It wouldn't really matter simply because it is not going to go out the nozzle but blow out the siphone tube. Chances are if you are in the cabinet and blasting though you will most likely have the gloves on.I hope everybody reading this realizes that when you put your hand over the nozzle that you are wearing the heavy duty rubber glove.
Sandblasting question
- Thread starter Bmw4life
- Start date
Unfortunately the siphon gun that cabinet comes with is garbage and the one you bought is really not any better.
They are prone to clog frequently and often from moisture from your airlines. That is probably the issue you are encountering. If you are using sand, Al Ox, and lighter materials it will be an ongoing issue until you deal with the moisture in your system due to the fact that your compressor is probably running non stop with the pressure and CFM rating needed for them to operate and generating moisture non stop. The only real way to combat it is to have a large dessicant pot (troublesome and not recomended), commerical evaporator (expen$ive), or perhaps one of the modifications where you add a large transmission cooler assembly on your outlet pipe (demonstrated frequently on youtube and it really does work). The steel shot works better because it is heavier, but it will destroy things in a hurry and most any finish you are looking to achieve will be industrial at best with it. Hope that helps you trouble shoot your issues a little.
They are prone to clog frequently and often from moisture from your airlines. That is probably the issue you are encountering. If you are using sand, Al Ox, and lighter materials it will be an ongoing issue until you deal with the moisture in your system due to the fact that your compressor is probably running non stop with the pressure and CFM rating needed for them to operate and generating moisture non stop. The only real way to combat it is to have a large dessicant pot (troublesome and not recomended), commerical evaporator (expen$ive), or perhaps one of the modifications where you add a large transmission cooler assembly on your outlet pipe (demonstrated frequently on youtube and it really does work). The steel shot works better because it is heavier, but it will destroy things in a hurry and most any finish you are looking to achieve will be industrial at best with it. Hope that helps you trouble shoot your issues a little.
Also of note, the steel shot is going to blow through your ceramic nozzles and it will just eat up your consumables. If you really want to upgrade the cabinet and have a better blasting experience switch to a meter valve on the bottom with a regulator in front of the pedal (Tacoma sells them but I have seen them on ebay and amazon for less $$) and check into the SKAT blasting guns and pedal with the Carbide nozzles and just use Aluminum Oxide. It will be a expensive list of parts but at least that way the consumables will be easy to buy online and last for a very long time and you can blast far longer without a hand cramp. You will definitely need a healthy compressor to supply the CFM though
ZRX61
Well-known member
You'd think that, but there is...
Those still shots can't even take paint off the halfshafts...
As far as the moisture is concerned, I don't think I have much. I've installed 2 filters, and even I blow air against my glove, there's no moisture. Sometimes I have moisture, after the compressor runs for a while, I can see the wetness blowing out of the tube, it's easy to tell. But the clogging is happening even when dry, and I'm using aluminum oxide and steel shot. I blasted for a few hours previously, before I added steelshot, and didn't have a single plug.
After adding the stele shots, I'm having constant plugs for some reason.
I thought the Campbell Hausfeld was a good brand. But I just ordered the skat pick up tube. I'm gonna test the skat tube, and maybe upgrade the gun to skat as well.
Before buying the skat gun, I want to test their tube to see if it fixes the problem.
No point buying another gun if the tube gets clogged.
The skat pick up tube has glowing reviews. People are saying they were ready to throw out their cabinets, like I am right now, but then bought the skat pick up tube and it solved their problems.
For now I'm just making sure I don't insert the pick up tube too deep into the media. If I keep it on the surface, it's blasting OK. But I have no clue why I cannot take the paint off the half shafts. The paints seems to be pretty tough. It looks similar to powder coating.
As far as the rust goes, however, it's taking it off no problem.
But that worked well with aluminum oxide.
The reason i purchased the steel shots, I thought it would help take off the paint, but it doesn't
Could you provide a link of what foam you suggest?
