Sand blast cabinet?

[jbmorrey]

I am looking to start retoring old toolboxes and such. I also work on old wood working machinery restores like drill presses cast iron table tops and such. Currently it's WD-40 and a sander for the light rust and such. I am thinking of getting a small Sandblasting setup as this seems like it would be easier to deal with. I have NEVER looked into anything like this and do not know where to start. I like the idea of the cabinet because it's all enclosed and I assume you get to reuse the media. I have a limited budget and my current air compressotr is a Hitachi EC-510 which is 6 gallon 145psi. Would this compressor be sufficient and what would be an inexpensive startup kit? Found this on CL and not sure if this is what I need to be looking for.

http://sanantonio.craigslist.org/tls/3746652389.html

Thanks, James M

 

[930dreamer]

That looks like a Harbor Freight model, don't over pay what a new one costs. I've read that they don't seal well etc. etc. Continue to look on CL for a quality brand name one. Your compressor will be the weak link.

 

[jbmorrey]

how weak of a link is it? I of course purchased it to just air up tires maybe a staple gun or finishing nail gun, was not thinking of sand blasting at the time. I don't have the money to go out and spend alot on a second air compressor, not to mention the wife asking "Why do you need another one?". So I may have to nix the whole thought of sandblasting for right now if my compressor would not be enough!!

James M

 

[fflintstone]

that's a fair price for a very small $120 cabinet
around here the idiots would ask $140 for it.
your compressor is underpowerd for blasting.

the problem is volume not pressure, you might blast for 15 seconds than wait 45.
IMO it is worth a shot to try it. I don't think you will lose much on a resell.

 

[thinmac]

Check the duty cycle on your compressor. Even if you did shoot for 15 seconds and wait 45 you'd be running the compressor constantly, which will kill it.

I'd look for something with a big tank, but mostly I'd be looking for something with a long duty cycle. You can get by on a small tank if it's being filled nonstop.

 

[dmeadow]

I think you'll find that compressor worthless for blasting. Years ago I naively bought a table top cabinet similar to the one you are looking at. I had a bigger compressor than yours (20 gallon supposedly 3.5 HP, but that was probably peak rating) and it was terrible. I never was able to get enough out of it to blast even the smallest part in a reasonable amount of time. I went back to using a wire wheel on my bench grinder for paint and rust removal. .

 

[jbmorrey]

Sounds to me like I will continue on the wire whell until Funds can justify getting a larger compressor as well. Everyone thank you for the advice!!

 

[Aeroman]

60 gallon one from Lowes does fine but it does make it work. Cabinet is from HF

 

[Responder]

60 gallon one from Lowes does fine but it does make it work. Cabinet is from HF

What are you using for blast media? I do like the looks of those for smaller parts