Occaisional Sandblasting setup?

[Teter09]

Hey All!

I've learned tons on this site, enough to get me in serious trouble in all the stuff I now want to do! One thing I have on my plate is a Craftsman Grinder restoration for my father (Christmas Present). It needs sandblasting. I have read tons of stuff on here, but am no where near closer to an idea of how I should go about getting the equipment or what to get.

Currently I have a Porter Cable pancake Compressor. 6hp, 2.6 SCFM at 90 PSI. I wouldn't mind getting something bigger, but I don't have a huge need for it (used primarily for quick things like crown molding, brad nailing in projects, etc, nothing large enough to justify a huge expense if I did upgrade). I wouldn't be sandblasting a ton. Occasional projects and small in size, here and there, and I'm ok with having to blast for 30-60 seconds and stopping for a few minutes if it means I wouldn't have to upgrade my compressor. I've seen the abrasive blast started kit on Eastwood, http://www.eastwood.com/abrasive-blast-intro-kit.html - How would this serve me?

I'm handy with wood materials. I've seen quite a few people build them and I can do the same rather easily (I have probably all the plywood and 2x4 I would need for a decent sized tabletop box, just not sure about where to get glass and gloves or the rubber grommets I'd surely need to put the hose in to the cabinet).

So what would everyone recommend? Thanks for the help!

 

[WhoWhatNow]

I used this on an old Craftsman lathe I restored. If you are only doing the occasional small project I think you will be OK with this.

http://www.zendextool.com/speedblaster/

Just remember not to use actual sand and wear proper safety equipment. I use a respirator, full face shield and safety glasses. I also blast outside. Put a tarp down and you can recover some of your media.

That said a pancake compressor may be too small for even 30 second blasts. The speedblaster isn't too expensive so it may be worth a try. If it doesn't work get a bigger compressor or find a shop to do it for you.

 

[RivennHewn]

Even spot blasters are air hogs.

Your pancake will do nothing but frustrate you.

 

[KF5LCH]

I built a blast cabinet out of plywood, nothing fancy but ti works like a charm. I have a cheap HF siphon feed sand blaster & my 80 gallon C-man compressor WILL NOT keep up. Its good for 30 seconds of blasting.

IF you're gonna do sandblasting, you will need a big compressor.

 

[Teter09]

an 80 Gallon won't keep up?

Yeesh and those aren't cheap in the least. I understand I need a lot of CFM...but is there a trade off? Seems most sandblaster guns I've seen want 7CFM or more, usually more. Can I get a 5 CFM with a 30 gallon tank if I am ok with stopping quite often? Or is the tank size built in to the CFM calculation?

If a portable compressor with a 4.5 gallon tank has a rating of 5 CFM, is that going to perform the same way (in relation to blasting) as a 30 gallon compressor with a 5 CFM rating also? Or will the larger 30 gallon tank allow more time?

 

[KF5LCH]

Keep in mind it's an oil free Craftsman (JUNK) compressor. Take my advise, buy the best belt driven air compressor you can afford. If you only use it every know & then, it should last a lifetime.

I hate my oil free Craftsman. It's loud, gutless & it's blown so many head gaskets I finally just bought a sheet of gasket material & make my own.

I'm waiting on it to take a dump, so I can get a nice 220v compressor.

 

[2oolhound]

Sand blasting is very demanding. A blast cabinet takes up a lot of space specially if you aren't using it much. The compressor is only the heart of the system, you will need a good air dryer or water separator set up also and if you do it inside you'll need a good dust collection system. All that air pumping constantly into your cabinet has to exit somewhere and believe me it's very dusty. A descent sand blaster is a big commitment requiring good planning, space and money to set up.

You can buy just the gun and some media and hook it up to your compressor and try in your driveway just to get acquainted.

 

[pop pop]

I use a kiddy swimming pool with a pvc pipe frame built small enough to fit inside and wrap a vinyl clear sheet around it. The pipe is about 7' tall with an intermediate shelf of pipe. clamp the vinyl around it and get on personal protective gear and go to it. 99% of the material falls into the pool for recycling.