I'm totally willing to upgrade the gun and the nozzle, once I figure out how to solve the pick up tube plugging problem.
Can you elaborate on the meter valve at the bottom and a regulator? I've seen it in that one hour video, but I don't understand, how does it improve the pick up of the media? How does it prevent the hose from getting plugged?
The pedal for me is really not important. I'm a hobby blaster. All I blast are suspension parts for my vehicle when I fix them. I'm almost done, almost ready to paint. I'm stuck on trying to sandblast the axle half shafts. I blasted off the rusty areas, but cannot blast off the stupid paint.
My compressor seems to be working well. I don't think I need more for my purposes? I live in a townhouse, so I cannot do anything louder than what I have. It's located in the basement. I'm really not planning on blasting for hours, I just need to blast off some car parts.
I would be totally happy with my setup, if only the tube didn't get plugged.
For now I ordered skat pick up tube and sifter screen, as was suggested earlier.
I got 4 new ceramic tips right now. I really don't care if I blow through each of them in half an hour, that will be enough to finish my job.
If only the tube didn't plug. Then I can upgrade to skat gun and carbine nozzles.
What do you have in mind when you refer to the meter valve?
I've seen this guy, around minute 22, install a feed valve.
Instead of the pickup tube, the media just goes through the bottom of the cabinet back into the blasting gun.
But I don't understand how it will help will plugging?
Is this what you're referring to, or you have something else in mind?
As far as water is concerned, it seems to filter out really well now that I've relocated the filter away from the compressor and close to the cabinet. I'm getting no moisture from the gun. It seems to blast really well if I position the feed tube a certain way, but not too deep inside the media.
Firebrick43
Well-known member
Why is the water milky?
ZRX61
Well-known member
I just used a piece from a worn out sponge for washing cars
RTM
Well-known member
Always makes me think of oil in the water, water in the oil. Bad either way, IMO.
Oh well, at least I'm getting lots of cfm.
This compressor is worth $1500, I purchased it for 300. Took months to find it.
This is the only 30 gallon compressor that supplies 10 cfm at 90 psi. I cannot place 60 or 80 gallon in my place. So I'm super happy with that i have. There's simply no better alternative at 30 gallon. The nice thing, I was also able to move it to the basement all my myself, and it's relatively quiet.
On another note,
I got two half inch diameter pvc pipes, 12 inches length each. Connected them together with 5/16 hole that I drilled in between and then used a glue gun to glue them together.
The blaster now works as new, doesn't ever get plugged. Just blasting away! It cost me like $5...and the whole problem is solved. This solution should work for the time being, until I get the pick up tube from skat, which I don't know if it will be any better. Now just need to figure out if I should get the skat gun as well, if it's better than Campbell Hausfeld.
I also ordered the M30 filter, to add to my existing filters.
It's a little pricey, but has good reviews and is time tested. I've seen it being recommended multiple times on this forum, and on practical machinist.
Seems like a legit filter, not some cheap gimmick. This way I definitely won't have to worry about moisture in the system.
Now I found another major upgrade. It's a company called Tacoma.
Looks like the owner is a super experienced guy who developed solutions for these Chinese blasting cabinets.
www.tacomacompany.com
It seems all of his upgrades include a pedal and some weird looking gun, which apparently is x2 better than anything else out there.
I haven't looked through it thoroughly yet, the guy that explains the different upgrades is kinda painful to watch, just takes forever to get to the point.
Maybe it's my adhd, but it's just too much lol
youtube.com
Could be a super solid product though!
As far as paint is concerned, I'm not sure if it's just me, or if the paint is in general hard to remove with sandblasting? I definitely cannot remove that paint, and had to use a paint stripper. As rust as rust is concerned, it melts away in seconds.
Paint strippers are also a hassle lol, they removed methylene chloride from all the paint strippers, so now it's also a hassle to get that paint off. The "eco" paint stripper is not very powerful.
This compressor is worth $1500, I purchased it for 300. Took months to find it.
