Harbor Freight Blast Cabinet

[Kevs02Accord]

So I have the HF 40 lb standing blast cabinet, item 68893. I got it all together but I am having trouble getting any media to come out of the gun. I got the HF fine coal slag 61532, which I cant find on the the site any more, but its a black diamond product 30/60 grit. I am using my 5hp, 60 or so gallon wayne compressor. I have about 25 ft of 1/2 hose with a water trap and filter on it. I tried using the different size nozzles but neither seemed to work. When I take the gun out and just run air through it, it feels as if air is coming out the feed tube that goes into the media, I would think it should feel like a vacuum? Any ideas?

 

[goodysgotacuda]

Tried blowing air through the nozzle of the gun [backwards] to see if there is something blocking it?

 

[Jim Pelosi]

Put your finger over the outlet on the gun and pull the trigger. It will blast out anything blocking the media hose.

Sent from my SM-G360P using Tapatalk

 

[txvwnut]

If you get the gun to work use it till you need new nozzles then order the gun upgrade kit for the import blast cabinets from TP Tools. You will be amazed at what a difference it makes.

 

[pendragon1998]

So I have the HF 40 lb standing blast cabinet, item 68893.

Sorry, this is a little off topic, but can you use a 20% off coupon on the blast cabinet?

 

[goodysgotacuda]

Sorry, this is a little off topic, but can you use a 20% off coupon on the blast cabinet?

Yes, 25% off until the end of the day today.

 

[D. Patina]

I've had this same cabnit for about 6 years or so. Out of the box, they are Very sensitive to humidity, and leaks like a sieve. I disassembled mine and reassembled with a thick RTV bead at all the joints. I also use a water separator on the hose, I also use a shop vac to **** out the dust. It's a good cabnit now.

Next Mods will be to raise it about 10 inches, maybe even put it on wheels. A better light is also in the works. At 6'4" it's rough on the back leaning over to blast the parts.

 

[flht1997]

the original media hose on mine would collapse under vacuum and the media would stop. It did take about a year for that to happen.

 

[Kevs02Accord]

I will have to double check and make sure anything isn't stuck. I do have a water trap and my compressor is a 2 stage with after cooler.

I did see the gun from TP tools, looked nice, I wasnt sure if I needed just the gun or the gun and pickup tube. I suspect my issue is the pick up tube.

Should I feel a vacuum where the pick up tube is when I run air through the gun? Can I modify the pick up tube to improve flow?

 

[gnpenning]

TP has instructions on their site on how to make a pickup tube. Even if that's not your problem it's worth doing. They even offered free plans to build your own cabinet for GJ members. Not sure if it has expired.

Clean dry air and clean dry media very important.

 

[S4cruiser]

Here is one that is 300% markup, but used with a snap on sticker

Some poor person will likely buy it

 

[Kevs02Accord]

Ok a couple of updates. I increased the pressure from 90 to 115 psi. I changed to the largest nozzle. I "cleared" any clogs it may have had. It was blasting ok for a little bit but I noticed a few problems and I am not sure what they mean.

1. It felt like the gun was surging, some would come out, then none, then some. Other times it would be constant.

2. I kept having to move the pick up tube, it would help some times and others not.

Basically it took 4x as long to blast the parts because every couple of minutes I was moving the pick up tube, blowing air back out of the gun, pounding the sides of the cabinet, etc... My trap had a little bit of water but not much and the media felt very dry, did not stick to my hands at all. I really couldnt tell what was working, some times moving the tube would help, other times blowing air out of the gun or pounding on the sides. No one thing seemed to help.

I suspect the pick up tube might be a big part of the problem, I wouldnt say it was kinked, buy nearly so. I did also notice some times when I would stop blasting media would come out the front of the gun some times.

 

[dodge610]

Ok a couple of updates. I increased the pressure from 90 to 115 psi. I changed to the largest nozzle. I "cleared" any clogs it may have had. It was blasting ok for a little bit but I noticed a few problems and I am not sure what they mean.

