H.F. sand blast cabinet.

[skyking]

Bought the large one today with a $179 coupon. Comes in a box 4" thick. You build the whole thing....including the cabinet. I couldn't believe the whole thing fit in that box , but it does.

Been wanting one forever !!

 

[my58dodge]

Bought mine a year ago and it has worked very well. Per advice here, I sealed everything with clear silicone when I assembled it. You do not want leaks. I also purchased the dust collector from HF online. Keeps air flowing through the cabinet for good visiblility.

 

[Goobzilla]

Decent cabinet, had mine for years. Do the silicone sealing thing and it should be good to go. I use a shop vac with a HEPA filter to keep it clear inside.

 

[GRX]

Great thread as I am considering buying one myself. Is that the 40-lb model?

http://www.harborfreight.com/40-lb-capacity-floor-blast-cabinet-68893.html

 

[DKerns]

I have one that I acquired for free 5 years ago. I need to do a little TLC (glass and gloves) to it, but it has been doing all my little parts without a hitch so far!! I use a shop vac for now for now with the HEPA filter and it seems to do ok.

 

[Norcal]

While I prefer to avoid ChiCom products, the HF bead blaster fit my budget, was kind of funny a Chinese bead blaster w/ Russian blast media.

 

[kd4gij]

I picked up the old stile at a parking lot sale for $70.00 put a skat gun pickup tube in it and it works great

 

[Lhorn]

I'm probably gonna get one too. I've been searching around and trying to get a US made one without breaking the bank, but any decent deal is just killed by shipping cost. Went to HF and it looks like a decent tool. Except for the gloves which don't look like they'll last more than 18 months, I was impressed with the cabinet.

 

[evintho]

Here's a brand new one still in the box - $125.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/tls/3600871633.html

 

[skyking]

Great thread as I am considering buying one myself. Is that the 40-lb model?

http://www.harborfreight.com/40-lb-capacity-floor-blast-cabinet-68893.html

Yes it is the 40#. It comes with 2 sided tape to seal it with.Should I just use silicone or use it with the tape. Everyone says to seal it and vac it.I have a small shop vac to hook up to it.

 

[Bobf]

I was thinking of picking one of these up for small parts. I have their pressure pot setup which works Ok, BUT I usually hang a tarp from the outside back garage wall and use it to recover most of the media. Takes time to setup, and of course gather and strain after use.. I thought this would be more convenient for small stuff, maybe put some casters on it. I see they're on sale for $210 so with a 20% coupon, gets it down to $168, little less than the $179 coupon, maybe put the extra$11 towards some casters.

 

[mzy4v1]

I was thinking of picking one of these up for small parts. I have their pressure pot setup which works Ok, BUT I usually hang a tarp from the outside back garage wall and use it to recover most of the media. Takes time to setup, and of course gather and strain after use.. I thought this would be more convenient for small stuff, maybe put some casters on it. I see they're on sale for $210 so with a 20% coupon, gets it down to $168, little less than the $179 coupon, maybe put the extra$11 towards some casters.

That's exactly what I did, put casters on the bottom and wheel it out of the way when not in use. I found it helped to plumb the air to it with a larger diameter line to get better flow.

I got my blast media at Tractor Supply, it was cheaper than HF and better media.

 

[AbitNutz]

Skyking: Least expensive I've seen for the HF blast cabinet was $199.00. Do you know where I can get a coupon for the $179.00 you paid?

 

[GRX]

Yes it is the 40#. It comes with 2 sided tape to seal it with.Should I just use silicone or use it with the tape. Everyone says to seal it and vac it.I have a small shop vac to hook up to it.

Thanks for that skyking. If I may ask, do you know the inside dimentions of the cabinet?

Tape or Silicone ... I would do both personally. And a vac too. Even a small vac outside with a long hose extending inside to the unit will be a big help. I have never had a blast cabinet at home but have used many at several jobs over the years. Anything you can do to keep the dust down in your workshop is a plus, not to mention save your lungs. Silicosis is a long slow suffocating death from what I understand.

