Looking for a simple compressor blast cabinet combo!

[Jimmies63]

I restore cars and would really like to be able to clean parts in my shop and the air tools for dissassembly would be handy. I use a really crappy portable compressor right now that is really only good for blowing up tires.

Reading here tp tools is a safe bet to buy from. They have some package kits. They use Champion Centurion 2 compressors. Biggest issue seems to be noise. Is the Champion pretty quiet? Reviews say so.

They only have 60 gal tanks, I see a lot of talk of 80’s. What is the trade off? I would only be using it weekly. Not even daily but expect to get old with my shop.

Any advice greatly appreciated. Got a lot out of this board building my shop a few years ago!

 

[larry_g]

In the old hot rod parlance; Speed costs, how fast do you want to go? Same goes for sandblasting. The amount of work you can get done in a given time is a direct relationship to the horsepower of your compressor. Tank size is the least important element in the equation.

So that said what are you doing with this system. Are you going to be blasting heavy parts, wheels and stuff or just trim, small stuff?

lg
no neat sig line

 

[Jimmies63]

Small parts mostly. As I look at the shelves, I have a trans frame cross member, a pile of engine brackets, valve covers, several air cleaners, etc... all should be blasted and painted. Top end motor stuff. Trim pieces. That is not to say I won’t go big some day, but it sure would be nice to be able to clean and paint them. The body shop that used to help me out went out of the business when the founder passed.

Speed likely not a big issue as I am not a high production shop. Pretty sure I can get by with a 5hp compressor. Apparently noise can be quite a difference between compressors and I don’t what something that will make everyone deaf!

 

[Fallon]

Im happy with my new Quincy. Real 5hp one with the mag starter. It's pretty quiet.

Tank size is only a small part of the equation & not terribly relevant for blasting. Blasting is a long draw so your pump needs to be able to keep up with the sustained CFM requirements. A tank just provides a buffer if your short term demands exceeds your pump CFM.

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[Jimmies63]

What is the whole mag starter thing?

 

[Fallon]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_starter

Basically just relay that ends up being a lot beefier than the little pneumatic ones on small compressors, but the relay is controlled by one of those little pneumatic switches.

On a true 5hp motor the current is to great & it just ends up frying the contacts on the pneumatic switches. On big box store compressors "5hp" might be 2/3 of what a real 5hp motor will consume in amps & put out in power.

 

[larry_g]

http://www.clemcoindustries.com/images/pdfs/info_tools.pdf

http://www.nortonsandblasting.com/blastingchart.pdf

The above gives you some data on your question.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[930dreamer]

http://www.tptools.com/CompressorandSandblast-Cabinet-Packages.html

 

[Jimmies63]

http://www.tptools.com/CompressorandSandblast-Cabinet-Packages.html

Been looking at those. I get the differences in blast cabinets. Appears to be dimensions or lights. All the compressors are 8550-60DS Champions. They say low RPM which should be low noise but they also say ‘mag starter not required’ but a mag starter is desireable from what I have read.

 

[gdpolk]

In my experience, blasting takes a TON of air. I would be looking for a compressor with the highest CFM possible that you can afford and a minimum of a 60 gallon tank. Your compressor will likely be the largest limiting factor to how much and how forcefully you can blast stuff and therefore that would be where I put my money into first. On the plus side, a good compressor can also be used for anything else requiring air which makes it a multi-functional tool.

From there, you will want a cabinet and in all honesty the mid-sized cabinet from Harbor Freight is actually pretty decent. Caulk it as you build it to help keep it sealed and run a vacuum on a dust deputy to keep visibility up and **** out dust. As the main gun wears out, upgrade the gun and consider doing a foot pedal modification at that time as well. There is really no need to spend big bucks on the cabinet in my opinion. A blast cabinet and gun is a REALLY simple tool.

I run the mid-sized cabinet in the knife shop for blasting micarta handles and with a small shop-vac and dust deputy it keeps the viewing pretty clean for the most part. Even with an 80 gallon tank and 16CFM motor I can't blast continuously. After a 4-6 minutes of blasting I still have to wait a minute or two to let the tank fill back up. Mind you, I'm just hitting small knife handles so for the most part I can do a handle then let it regenerate while I get the next one ready so it's no big deal for me. However, if you were looking to do larger pieces and work continuously you are going to need a ton of air flow at a minimum of 80-90psi in your tank.

