Sandblast cabinet -what media

[shoot summ]

I've been using walnut shells recently, I'm a fan so far, cleans items without too much abrasion. I was blasting the edges of some olive wood slabs tonight, worked great on those too.

 

[buswedg]

All it takes is one glass beed to put a line up and down your freshly honed cylinder. In the old days blocks were hot tanked in a lye solution and then scrubbed by hand. Techniques have changed. I don't know what is used now, but I would not glass bead any engine parts that might cause hidden media to be ingested into the engine.

This is what I also thought -- though you see many people using it. Odd.

 

[finn]

Blocks and heads are shot blasted as part of the manufacturing process and slurry deburring is a common process to clean small parts in manufacturing.

Cleaning is essential. There’s plenty of washing and filtering involved.

Baking blocks, heads, etc is almost universal in reman shops.

 

[67drake]

The whole reason I finally put that cabinet together is because I’m in the middle of an engine rebuild.
BUT, I have only done the valve covers and oil pan with sandblasting,which can easily be cleaned out. The intake manifold, which I cleaned last weekend, I used strictly the parts washer, as I would have no way of knowing if there was some media left in nooks and crannies that I didn’t see.

 

[cnc-me]

I had 1 of those harbor freight cabinets,they leak like a sieve.
I'd silicone the daylights out of every joint on it.

It's best to locate sandblast cabinets of any manufacturer in another building if possible. They all leak some what.
Put them on wheels and roll outside on nice days.

 

[isb cornbinder]

I have used aluminium slag media. It is very harsh and really tears into the work. This blast media can destroy the ceramic liner in a gun in an hour or so. It tore a hole in one of the gloves and ripped my finger a bit. I was picking black slag out of my finger, after.

You are telling my story. That black slag is rough. I use glass beads for almost everything.

 

[finn]

For those still following this thread, WOOT has what’s claimed to be 10 lb of glass beads for $13.59. Shipping is free via Prime.

Some reviewers thought it wasn’t true glass beads, though, so pay your money and take your chances.

 

[Bmw4life]

My set up is very similar like post #32.
Sandblast cabinet with vacuum connected to the side.
I siliconed the best I could, but there's still a bit of media coming through, especially when opening the door. I did block the cutouts in the door.
I'm using 40/60 grit aluminum oxide.

General PDP Template

www.canadiantire.ca

Mostly to blast off dirt, rust and oxidation off suspension parts.
I upgraded the gun but I still find it slow.
Also I find that in addition to not being harsh enough, aluminum oxide produces a lot of dust. So I'm concerned about silicosis. I'm sure there's more particles that are invisible.
I'm going to move to steel shot instead

https://www.princessauto.com/50-lb-super-steel-shot-blasting-abrasive/product/PA0008275414

I'm considering modublast, but not sure if it's worth it with steel shot. Also it seems modublast calls for glass beads, not steel.

Visibility with stainless steel seems so much better as well

Now I'm just wondering if I should throw out aluminum oxide I have in my blaster, 50lbs, or Just mix it in with the stainless steel.
I guess mixing it will cause more problems, because aluminum oxide will disintegrate faster, and then will produce a bunch of dust, and I won't be able to separate it from the stainless steel.

 

[Jeff Ivers]

To my knowledge, silicosis comes from using silicon, which is an ingredient in sand. Aluminum Oxide does not include silicon, which is why I use it rather than sand, particularly white silicon sand that I have used in the past. If you are getting a lot of dust, even with a vacuum connected to your cabinet, you might want to look into the underlying reason and address that. On my DIY Shop thread, i documented the enhancements made to my inexpensive, second-hand cabinet. I use a 5 hp shop vac with HEPA filter and drywall dust bag connected to a dirt devil and then the cabinet and have no dust problems.

 

[Bmw4life]

I'm sure aluminum oxide dust can't be good for your lungs

I have no clue what's a dirt devil, but I think I figured out my problem. I forgot to open the opening in the rear for the air intake, because I thought dust would blow out of it. But I watched some videos and learned that the rear plug needs to be removed for air intake.

Also looks like a dust stopper installed on a bucket will help prevent clogging up the vacuum and the filter.

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0CG6QB696?tag=atomicindus04-20