 

[54FordPanel]

X2 on the casters. I move mine around alot. And the sealer.

Has anybody done any mods to the gun or pickup to make it work better? Mine works ok, but I think it could be better.

 

[DKerns]

X2 on the casters. I move mine around alot. And the sealer.

Has anybody done any mods to the gun or pickup to make it work better? Mine works ok, but I think it could be better.

I have been looking at upgrades from TP Tools. Being that I have had mine for 5 years and have 0 into it, it wouldnt hurt to put some money into it. That being said, I would really like to upgrade to a larger cabinet that will fit all my tractor parts in.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

... Anything you can do to keep the dust down in your workshop is a plus, not to mention save your lungs. Silicosis is a long slow suffocating death from what I understand.

Never, EVER consider using children's white sandbox sand - like I did once many, many years ago. It is silicone based and WILL kill you.

I bought THIS big old sandblast cabinet off Craigslist for $60. I've since painted it red but still have to get it going.

 

[MegaManny009]

i started off with that small hf one then was thinking about spending extra for the bigger one and just ended using my head and making this big boy for practically free

 

[GRX]

Great stuff! Enjoying this thread more and more.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I used a gutter sealer when I put mine together. It still leaks a little bit of sand.

 

[GRX]

Semi-related;

A craigs list ad in my area said 'free plywood, was sandblast ROOM.'.
Intrigued, I took a look. He had a 4x8 ROOM he used as a sandblast cabinet! Arm holes and a table...but you could also use it as a walk-in and blast the hell out of a fender.

GUESS who's discarded the thought of a blast cabinet....

Sounds like the heavy blast room we had at CAT except much smaller. That was fun, until it wasn't. Floor trench blast media catch recirculator. Full body armor and fresh air respirator required. Couple guys did their entire hot rod projects in the off hours, frame, engine parts, body panels and all.

 

[ispperformance]

I use the large self standing HF cabinet. Installed the TP tools pickup tube and gun upgrade, and its works a lot better. Just wish there was something else I could do to improve it a little more....

 

[flyingw]

I have a large pressure fed media blaster at work for the heavy jobs but at home I have a HF (King Brand) at home. After using it for only a few minutes, I realized a few mods to make it better.

Ditch the fluorescent light tube and get a four pack of under-cabinet puck lights. I made some bendable brackets and mounted the puck lights at the top of the cabinet on all four sides. Nothing fancy but the lighting is so much better.

Set it up with a simple vacuum to keep the visibility good. I use a B&D Stinger. It has the right amount of draw. I installed a variable vent opposite of the vacuum inlet. Works great.

The book says to fill it with media to this line which was way too low. The media would bank up opposite of the pickup tube. Screw that...... I taped a piece of cardboard in the bottom of the cabinet to move the media back to the pickup tube inlet. That works very well AND I fill the bottom all the way up to the screen. Plenty of media now.

The largest improvement I made was to use glass bead. The problem with sand is its heavy and the siphon isn’t strong enough to pull and utilize a media such as sand. In addition to that, sand is not really reusable. Synthetic sand such as Black beauty is somewhat but it’s still too heavy. Sand is very aggressive so its not a good candidate for more delicate work. I have experimented with a few types of media and have found #10 glass bead works very well for most applications but it especially works well in the small siphon type media cabinets.

Now, with that said I will tell you that the HF glass media is TOTAL GARBAGE!!! DO NOT BUY THAT JUNK.... Its heavily contaminated with foreign debris, its inconsistent, and it has lead in it.. BAD STUFF. Find a local or online dealer that sells media commercially. I pay about 39.00 for a 50lb bag in OKC. The difference between the HF and the good stuff is night and day in both appearance and performance. It’s made in the USA too so spend your money wisely when buying media.

Lastly, no matter what media you use, know the suggested working pressure. Sand better performs at higher pressures. Glass bead works best at no more than 50psi and so on. Higher pressure doesn’t necessarily mean better performance.