This is the only 30 gallon compressor that supplies 10 cfm at 90 psi. I cannot place 60 or 80 gallon in my place. So I'm super happy with that i have. There's simply no better alternative at 30 gallon. The nice thing, I was also able to move it to the basement all my myself, and it's relatively quiet.
On another note,
I got two half inch diameter pvc pipes, 12 inches length each. Connected them together with 5/16 hole that I drilled in between and then used a glue gun to glue them together.
The blaster now works as new, doesn't ever get plugged. Just blasting away! It cost me like $5...and the whole problem is solved. This solution should work for the time being, until I get the pick up tube from skat, which I don't know if it will be any better. Now just need to figure out if I should get the skat gun as well, if it's better than Campbell Hausfeld.
I also ordered the M30 filter, to add to my existing filters.
It's a little pricey, but has good reviews and is time tested. I've seen it being recommended multiple times on this forum, and on practical machinist.
Seems like a legit filter, not some cheap gimmick. This way I definitely won't have to worry about moisture in the system.
Now I found another major upgrade. It's a company called Tacoma.
Looks like the owner is a super experienced guy who developed solutions for these Chinese blasting cabinets.
HOME | Tacoma Company
Innovations in Sandblasting! Tacoma Company specializes in manufacturing Upgrade Kits and components for your sandblaster. Applicable for Harbor Freight, Eastwood, 990, 420, and all other sandblaster brands! Proudly made in the USA. Shipping worldwide. Contact us and we can outfit you accordingly!
www.tacomacompany.com
I haven't looked through it thoroughly yet, the guy that explains the different upgrades is kinda painful to watch, just takes forever to get to the point.
Maybe it's my adhd, but it's just too much lol
Tacoma Company Blast Cabinet Upgrades, Tips and Tricks!
Playlist of all Tacoma Company blast cabinet upgrades, tips and tricks! Complete video series. Contact Mike @ 208-610-6390/509-684-6746
youtube.com
Could be a super solid product though!
As far as paint is concerned, I'm not sure if it's just me, or if the paint is in general hard to remove with sandblasting? I definitely cannot remove that paint, and had to use a paint stripper. As rust as rust is concerned, it melts away in seconds.
Paint strippers are also a hassle lol, they removed methylene chloride from all the paint strippers, so now it's also a hassle to get that paint off. The "eco" paint stripper is not very powerful.
Attachments
I can tell by your water "filter setup" you do not have enough. If you drain your tank and any significant drain off comes out after a single cyycle that is another sign. The milk water is oil in your water, so now you have a secondary problem. The motorgaurd will not provide filtration for high CFM (blasting) but it is good if you are running something like a powder coat gun or lower cfm air unit (like an air brush). FWIW Powder coat and epoxy paint are a ***** to remove with just sand blasting, especially if you are using shop air and a smaller compressor. If you are wondering what I mean by smaller, what I mean is, if you do not have a compressor on scale with something 25+ cfm at 100+ psi (and more is better when blasting), then that is a smaller compressor and it takes a lot of pressure to blast off powder or epoxy paint. Most guys usually use a professional powder strip chemical for powder, burn it off when applicable, or farm it out to someone with a professional blasting rig because you can spend about 30K or more trying to gear up for it.
I'm not trying to knock on your setup but just to help explain what your goals should be for blasting. A blasting CFM chart will give you an idea of the sense of scale, and even the harbor freight/princes cabinets, are often far under rated for the amount of pressure and cfm you need for heavier blasting operations. They rate their cabinets for light duty paint and rust removal at best. What you need to be able to sustain is 125 PSI to remove heavy duty coats and rust. The chemicals for stripping are expensive and they only deliver to a business address which is easy to setup so long as you have a place for a LTL truck to pull up and offload.
I don't have the time to go back and read about it but what is your compressor rated at currently? The chart below will give you an idea of what to plan for if you want to have success, otherwise just find a local place that does it commerically and if you bring them a lot of stuff at once they will usually give you a bulk rate, just make sure you indicate to the blaster anything that needs to be a machined finish. I usually use aa black sharpie with my guy. The HF cabinet at best is a no2 nozzle so you can see that anything over 50 PSI you already need at least a 5 HP compressor.