 

[strutaeng]

My advice: "Occasional" and "Sandblasting" don't go together. If it's an occasional and small job, give the job to a pro. Seriously, it might take him 15 min. and cost you a 12-pack.

You really need more like a 5 - 7.5 HP compressor (15 CFM +) to do real work AND a decent blaster. As far as price, you're looking at probably $2000 or more. How many times would you use it to get a return on investment?

Of course, another route is to waste money and time with cheap, wanna-be compressors and blasters. But the way I see it, life is too short to mess with cheap tools.

Have you considered a wire wheel? etc?

 

[KF5LCH]

One of these days I'm gonna get a rotary screw compressor & blast stuff for extra money. The closest guy around here that does blasting is 40 miles away & he usually has a week long waiting list. He stays busy & has all the right setup for it. People from all over bring stuff to be blasted.

Rotary screw compressors are the bomb.

 

[CudaChick1968]

My advice: "Occasional" and "Sandblasting" don't go together. If it's an occasional and small job, give the job to a pro. Seriously, it might take him 15 min. and cost you a 12-pack.

You really need more like a 5 - 7.5 HP compressor (15 CFM +) to do real work AND a decent blaster. As far as price, you're looking at probably $2000 or more. How many times would you use it to get a return on investment?

Of course, another route is to waste money and time with cheap, wanna-be compressors and blasters. But the way I see it, life is too short to mess with cheap tools.

Have you considered a wire wheel? etc?

x2 ... farm that job out unless you have big plans to blast lots of other stuff in the future. I foresee that dad's present won't be ready until next Christmas, and you'll have a lot more gray hairs and headaches in the meantime going your present course.

 

[Teter09]

Ok, is there a list somewhere of everything I would need?

So far I got the benchtop cabinet from Harbor Freight, sealed it up well and am going to use my dust collector on it. I tested it out with a friends Husky 60 gallon compressor and it seemed more than enough for the smaller sized projects i will have for right now. I have an IR 60 gallon compressor on the way and a new siphon gun from TP Tools. I am in Florida so I know I will need some sort of water removal, not sure what kind to get there. Is there anything else I need? Is there anything else that might be a 'nice to have' or an add on for later (but not mandatory for this instant)?

 

[Outlawmws]

E tank is cheaper, easier, far less mess, and is easy to setup/store for "occasional use"

 

[Teter09]

I have one already and have been using it on a few vises I've been working on.

Immediately on my agenda are 2 craftsman block grinders which I believe someone mentioned are cast aluminum....the E tank won't work on those, will it? Also, the silver piece on those and the bottom 'lid' appear to be galvanized which I recall reading is dangerous. so I thought sandblasting would work better. Wire brushing always seems difficult on items with corners or hard to reach spaces.

 

[Teter09]

I need the compressor anyways for painting. So really I just need to know what other things I would need for te blasting.

But can the aluminum go in the E tank?

 

[Outlawmws]

My understanding is that it can, BUT, it can't sit in it for long periods of time as it will pit and can possibly disintegrate. How long is too long? I read to keep it to 15 min or less.

I also don't know what would constitute a good anode if you are not using Graphite rods. Not Iron that's certain. Maybe a sacrificial piece of aluminum?

If it is aluminum,are you trying to remove paint, or just clean it up a bit?

 

[Teter09]

I am using graphite anodes currently. So that is preferred?

Also, are we talking 15 minute increments or total time? It would be for paint removal mostly, I don't think it's rusted at all.

 

[CudaChick1968]

Aluminum doesn't rust, it oxidizes. Look for chalky, rough areas -- that's oxidation.

I seriously doubt if your dad's grinder housing is aluminum though.

 

[2oolhound]

Most grinders have aluminum end caps, not sure about cm though:

 

[Teter09]

I'm not sure. I've seen two 1/3 HP craftsman grinders. The model 115 weighed 55 pounds, the one I got for him is half that and model 397.xxxx

Would the short stint in the E tank hurt it if it is aluminum? Would it be enough to remove the paint so I can easily prime and paint it?

 

[2oolhound]

Unless the old paint is flaking off I'd just sand over it then prime. The old paint will serve to fill in the roughness of the casting marks and you'll end up with a smoother finish.