 

[Madc]

All Great ideas and suggestions, looking to get one of these- could I ask what size compressors you are all using for these cabinets? Would the Sears Prof. 1.9HP/27 Gal or the IR Garage mate 2.0hp 20 Gal be adequate for the small cabinet?

Thank you all for your imput, love this site.
MADC

 

[Pcoghlan]

Until recently I had never owned a blast cabinet. I was in the local Tractor Supply one morning and on impulse bought their small one (table top) for something like $99. I kind of figured, how bad can it be....I soon found out.

After about 5 minutes blasting, which to be fair got my '55 Buick motor mounts looking like new, I couldn't see a thing. Bear in mind this is WITH a (poor) light inside the cabinet. I got to the point where I was pointing in the vague direction of the piece I was holding. Made the thing unusable. I try wiping the screen but it is no use. seconds later, invisibility returns.

I have been looking at the larger HF floor mounted model but wonder whether it has the same issue. Remember, this was my first blast cabinet (if you can call it that) so I am a little gun shy on the whole thing.

Oh, and I learned to stop buying **** on impulse!

PS: My guess as to the issue is that the media nozzle is too close to the screen on table top versions.

 

[Zrexxer]

That's one BIG-*** muffler!

I got one identical to to the HF one at a Homier sale several years ago for $100 even. As noted, it came in a 4" thick box, and there are 2,653,123 machine screws and nuts used to assemble it.

I neglected to seal mine and the first time I poured a bag of glass bead in it, the media was pouring in fine little streams from every tiny leak. I think I've got it about sealed up now.

 

[54FordPanel]

All Great ideas and suggestions, looking to get one of these- could I ask what size compressors you are all using for these cabinets? Would the Sears Prof. 1.9HP/27 Gal or the IR Garage mate 2.0hp 20 Gal be adequate for the small cabinet?

Thank you all for your imput, love this site.
MADC

I don't have experience with those compressors, but I think you'll run out of air quick with them. In this case, the size of the cabinet really doesn't matter. Inside, they're all running on the same principle of an open air nozzle sucking sand. You could only blast for a short while with those compressors

Until recently I had never owned a blast cabinet. I was in the local Tractor Supply one morning and on impulse bought their small one (table top) for something like $99. I kind of figured, how bad can it be....I soon found out.

After about 5 minutes blasting, which to be fair got my '55 Buick motor mounts looking like new, I couldn't see a thing. Bear in mind this is WITH a (poor) light inside the cabinet. I got to the point where I was pointing in the vague direction of the piece I was holding. Made the thing unusable. I try wiping the screen but it is no use. seconds later, invisibility returns.

I have been looking at the larger HF floor mounted model but wonder whether it has the same issue. Remember, this was my first blast cabinet (if you can call it that) so I am a little gun shy on the whole thing.

Oh, and I learned to stop buying **** on impulse!

PS: My guess as to the issue is that the media nozzle is too close to the screen on table top versions.

Does it have a plate on the back for attaching a shop vac? That makes all the difference in the world for visibility. The large HF one does....I can't see without it running.

 

[Pcoghlan]

No, didn't realize that was a feature/necessity. I will take the plunge on the HF unit. I think I got an email from them the other day saying they were running specials on blasting cabinets.

Thanks for the post.

Does it have a plate on the back for attaching a shop vac? That makes all the difference in the world for visibility. The large HF one does....I can't see without it running.

 

[Pcoghlan]

Posting this in the event it helps others on the site.

Just ordered the HF floor standing unit. Did a quick Google and found a coupon code (51637713) which reduced the item by 20% from $209 to $167....

 

[amaes]

I'm glad I searched and found this thread. I just picked one of these up from a guy for $15. It was missing the gun so I bought a CF one off Amazon for $15. Good info in here. I'll have to look into new lights and good to know about the **** media at Harbor Freight. I almost bought some today.