I'm not trying to knock on your setup but just to help explain what your goals should be for blasting. A blasting CFM chart will give you an idea of the sense of scale, and even the harbor freight/princes cabinets, are often far under rated for the amount of pressure and cfm you need for heavier blasting operations. They rate their cabinets for light duty paint and rust removal at best. What you need to be able to sustain is 125 PSI to remove heavy duty coats and rust. The chemicals for stripping are expensive and they only deliver to a business address which is easy to setup so long as you have a place for a LTL truck to pull up and offload.
I don't have the time to go back and read about it but what is your compressor rated at currently? The chart below will give you an idea of what to plan for if you want to have success, otherwise just find a local place that does it commerically and if you bring them a lot of stuff at once they will usually give you a bulk rate, just make sure you indicate to the blaster anything that needs to be a machined finish. I usually use aa black sharpie with my guy. The HF cabinet at best is a no2 nozzle so you can see that anything over 50 PSI you already need at least a 5 HP compressor.
The tacoma gun is OK and definitely better than those CH and HF guns by a long shot, but it is not ergonmically friendly for sustained use. I know because I bought one and have a love hate relationship with it. If it had a pistol type handle on it I would lovve it, but he uses a special tip that you can only buy from them and they are slow turnaround and expensive, which is why I usually point people to the SKAT pedal and a gun that is sold by this fellow - https://howtomotorcyclerepair.com/product/htmr-vapor-blast-gun/ He has done a lot of research for it to be a vapor blast gun but it works fine for dry blasting as well and is scaleable to your compressor size. He also sells Flexzilla hose and other supplies you would want to convert to a gravity feed setup (as well as plans for a vapor blast cabinet).Oh well, at least I'm getting lots of cfm.
This compressor is worth $1500, I purchased it for 300. Took months to find it.
This is the only 30 gallon compressor that supplies 10 cfm at 90 psi. I cannot place 60 or 80 gallon in my place. So I'm super happy with that i have. There's simply no better alternative at 30 gallon. The nice thing, I was also able to move it to the basement all my myself, and it's relatively quiet.
On another note,
I got two half inch diameter pvc pipes, 12 inches length each. Connected them together with 5/16 hole that I drilled in between and then used a glue gun to glue them together.
The blaster now works as new, doesn't ever get plugged. Just blasting away! It cost me like $5...and the whole problem is solved. This solution should work for the time being, until I get the pick up tube from skat, which I don't know if it will be any better. Now just need to figure out if I should get the skat gun as well, if it's better than Campbell Hausfeld.
I also ordered the M30 filter, to add to my existing filters.
It's a little pricey, but has good reviews and is time tested. I've seen it being recommended multiple times on this forum, and on practical machinist.
Seems like a legit filter, not some cheap gimmick. This way I definitely won't have to worry about moisture in the system.
Now I found another major upgrade. It's a company called Tacoma.
Looks like the owner is a super experienced guy who developed solutions for these Chinese blasting cabinets.
It seems all of his upgrades include a pedal and some weird looking gun, which apparently is x2 better than anything else out there.HOME | Tacoma Company
Innovations in Sandblasting! Tacoma Company specializes in manufacturing Upgrade Kits and components for your sandblaster. Applicable for Harbor Freight, Eastwood, 990, 420, and all other sandblaster brands! Proudly made in the USA. Shipping worldwide. Contact us and we can outfit you accordingly!
I haven't looked through it thoroughly yet, the guy that explains the different upgrades is kinda painful to watch, just takes forever to get to the point.
Maybe it's my adhd, but it's just too much lol
Tacoma Company Blast Cabinet Upgrades, Tips and Tricks!
Playlist of all Tacoma Company blast cabinet upgrades, tips and tricks! Complete video series. Contact Mike @ 208-610-6390/509-684-6746
Could be a super solid product though!
