Harbor Freight Pressurized Blaster

[ispperformance]

I picked up a HF 40lb Pressurized Blaster with hopes if modifying my Siphon feed cabinet. Anybody have any tips on using this unit? If I leave the material valve open all the way as it says in the instructions the media just dumps out of the nozzle. If I slow the media down by opening the media valve 1/4 it blasts perfect. I am not going to modify my cabinet until I know I can make it work.....

 

[sberry]

Open it 1/4 then. There is a trade off of air/sand and pressure can be a factor, a little less sand the higher the velocity etc. Kind of like adjusting a mig welder,,, ha Find a tutorial on running a blaster,,, hard coarse sand at hi velocity for cutting paint, soft fine sand for penetrating rust pits, there are a dozen possibilities I can think of right off hand, combinations for specific task including rate and pressure.

Regulate the pressure going in to it.

 

[stratman977]

If yours has the valve type nozzle and not the dead man valve I'd replace it with a dead man valve. The 1/4 turn valve will wear out and it wont shut off.

You will need a better water separator than the one they supplied if you want it to be usable for more than a few minutes at a time.

I also saw a mod where someone used two hose clamps and mounted one of those drill master palm sanders to the outside of the tank to shake up the media. The sand tends to empty a cavity in the middle of the tank and the rest doesn't fall. I found myself giving the tank a kick once a minute to keep the sand flowing.

 

[ispperformance]

I guess my main concern would be the media valve. Will it wear the valve fast running it at 1/4 of the way open?

I will try to mess with it again today to dial it in. I am only using fine glass bead media to prep and profile parts to be powder coated. My siphon feed cabinet works ok, just lacks the strength of a pressure fed system.

 

[thebeekeeper1]

I use the 110# one with the large free standing blast cabinet. I went to a hydraulic hose place and bought 15' of good hose to replace what comes with it and routed it through the air intake of the cabinet. It works fine, and requires much less air than the siphon feed that comes with the cabinet.

 

[stratman977]

The valve I'm referring to is the one before the nozzle. My valve maybe lasted an hour of use. I was trying to control the flow by only cracking it open part way and that's what killed it.

I would change the mix valve at the bottom of the tank with a better usa made one while your'e at it cause the ones they supply are junk. I was opening and closing it rapidly trying to free a clog and it broke. Totally my fault though because I had moisture problems and that valve isn't meant to be used that way.

 

[ispperformance]

I use the 110# one with the large free standing blast cabinet. I went to a hydraulic hose place and bought 15' of good hose to replace what comes with it and routed it through the air intake of the cabinet. It works fine, and requires much less air than the siphon feed that comes with the cabinet.

This is exactly what I am trying to do. Turn my siphon cabinet into a pressure cabinet.

I will check TP Tool for a better media mix fitting. I bought their upgrade kit for my siphon cabinet, and it worked way better.

 

[sberry]

Mine mix is an old leaky valve and I cobbled old steamer hose, a couple splices with 1/2 couplings and re-use hyd fittings, bought a couple black 1/8 x 1/2 reducing couplings and a doxen 6 inch xxh 1/8x6 pipe ******* I cut in half on the chop saw for nozels.

It works pretty good, I can make the air to run it. I can blast a few minutes all electric aided by the use of a new nozzel.

 

[ispperformance]

The valve I'm referring to is the one before the nozzle. My valve maybe lasted an hour of use. I was trying to control the flow by only cracking it open part way and that's what killed it.

I would change the mix valve at the bottom of the tank with a better usa made one while your'e at it cause the ones they supply are junk. I was opening and closing it rapidly trying to free a clog and it broke. Totally my fault though because I had moisture problems and that valve isn't meant to be used that way.

Where did you buy your USA made mix valve? I have been looking online, but haven't found anything.