Sandblast gun

[wantacoe]

What is the difference between sandblasting guns? I see them from 20 to 300. I have a cheap hf cabinet, don't like the guns that come with it. I have tried a couple other cheap guns and they sucked too. I wouldn't mind buying a better one but don't want to if doesn't work any better. I am also going to be changing the feed to bottom. Now when a hose or gun clogs I just block the gun and let the pressure clear it. Can't do that if you have an open valve on bottom. Does switching to bottom feed not clos so this isn't an issue?

 

[2oolhound]

G

What is the difference between sandblasting guns? I see them from 20 to 300. I have a cheap hf cabinet, don't like the guns that come with it. I have tried a couple other cheap guns and they sucked too. I wouldn't mind buying a better one but don't want to if doesn't work any better. I am also going to be changing the feed to bottom. Now when a hose or gun clogs I just block the gun and let the pressure clear it. Can't do that if you have an open valve on bottom. Does switching to bottom feed not clos so this isn't an issue?

Got news for you bro, they all ****, they're supposed to. Yuk yuk yuk yuk

I have a cheapo too. I picked up a new gun at a garage sale (at least I assumed it was new), it wasn't but it had the instructions which had a diagram on how to hook the feed hose up. There is an inner tube inside a shorter outer tube. You put the feed hose on the thinner inner tube where it sticks out past the outer tube BUT not right up to the outer tube. You need to stay 1/4" back from it. I'd pushed the hose right up to the outer tube and then taped it up solid. Turns out by not pushing the feed hose all the way up to the outer tube there is some room for air to breathe between the 2 tubes. My cheapo gun works a way better since I discovered this. Hope this helps.

 

[GeoBruin]

One of the best things about a decent blast gun is a good selection of quality nozzles and jets to accomodate different media types and/or air supplies. Otherwise, ergonomics, flow, etc. are considerations.

The biggest thing to consider is whether you want a pedal operated gun or one with a trigger. For long blasting sessions, a pedal is a great feature. But it requires additional hoses, fittings, and of course the pedal.

I think the TP tools guns are great. Lots of tip options to choose from, well made, and available in trigger or pedal configurations.

Trigger & Foot-Pedal Siphon Guns & Parts for Abrasive Blasting Cabinets - TP Tools & Equipment

Trigger & Foot-Pedal Siphon Guns & Parts for Abrasive Blasting Cabinets

www.tptools.com

All that said, the gun is only part of the equation. If you are experiencing clogging consistently, you might have too much moisture in your media. That's a problem you have to address up stream with your compressor, filter, drier, distribution system, etc.

As for a metering valve vs a pickup tube, yeah, you can improve your performance by using a metering valve, mostly because you can fine tune the mix of grit and air. I don't see why you can't still clear the gun by covering the tip. It just takes a second and your not going to blow a bunch of grit out of the air inlet.

 

[mikegt4]

GeoBruin beat me to it while I was writing this post!

There have been several threads on upgrading HF cabinets, TP Tools has some guns and even an upgrade kit.
I have found that the carbide nozzle is well worth the money in the long run, rotating it in the gun after blasting for a couple of hours spreads the wear out as well making them lasting even longer.

 

[hobie18]

Is there a compressor component. Media.

 

[Sweetcorn]

As you know, there are tons of options with blasting equipment, but I read your post and had to ask...

Do you screen your media? Is humidity (damp air) or clumping a problem? If you have big paint or rust flakes, or damp or low quality media (etc), your clogging could be an issue of that and not so much the blast gun.

 

[txvwnut]

I have a TP Tools gun in my HF cabinet. I highly recommend it. The Skat Blast cabinet upgrade kit includes a Skat Blast gun and new larger pickup tube than what came in the HF cabinet. I have the foot pedal version with a carbide nozzle and think it is the way to go. I do not know how many hours I have on the nozzle but its been in the gun for several years and really shows no wear on it and I blast with garnet.

 

[Steve_P]

I have a couple of 20+ year old HF cabinets. One still has the original HF gun which works fine. I wore out the other gun and replaced it with a **** Blast; it's definitely much nicer than the HF gun- better built, longer trigger length for less finger fatigue. I don't remember why I went with **** Blast vs TP on the gun.

If you're having lots of clogging issues, you've probably got other issues as said; occasional minor clogs do happen though. I still use the HF gun in my glass bead cabinet and it works fine. But I have a huge compressor with a good copper tubing layout and water separation system. And I'm not using playground sand.

If I could go back to day one, I'd definitely buy a foot pedal. I probably still should, but I don't blast nearly as often as I used to.