1. It felt like the gun was surging, some would come out, then none, then some. Other times it would be constant.

2. I kept having to move the pick up tube, it would help some times and others not.

Basically it took 4x as long to blast the parts because every couple of minutes I was moving the pick up tube, blowing air back out of the gun, pounding the sides of the cabinet, etc... My trap had a little bit of water but not much and the media felt very dry, did not stick to my hands at all. I really couldnt tell what was working, some times moving the tube would help, other times blowing air out of the gun or pounding on the sides. No one thing seemed to help.

I suspect the pick up tube might be a big part of the problem, I wouldnt say it was kinked, buy nearly so. I did also notice some times when I would stop blasting media would come out the front of the gun some times.

Is your pickup tube metal or rubber.

 

[txvwnut]

The pickup tube is small in that cabinet. I had the same problems with mine, switched it out for a TP Tools gun setup and problem solved. If you don't want to upgrade the gun yet make a new pickup tube out of 5/8 tubing and it should help your problem.

 

[dodge610]

The pickup tube is small in that cabinet. I had the same problems with mine, switched it out for a TP Tools gun setup and problem solved. If you don't want to upgrade the gun yet make a new pickup tube out of 5/8 tubing and it should help your problem.

Is it a metal tube in that cabinet.

 

[B_Bimmer]

TP has instructions on their site on how to make a pickup tube. Even if that's not your problem it's worth doing. They even offered free plans to build your own cabinet for GJ members. Not sure if it has expired.

Clean dry air and clean dry media very important.

Can anyone point me in the right direction for the plans to build your own cabinet?

 

[NUTTSGT]

Is the media too coarse with"edges" that lock together so it doesn't funnel and slide where it needs to go ?

 

[NUTTSGT]

Can anyone point me in the right direction for the plans to build your own cabinet?

TP Tools has offered some plans before. I believe you can buy them on their site but they did offer them for free to GJ members a few months back.

 

[dodge610]

That was the next thing i was gonna mention that 30/60 black diamond is too course for most cabinets. I put it in mine and it continued to plug up till i took it out and replaced with glass bead or alum oxide. Still have 2/3 of a bag to use in my outside blaster.

 

[dodge610]

TP Tools has offered some plans before. I believe you can buy them on their site but they did offer them for free to GJ members a few months back.

I thought they extended that till the end of the year. I might be wrong.

 

[gnpenning]

Bimmer : Fritz from Ohio is a member on here and I believe the semi retired owner of
TP. This is from one of his post and it's talking about 2015.

Hope this helps.

We are extending our "Free Plans Offer" for all Garage Journal members until the end of this year!

Plans are shown below right. Just send us an email to [email protected] with your name and address, and your Garage Journal User Name. (Offer is only for members in U.S. and Canada). Per your request we send the following via 1st class mail, and your information is kept strictly private:

Build Your Own Cabinet Plans Booklet (illustrated with dimensions).
Free 164 page TP Tools Catalog, including everything you need to build your own Blasting Cabinet. Lots of good stuff!
Current 16 page illustrated Sales Flyer with some real bargains.

* Catalog and Sales Flyers (shown below) are also available Free on request and can be ordered at www.tptools.com (click on Free Catalog Icon), or by calling TP Tools at 1-800-321-9260. We send these via 1st class mail the same day! When calling, mention "Garage Journal". (Free Plans cannot be ordered on our web site, as this offer is only for forum members). Thanks!

 

[dodge610]

You just confirmed my mind is not totally gone thought i read that a while back.

 

[texasranger]

I'd second changing the media to something finer. I've used the glass bead and aluminum oxide from HF in my HF cabinet and I'd say the alum ox seemed to feed more consistent. Still using the stock gun. I've found that after a while I get paint chips and other junk in the media that clogs the gun, now I leave the clamp off the media input tube so when it clogs I hold my finger over the end of the gun and pull the trigger. The back pressure pops the media tube off and blows out the junk. Pop the tube back on and keep going. I'll try the TP gun eventually, but for now my setup is tolerable.

 

[dodge610]

That black diamond and there way of numbering coursness is different than all the other media producers.

