do this with a sandblaster?

[Piper]

HI

I'm gradually acquiring some bigger tools and am contemplating a sandblaster. I know it will be used for smaller parts for paint prep etc but also anticipate needing it for larger components. By larger I'm talking about engine compartments, not the side of a building "larger". Anyway, I'm looking at the various choices on the market and am wondering if anyone uses a 20 gallon sandblaster pressurized container with some sort of cabinet for the smaller things? Clearly having a blaster box to capture the sand once sprayed would be great but I know there are bigger things I'll need to blast. Any of the blast cabinets I've seen don't have removable guns.

Would it be as simple as building a box with window, light and gloves with an opening for the gun and door for part access?

I'm kinda surprised I can't find something like this so I'm wondering if I'm missing something?

TIA

Piper

 

[the dude]

I use both, the 20 gallon pressure pot for the bigger stuff and the blast cabinet for the smaller stuff.

I went with the princess auto brand for both.

On the pressure blaster, you will need to change over all the fittings to larger, better quality. I also upgraded the size on all the fittings at the same time. I can get a picture for you if you want.

The blast cabinet works OK as is. I caulked it up and use a vacuum to pressurize the cabinet to clear the dust. I original pulled the dust through my shop vac, but it killed it quickly. I also bought the light for it and added an extra.

The biggest thing you need is a HUGE compressor. Not just big, HUGE. It can be done with a big compressor but it will take longer and is harder on the compressor.

I had a 60 gallon Maxx Air from House of Tools and it couldn't keep up. I now have a 80 gallon Devair and it barely keeps up at over twice the price of the Maxx Air.

 

[l_bilyk]

It killed your shop vac eh? Did you put in any sort of inline filter?

 

[bdierks]

HI

I'm gradually acquiring some bigger tools and am contemplating a sandblaster. I know it will be used for smaller parts for paint prep etc but also anticipate needing it for larger components. By larger I'm talking about engine compartments, not the side of a building "larger". Anyway, I'm looking at the various choices on the market and am wondering if anyone uses a 20 gallon sandblaster pressurized container with some sort of cabinet for the smaller things? Clearly having a blaster box to capture the sand once sprayed would be great but I know there are bigger things I'll need to blast. Any of the blast cabinets I've seen don't have removable guns.

Would it be as simple as building a box with window, light and gloves with an opening for the gun and door for part access?

I'm kinda surprised I can't find something like this so I'm wondering if I'm missing something?

TIA

Piper

Yep that is exactly the setup i have in my shop. In fact i am putting the finishing touches on it right now. I have the 20 gallon presure pot from Grizzly tools. And I built a 4' wide by 32" deep and 32" tall cabinet. i built the door out of steel and i built the bottom drain out of steel. And i also built a floor inside out of expanded steel. for the window i have for now a piece of acrilic plastis. I cut the hole 1' x 2'.

One thing I would like find that i havent had much luck finding yet is a different tip. I would really like the gun style with the trigger, but they are all made for a siphin system. So the air and the sand come into the gun a 2 different points. The pressurized system, the sand and air are in the same tube.

anyways, Let me know if you want to see some pics.

 

[Piper]

Yep that is exactly the setup i have in my shop. In fact i am putting the finishing touches on it right now. I have the 20 gallon presure pot from Grizzly tools. And I built a 4' wide by 32" deep and 32" tall cabinet. i built the door out of steel and i built the bottom drain out of steel. And i also built a floor inside out of expanded steel. for the window i have for now a piece of acrilic plastis. I cut the hole 1' x 2'.

One thing I would like find that i havent had much luck finding yet is a different tip. I would really like the gun style with the trigger, but they are all made for a siphin system. So the air and the sand come into the gun a 2 different points. The pressurized system, the sand and air are in the same tube.

anyways, Let me know if you want to see some pics.

YeSSSSSS!!!


Pics please!

Piper

 

[-lecroix-]

I have a 40 lb. pressure pot style blaster as well as the infamous Horror Freight cabinet blaster with the required TP Tools mods.

These two can handle anything I need to do ... or at least have been able to so far.

 

[the dude]

Sorry, I read your post wrong. I think it might be difficult to use the 20lbs blasters nozzle in the blast cabinet. That's the one thing I like about the pistol grip siphon feed gun, it's very flexible and I can shut the air off by just letting go of the trigger. The bigger blaster is always pumping air and sand. The hokey shut off does not work well.


As for the shop vac, I was not using any type of filter. A pre-filter might work well.

 

[trovato]

Pressure blasters are faster than siphon blasters. Cabinets usually incorporate siphon blasters. It's the equivalent of a box plus a "blast from a bucket" type siphon blaster, plus a dust extraction mechanism. These siphon blasters are dirt cheap. Making the siphon blaster built into a cabinet be removable just isn't worth it. Now, some people say why not use a pressure blaster in a cabinet? Well, one reason is that it will not continuously operate. You'll have to stop, and dump out the media and refill the pressure blaster. I suspect that the pressure blaster may be more demanding on the dust extraction system. Anyway, I would treat the two subjects separately. Use a siphon system in the cabinet. It's the way "everyone" does it. Then if you need something else, get a pressure blaster or another siphon blaster for use without the cabinet. Make sure you use adequate respiratory protection. And, as they say, prepare to get media in parts of your body you didn't even know you had.

BTW, here's what I mean by dirt cheap:

http://www.homedepot.com/prel80/HDUS/EN_US/jsearch/product.jsp?pn=100008764

 

[Major Ramifications]

I have always read that a regular pressure blaster with the nozzle in a cabinet would make too much dust, not to mention the valving needed to comfortably blast inside a cabinet without having to hold a trigger open.
Be that as it may, for years we used some pressure blasting cabinets where I used to work, but they were made for etching glass and stone, not heavy rust removal. They used a foot pedal to supply air to the diaphragm of the abrasive valve (like the mechanical version of an electric relay). The diaphragms, hoses, and valve housings wore out quickly with the fine abrasive we used, and a much more robust system would be needed to handle a regular pressure blaster and coarse blasting sand.
BTW, I have no idea if I spelled diaphragm correctly.

 

[Jay H 237]

You can see my 20 gallon pressurized sandblaster on this page of my website, http://www.jasonsgarage.com/inner_fender_replacement5.htm
I have been very happy with it. Messy since it's not easy to contain but does the job very well.

I bought a small cabinet one from HF last year for the real small parts. Not a great cabinet but with caulk, weatherstrip and new hose for $20 from the local hardware store it has served my needs. I haven't upgraded the nozel yet though. It does tax my compressor and it runs much more with this siphon unit than with the pressurized pot.

The presurrized pot cleans more easily than the siphon. If I did this for a living or sandblasted frequently I would have looked a buying a better unit than the HF cabinet.

 

[bdierks]

Ill post up some pics ASAP. I am finishing up a few little things on the cabinet, Then i will take some more pics. That way you can see it when its completly done.