As far as paint is concerned, I'm not sure if it's just me, or if the paint is in general hard to remove with sandblasting? I definitely cannot remove that paint, and had to use a paint stripper. As rust as rust is concerned, it melts away in seconds.
Paint strippers are also a hassle lol, they removed methylene chloride from all the paint strippers, so now it's also a hassle to get that paint off. The "eco" paint stripper is not very powerful.
Some of the parts that Tacoma sells for the cabinets to help with the dust control and blast media return to the hopper are really good but anyone with a bench vice and some galvanized sheet metal can copy them. I learned that after spending the money and waiting forever to get them.
The only things worth buying is the baffle for the dust port (easy to make) and the hopper adapter to convert to gravity feed instead of siphon feed (not as easy to make). He also sells the gravity feed metering valve which is actually nice compared to some of the other's I have seen. Their are other parts they sell I think called sleeve gaurds you can literally achieve the same thing buy just pointing your blast gun at the built up media on the edges and blowing it back into the hopper. If you never plan on switching media's then just put 40 lbs or more in the bottom and keep it full. The reasons most guys get obsessed about the volume of media is because they plan on switching media from one type to the next but honestly I just use AL OX and there is no reason to switch back and forth. If I wanted a cabinet to be Vapor based and use that media I would just buy a second cabinet and build it that way and at that point you just can leave it outside most of the time.
I wonder that maybe tacoma used to be slow before? I think at some point they used to have an ebay store, but not anymore. Now with the website, maybe they ship faster. I'll see how fast they respond to my email.
I dont want to buy a pedal from here, gun from there haha.
HTMR gun is pretty pricey at $250, but I wonder how much better it is compared to tacoma gun. Visually, they seem identical to me.
I like that tacoma has a full kit, whereas HTRM just sells the gun that needs a pedal.
I agree with you that most other stuff is kinda useless.
Baffle box is useless. It's made on the assumption that you need to swap air intake and exhaust, because as is, connecting the vacuum to the exhaust port will **** up your media.
First, it didn't happen to me at all.
Second, you can just use a dust separator. No need to make yourself extra work. Plus having to place a vac behind the cabinet is not ideal for me, I like the blaster against the wall.
The waste gate elbow, I don't know. Do you really need to control the pressure? I think again, his point was to control it so that the media doesn't get sucked out. Well my media doesn't, and I believe there's enough intake air not to have too much negative pressure built up.
Baffle box topper, installed on top of the air intake, is made to prevent the media flying around and falling out of the intake port. Again, something that has never happened to me.
Hopper funnel adapter. It's nice, depending on how much it costs. After all, it's not hard to drill a threaded piece of pipe through the bottom cover port.
Fitted 4-piece sheet metal cuffs which bridge the remaining screen support ledge, after removal of the hopper grid frame/screen support, preventing media build-up on that ledge.
I'd say this is highly optional.
Door shield. To help with media falling out when you open the door. I already sealed the openings in the door, so it's pretty flat. All i do is give a short burst of air at the door to blow away all the dust. That way when I open the door, it doesn't have anything on it.
Flow meter. I think it's an overkill. I mean if your media it getting sucked up, just lower the pressure. Do you really need a flow meter?
All those are probably worth a few hundred dollars. I think it's better to invest that money elsewhere...
But here's the kit. Pedal, gun, metering valve, I think these are the most important components.
Not sure how much HTMR gun is better
I actually wanted to make vapor blasting cabinet, but it seems like it's too much hassle.
For now I need to decide HTMR gun vs tacoma vs skat...
I dont want to buy a pedal from here, gun from there haha.
HTMR gun is pretty pricey at $250, but I wonder how much better it is compared to tacoma gun. Visually, they seem identical to me.
I like that tacoma has a full kit, whereas HTRM just sells the gun that needs a pedal.
I agree with you that most other stuff is kinda useless.