 

[Kevs02Accord]

Thanks for all the replies guys. I was worried I got the wrong media, wasn't that expensive so I can give the aluminum oxide a shot. The pickup tube is metal, but the hose form the tube to the gun is flexible, almost too flexible. I will see if I can get another bag of media to try before buying the new gun. I will also see if I can make a bigger pick up tube.

 

[pop pop]

bought the same cabinet 6 mo back and NEVER got the gun to work other than a short burst with surging. Removed the gun and pick up tube and used a Campbell Hausefeld unit I had. No more problems. The soft vinyl suction tube is worthless. If you turn the pressure up much over 80 pounds the vinyl supply line will balloon on you and blow off. Throw it away and use decent air hose. I lined mine with sheet rubber and now it works OK. Lighting is poor. I also installed a wire screen cloth over the underside of the glass. All mods helped some, but no way will the gun and hoses work.

 

[FMC1959]

Ok a couple of updates. I increased the pressure from 90 to 115 psi. I changed to the largest nozzle. I "cleared" any clogs it may have had. It was blasting ok for a little bit but I noticed a few problems and I am not sure what they mean.

1. It felt like the gun was surging, some would come out, then none, then some. Other times it would be constant.

2. I kept having to move the pick up tube, it would help some times and others not.

Basically it took 4x as long to blast the parts because every couple of minutes I was moving the pick up tube, blowing air back out of the gun, pounding the sides of the cabinet, etc...

Aside if the media is too coarse, it also sounds like starvation issues at the collection tube. There is a large working but a very small collection tube supplying the gun, and the media is not flowing there like a liquid would, media just sits where it lands.

Dumb but simple solution, do you have enough media in the cabinet? Even if you have the correct level, add more as long as there is room under the grate.

Also, I found orienting your work in a a way that most media deflects in the general area of the feed tube helps.

 

[dodge610]

It also sounds like the rubber feed line to the gun is collapsing and starving the gun. try a feed line of the collection tube that is not so pliable no chance of inner wall collapsing and cutting the media off to the gun. I only say this because I had a feed line do this about drove me nuts.

 

[Kevs02Accord]

Hey guys finally got around to messing with this thing again. Got some ALO 70 grit, swapped out the coal slag from before. Replaced the air line and feed hose with thicker walled tube. I bought a larger section of pipe to connect the feed hose to but haven't tried that yet. I switched to the largest nozzle, seems to give me the best flow. The original pipe that connected to the pick up tube had a smaller tube inside a larger tube, so I separated those and just used the large tube. So now it sorta works better than before. I opened the cabinet door and watched the media go through the pick up tube, but it wasn't constant, it would flow up in chunks, and that was with the feed hose directly in the media, 50 lbs in a 40 lb cabinet btw, if I had it connected to the original pipe it flowed even less. To me it seems like with moving the gun around the hose is still getting crimped a little, I am not sure what to do. I am strongly considering the skat gun and feed tube kit from TP tools, but I am not sure how that would solve my problem of the hose getting kinked when I try to maneuver the gun. Any suggestions? Could I use a braided metal line for the pick up tube?

 

[jwood329]

Thank you Garage Journal Board for allowing me to communicate with all of you. I'm sure I will get a lot of answers and solutions to my questions and issues. Hopefully, I can return the favor sometimes.

 

[jwood329]

I realize that I am a newcomer to Garage Journal but I need to ask a question. Have a Harbor freight Blast cabinet. Installed many modifications including a bottom gravity feed from the bottom of the unit to the gun. I tried to use it for the first time this evening and have no media flow. Have a 16.1 cfm @ 90 psi 80 gallon Campbell Hausfeld compressor. Airflow from the gun is good. What are some ideas on what's wrong?

 

[islandkent]

Check this on going thread out JW...
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=471429

Plus this big big read...
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=237844

 

[Kscardsfan]

I realize that I am a newcomer to Garage Journal but I need to ask a question. Have a Harbor freight Blast cabinet. Installed many modifications including a bottom gravity feed from the bottom of the unit to the gun. I tried to use it for the first time this evening and have no media flow. Have a 16.1 cfm @ 90 psi 80 gallon Campbell Hausfeld compressor. Airflow from the gun is good. What are some ideas on what's wrong?

Is your media and lines good and dry? Moisture is the enemy with these.