 

[Jimmies63]

In my experience, blasting takes a TON of air. I would be looking for a compressor with the highest CFM possible that you can afford and a minimum of a 60 gallon tank. Your compressor will likely be the largest limiting factor to how much and how forcefully you can blast stuff and therefore that would be where I put my money into first. On the plus side, a good compressor can also be used for anything else requiring air which makes it a multi-functional tool.

From there, you will want a cabinet and in all honesty the mid-sized cabinet from Harbor Freight is actually pretty decent. Caulk it as you build it to help keep it sealed and run a vacuum on a dust deputy to keep visibility up and **** out dust. As the main gun wears out, upgrade the gun and consider doing a foot pedal modification at that time as well. There is really no need to spend big bucks on the cabinet in my opinion. A blast cabinet and gun is a REALLY simple tool.

I run the mid-sized cabinet in the knife shop for blasting micarta handles and with a small shop-vac and dust deputy it keeps the viewing pretty clean for the most part. Even with an 80 gallon tank and 16CFM motor I can't blast continuously. After a 4-6 minutes of blasting I still have to wait a minute or two to let the tank fill back up. Mind you, I'm just hitting small knife handles so for the most part I can do a handle then let it regenerate while I get the next one ready so it's no big deal for me. However, if you were looking to do larger pieces and work continuously you are going to need a ton of air flow at a minimum of 80-90psi in your tank.

Sounds like I want a big compressor, an HF cabinet, and if the cabinet doesn’t work out... move up then. Sounds like 80 gal is better than 60. Maybe 7.5 vs 5 hp.

 

[Fallon]

Sounds like I want a big compressor, an HF cabinet, and if the cabinet doesn’t work out... move up then. Sounds like 80 gal is better than 60. Maybe 7.5 vs 5 hp.

The tank is just a buffer. If you are blasting look at matching the pump CFM to the CFM requirements of the gun. I went with a big 5hp unit, probably would have liked the 7.5 a but more. But I knew the limitations & decided to save a few bucks. By old fake 5hp compressor couldn't quite keep up, but was close for my blast cabinet.

My old compressor actually died (tank leak, leading to it constantly running with a loose pulley that trashed pulley & motor) & I frankensteined together the 5hp pump on a 2hp motor with some smaller pulleys. I could blast for a minute or 3, but by the end it was at 35psi instead of 100. 60 gallon tank was enough of a buffer to get by. Was enough to get by for a while.

Big blast units don't have a tank at all, just a blow-off valve & constantly put out full output all the time.

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[250]

I think you're fine with a 5hp set up, especially if you're not in a rush. I purchased from tp tools earlier this year and considering I was cleaning everything by wire brush/wheel or other various forms of elbow grease, it was a huge improvement. I use glass beads, as I'd rather take a few extra passes then accidentally chew something a little softer.

I don't think any one has mentioned that guns have specific CFM requirements. The one I use is rated for 10-15 CFM, but there's an option for a low air gun at 7-10 CFM. I've found that my blasting habit allows for the unit to rest 50-70% of the time. One thing to verify is the duty cycle of the compressor, and that it won't be overworked. I would think that the pairings TP tools have made should work.

 

[gdpolk]

The CFM rating at 90psi is more important than the horsepower rating, although the CFM will typically increase with horsepower. Most sandblasting guns run 10-15 CFM of air at 90psi. With that in mind your going to want a compressor that can generate 15 CFM of air at 90 PSI or more.

The size of your tank will simply determine how long you have between the compressor motor turning on and off. It creates a buffer for you. The bigger the tank, the more buffer time you have. The higher the PSI, the more buffer time your going to have.

I've done blasting of small parts with a 30gallon tank before with a 9.5CFM compressor on top. It worked, but quite frankly sucked really, really bad. I spent much more time waiting on the tank to refill at above 90psi than I did actually working.