Baffle box is useless. It's made on the assumption that you need to swap air intake and exhaust, because as is, connecting the vacuum to the exhaust port will **** up your media.
First, it didn't happen to me at all.
Second, you can just use a dust separator. No need to make yourself extra work. Plus having to place a vac behind the cabinet is not ideal for me, I like the blaster against the wall.
The waste gate elbow, I don't know. Do you really need to control the pressure? I think again, his point was to control it so that the media doesn't get sucked out. Well my media doesn't, and I believe there's enough intake air not to have too much negative pressure built up.
Baffle box topper, installed on top of the air intake, is made to prevent the media flying around and falling out of the intake port. Again, something that has never happened to me.
Hopper funnel adapter. It's nice, depending on how much it costs. After all, it's not hard to drill a threaded piece of pipe through the bottom cover port.
Fitted 4-piece sheet metal cuffs which bridge the remaining screen support ledge, after removal of the hopper grid frame/screen support, preventing media build-up on that ledge.
I'd say this is highly optional.
Door shield. To help with media falling out when you open the door. I already sealed the openings in the door, so it's pretty flat. All i do is give a short burst of air at the door to blow away all the dust. That way when I open the door, it doesn't have anything on it.
Flow meter. I think it's an overkill. I mean if your media it getting sucked up, just lower the pressure. Do you really need a flow meter?
All those are probably worth a few hundred dollars. I think it's better to invest that money elsewhere...
But here's the kit. Pedal, gun, metering valve, I think these are the most important components.
Not sure how much HTMR gun is better
I actually wanted to make vapor blasting cabinet, but it seems like it's too much hassle.
For now I need to decide HTMR gun vs tacoma vs skat...
dkmc
Well-known member
My bet is oil from the compressor
I'm considering buying a decibel meter to compare sound noise from my compressor vs 60/80 gallon compressors. I would like to upgrade to a bigger compressor, but noise is definitely an issue.
On another note, attached is the price list from tacoma company.
I guess their kits went up in price considerably, compared to a few years ago, from when I could find the records.
Still undecided on whether to go tacoma or HTMR. I might give tacoma a call tomorrow.
The one upgrade I definitely want from tacoma is kit for easy window swap.
On another note, attached is the price list from tacoma company.
I guess their kits went up in price considerably, compared to a few years ago, from when I could find the records.
Still undecided on whether to go tacoma or HTMR. I might give tacoma a call tomorrow.
The one upgrade I definitely want from tacoma is kit for easy window swap.
dkmc
Well-known member
Um....yea I've got the sound meter ap on my phone. There's 50 different free ones on playstore
RTM
Well-known member
Good for comparison of two items, but don’t trust the actual value. I compared two apps to a vendor’s calibrated high end sound meter, both off by almost 20dB. several phones ago, so maybe things have gotten better.
I tried a few apps, they're too inaccurate and kinda all over the place
In the meantime, I decided to upgrade to a metering valve following this write up.
issuu.com
I have no clue why people are going with hard-core metal pipes instead of just plastic for the pick up tubes, but whatever...
No clue why he went with 1.25 inch pipe, instead of 1 or smaller, seems overkill given the hose is only 5/8 anyways.
I decided to do the same just in case, but added a plug on the bottom in case I needed to empty my media.
1.25 to 3/4 reducer doesn't exist in canada, so I used 1.25 to 1 reducer, and then 1 to 3/4.
Now just need to find 3/4 to 5/8 barb, which seems doesn't exist anywhere in stock, so I ordered it.
In the meantime, I decided to upgrade to a metering valve following this write up.
Building A Metering Valve - Issuu
as I sit here today, 10 Years ago this month was my first tech article for this fine magazine that you have in your hands right now. To think about how many tech articles that I have done from then to now, blows my mind.
I have no clue why people are going with hard-core metal pipes instead of just plastic for the pick up tubes, but whatever...
No clue why he went with 1.25 inch pipe, instead of 1 or smaller, seems overkill given the hose is only 5/8 anyways.