 

[flht1997]

I have had mine for about a year and am still running most of the original gun. I replaced the suction hose because it was collapsing while blasting. When I assembled I sealed all the seams and it is pretty well sealed, I get a good drop of sand when I open the door. The light lasted a few weeks and blew the capacitors so back to HF for the 27 led flash-lights. I have been very happy with it. I have limited experience with real high quality blast cabinets, but this one works great for what i do.

 

[Bobf]

X2 on the 20% coupon and $209 sale price. I picked one up today for $168+tx and also bought 4 casters. Haven't unpacked it yet. I'm sure it's a usual HF assy with a million small screws/wshr/nuts so I'll wait until I have some time wo interruption. Have to pick up a tube of silicon too.

 

[MegaManny009]

That's one BIG-*** muffler!

I got one identical to to the HF one at a Homier sale several years ago for $100 even. As noted, it came in a 4" thick box, and there are 2,653,123 machine screws and nuts used to assemble it.

I neglected to seal mine and the first time I poured a bag of glass bead in it, the media was pouring in fine little streams from every tiny leak. I think I've got it about sealed up now.

thanks man there are some things that I could have done better like the door, but this one is a keeper for sure. i would like to build another just because it was that fun to build

 

[adpprop]

Up here in the north country we have Princess Auto which seems to be about the same as HF. After reading here how bad these things are sealed I built mine, took it back apart and siliconed EVERY place I could. Those 2,653,123 machine screws were a nightmare but it only leaks a little sand when I open the door. Even without the vent. I do not wanna' put that sand through my shop vac. With the little bit I have used it so far I think I will just vent it into a cloth covered bucket and see how that works out.
I think I am also going to try the puck lights. Sounds like a great idea and they are not expensive.

 

[J Persons]

I've had the large floor standing HF blast cabinet for years, It needed a better gun and better lighting and with those mods it works well. I used a Campbell Hausfield gun and a TP Tools lighting kit and it now works just as well as any other one. I also added a filter/water separator with a quick release mounted right at the cabinet to trap any water vapor that got past my main filter. The cabinet works best with the HF glass beads or the HF 80 grit aluminum oxide. It's not so good with the coal slag from Tractor supply. The cabinet hooks up directly to my Shop Vac . My next mod is to replace the gun with a TP tools gun and install a foot operated valve.

 

[chicken89]

So I just got the HF cabinet today. I looked at the screws and remember someone saying they replaced the screws with something else (maybe it was just the washers or the nuts, don't remember). Would rivets work the same or just use the supplied screws? Of course, still use silicon on the edges.
... got 2 things I have been wanting for years- rivet gun and sand blast cabinet!

 

[hoffman912]

i picked up the 30 gallon Harbor Freight bench top blast cabinet and 50 lbs of 80 grit media last week on craigslist for $50 bucks.

It was barely used and a steal.. very lucky.. anyways, i cannot wait to use it.

Anyone know what air pressure i should set the compressor at? I am going to be borrowing my dads 33 gal until i can get one of my own (need to talk to the electrician when we get moved in next month to the new house to see about running 220). anyways do you think that will be big enough?

 

[J Persons]

33 gal won't give you much blast time before you will need to stop and let the compressor catch up. I have a 60 gal and consider that to be the minimum size for a blast cabinet.

I used to run my cabinet at 125 PSI, using a 3/8" air hose. I haven't run it yet in my new shop, I'm installing 3/4" main lines with 1/2" drops, all in black pipe. Hopefully I can turn down the air pressure a little since it will have more volume.

BTW, I was in Tractor Supply today, they have a new 60 gal Campbell Hausfield on sale for $465.00

 

[hoffman912]

BTW, I was in Tractor Supply today, they have a new 60 gal Campbell Hausfield on sale for $465.00

nice. what HP, and other specs?

 

[J Persons]

nice. what HP, and other specs?

It was 3HP, 220 Volt. I didn't look at it that close, as I was in a hurry.