With a 60 gallon tank running 13.5 CFM, I now get to blast for 4-5 minutes then let it recharge for 2-3 minutes. Because what I'm doing is mostly knife handles which typically take me 3-5 minutes to blast anyway, I find this size tank/compressor combo to be about the minimum that really works well for my application.

If you want to blast larger parts without interruptions then you are probably going to want a compressor that can generate at least 15CFM of air at 90psi and a unit that large probably isn't going to be found on less than a 60 gallon tank.

As for the cabinet, my cheap ole Harbor Freight cabinet is really quite adequate. I've used other higher end stuff and while it was nicer and the media flowed a little more consistently through it, I can't say that the end product was any different at all than what I got from the $150 Harbor Freight rig. Because of this, I would opt to invest heavily into a great compressor first and just get running with some basic but adequate blasting gear like the Harbor Freight rig. If/when your needs change or parts wear out, then consider upgrading the cabinet or blasting gun.

 

[Canus]

I have a Trinco blast cabinet that I use primarily for auto parts. I've found that I rarely need more than 65 psi to obtain clean rust free parts. Makes it a lot easier on my compressor.

 

[amolaver]

While somewhat media dependant, moisture can be a big problem for the suction guns (vs a pressure pot). The media will clump if the air supply is wet, causing it to clog in the suction tube. I know it's kind of death by a million cuts (cost-wise) but if you're going to blast with regularity, a refrigerated dryer will help keep you sane. Various alternatives have been posted - coils of copper sitting in a water filled bucket for example - but a dryer really will help.

ahm

 

[Jimmies63]

Done.

Bought a 5 hp 80 gal emax from PED. No tax. No shipping. #1 issue a tie between noise and the ability to sandblast ‘non stop’ (80 gal and 5 hp solved that). I want the compressor in my heated shop and I want to hear it as little as possible. Then i want to be able to blast chassis’s out in the yard in the summer. the eMax was pretty expensive compared to entry level Quincy and Champion but I think it will be worth it.

Ordered a 40” **** and pile of accessories and 3/4” metal pipe kit from TP tools. Good site. Good prices. I like how they put the kit together. Ordered a few more items from Eastwood. My quest for uses on the air led me to learn all about powder coating.

In a couple of weeks I will be making air and blasting parts.

 

[Antique Engine]

My setup is from TP Tools. Its an 80 gallon, 5 horse, magnetic starter Champion. It's plenty quiet. I can talk on my phone within ten feet of the compressor when it's running. The low RPM of the Champion is worlds apart from the Ingersoll Rand 60 gallon that I had before. That ******* was loud.



For the cabinet, I am using a big TP cabinet. I think it's the 970. It will swallow a motorcycle frame easily.

Money well spent. I'd buy it all again in a heartbeat.

 

[250]

Congrats, I think you'll be quite pleased with the TP set up.

 

[Jimmies63]

Compressor is in and installed. Took a few weeks longer to get. It is heavy. Blast cabinet is in and hooked up. Metal piping didn’t go so well. Too many leaks so I shelved that project for another day. Just using longer hoses for now. As promised, the compressor runs pretty quiet. You know it is there when it is running but it is not annoying or painful. More like hearing a washer and dryer running.

I have hooked up an Eastwood 100lbs media blaster and the compressor had no issues keeping that running steady. Only problem is finding cheap sand! As soon as the weather breaks I will roll my project car out of the shop and blast the engine bay.

Blast cabinet with the **** vaccuum is working fine. Cuts Fast with their included media. Couldn’t get a radiator support in there. Might have splurged for the 60” cabinet in hindsight. No issues at all with dust. I ported the vac exhaust outside but even then there is no dust showing up outside. It is not going to pollute my shop.

So far great products and great service and great advice from the board here. Thanks to all who have posted through out. I made a good decision.

 

[sberry]

Operator habit has a huge effect on how long one can blast. A pressure gauge you can see helps. First I get rigged and blast till the air is down. I stop and reorganize etc and just BEFORE shut off resume while tank pressure is high and the pump is running. Same for sanding with small comps , time it so it never shuts off.
Sand grit is a huge factor, wrong sand uses 5 times the amount and run time especially removing paint and coatings. Soft or fine beach type is for rust and pitted rust, coarse hard sharp is for paint.