I decided to do the same just in case, but added a plug on the bottom in case I needed to empty my media.
1.25 to 3/4 reducer doesn't exist in canada, so I used 1.25 to 1 reducer, and then 1 to 3/4.
Now just need to find 3/4 to 5/8 barb, which seems doesn't exist anywhere in stock, so I ordered it.
Jswain
Well-known member
There's how I did mine. Aside plumbing it in without disconnects, and adding a guard to the top of the foot pedal, then painting it all it hasn't changed much and works very, very well.
The (good) foot pedals mostly use a whistle valve, which I bought on amazon and fabbed the pedal portion from scraps.
I have probably less in my entire setup, with the cabinet(bought used) then just the upgrade if purchased.
I used this style gun with a boron nozzle which works very well
The (good) foot pedals mostly use a whistle valve, which I bought on amazon and fabbed the pedal portion from scraps.
I have probably less in my entire setup, with the cabinet(bought used) then just the upgrade if purchased.
I used this style gun with a boron nozzle which works very well
Attachments
Haha well it was a pretty simple article, with good pictures!
I decided to go with skatblast vs tacoma or htmr.
I don't want to bother with the pedal, and they both are pretty expensive. I mean I would spend the extra money, but if nobody complains about the skat blast gun, then I think I can't go wrong with it.
I ordered the small version, but also ordered medium size jets and nozzle, so I can't swap between medium and small if need be.
I also measured the hose diameter.
Skat gun id is 5/8 while Campbell Hausfeld hose that came with their gun was 1/2 in.
I figure a larger hose got to be better so move the media.
I decided to go with skatblast vs tacoma or htmr.
I don't want to bother with the pedal, and they both are pretty expensive. I mean I would spend the extra money, but if nobody complains about the skat blast gun, then I think I can't go wrong with it.
I ordered the small version, but also ordered medium size jets and nozzle, so I can't swap between medium and small if need be.
I also measured the hose diameter.
Skat gun id is 5/8 while Campbell Hausfeld hose that came with their gun was 1/2 in.
I figure a larger hose got to be better so move the media.
Jswain
Well-known member
Yeah same one sold by many sellers. Usually around 3/4 ish open. Start with it wide open then close it til you feel the gun chugging a bit when blasting then open it up a hair til it stops (is how I do it anyways)
Part of the reason for the 1-1/4" pipe is to allow enough volume in the "mixing" chamber. I've seen a video from a company that sells cast valves and they admit that's one of the advantages of the pipe design.I tried a few apps, they're too inaccurate and kinda all over the place
In the meantime, I decided to upgrade to a metering valve following this write up.
Building A Metering Valve - Issuu
as I sit here today, 10 Years ago this month was my first tech article for this fine magazine that you have in your hands right now. To think about how many tech articles that I have done from then to now, blows my mind.
I have no clue why people are going with hard-core metal pipes instead of just plastic for the pick up tubes, but whatever...
No clue why he went with 1.25 inch pipe, instead of 1 or smaller, seems overkill given the hose is only 5/8 anyways.
I decided to do the same just in case, but added a plug on the bottom in case I needed to empty my media.
1.25 to 3/4 reducer doesn't exist in canada, so I used 1.25 to 1 reducer, and then 1 to 3/4.
Now just need to find 3/4 to 5/8 barb, which seems doesn't exist anywhere in stock, so I ordered it.
For what it's worth: if you are getting enough moisture getting into your cabinet you need to work more on dehydration. I have used compressors "as is" for many years doing odd bits of blasting, but when you scale it up to do a much larger job you really need much more effective drying. I got tasked to design some supply systems that needed a -30 or better dewpoint and to get there was thousands of dollars of fancy ****. Blasting can work well somewhere in between those extremes. What I have found by far the most cost effective is going from a wet tank to a dry tank, feeding the first with one stage of cooling to knock most of the water out (and an automatic drain) then take relatively dry air to the second tank then out through a coalescing filter of some kind. First tank cooling works best with refrigeration, but you could do a fair bit with just heat exchanger(s) (i.e. radiators) to cool compressor head output enough to condense the majority of the water. Just for reference: on the super dry systems I built, a 5HP screw into matching refrigerated cooler will see gallons per hour out of the wet tank drain with a very small constant airflow coming out to the fancy (i.e. EXPENSIVE) automatic cycling dessicant dryer. There is a LOT of water in the air - even when you think it is relatively dry.
This is a good point. I don't think i have a wetness problem. What makes you think that I do? You clearly have more experience and knowledge.
I guess if we start at the beginning, first I need to measure the water in the system. How do people do that?
I figure we need to specify and measure the problem before addressing it.
Otherwise it's going to be hard to solve a problem that hasn't been quantified.
Then I'm going to look into refrigeration and radiators. I don't have a clue what that looks like but I'm gonna Google something like "drying air compressor with a radiator"
I guess if we start at the beginning, first I need to measure the water in the system. How do people do that?
I figure we need to specify and measure the problem before addressing it.
Otherwise it's going to be hard to solve a problem that hasn't been quantified.
Then I'm going to look into refrigeration and radiators. I don't have a clue what that looks like but I'm gonna Google something like "drying air compressor with a radiator"
Refrigeration can get expensive, unless you can find something used. I thought I had read a comment that you found water in you gun. In any case, you should be able to find quite a few threads here dealing with cooling compressor air to dry. You can't use an engine cooling rad because of pressure, and you want a cross flow so when it cools the air the water runs down the cross tubes into a header sloped to drain back into the "wet" tank.
RTM
Well-known member
I thought I saw a thread here where the poster used a cheap refrigerator with a zig zag of tube inside for an air drier.
I don't think it was this one, as I didn't think his idea would work, but memory being what it is.....
DIY refrigerator air dryer
I have an idea for a DIY compressed air dryer that I've never seen before. The least expensive refrigerated air dryer I've seen is $550 at Harbor Freight, so decided to make my own ambient air dryer using a small air-cooled aftercooler to cool what's going into the tank plus a copper pipe grid...
www.garagejournal.com
Yes I had wetness in the gun, that was before I installed the filters. Once I installed the filters, all wetness is gone, it's completely dry.
There's lots of videos on YouTube and this system seems to be very popular
There's lots of videos on YouTube and this system seems to be very popular
The skat carbide nozzles will last forever with most anything but aluminum oxide will definitely wear them down over time. More so with higher pressure and CFM. They are still the best spend if you blast a lot in a cabinet though. No trigger is awesome. I have the gun from Tacoma and the pedal. I also have an eastwood pedal and I had the gun and another eastwood pedal but I returned it due to getting another blast cabinet that already had a generic gun and the Eastwood pedal. I've had no issue with either to be fair but if I found a cheaper pedal I wouldn't hesitate to buy that instead. There really isn't much to go wrong with them and with the use of Orings they are highly rebuildable in most cases. A wider pedal is all I would want so in that context the Skat pedal is the widest I know of.Haha well it was a pretty simple article, with good pictures!
I decided to go with skatblast vs tacoma or htmr.
I don't want to bother with the pedal, and they both are pretty expensive. I mean I would spend the extra money, but if nobody complains about the skat blast gun, then I think I can't go wrong with it.
I ordered the small version, but also ordered medium size jets and nozzle, so I can't swap between medium and small if need be.
I also measured the hose diameter.
Skat gun id is 5/8 while Campbell Hausfeld hose that came with their gun was 1/2 in.
I figure a larger hose got to be better so move the media.
I wonder that maybe tacoma used to be slow before? I think at some point they used to have an ebay store, but not anymore. Now with the website, maybe they ship faster. I'll see how fast they respond to my email.
I dont want to buy a pedal from here, gun from there haha.
HTMR gun is pretty pricey at $250, but I wonder how much better it is compared to tacoma gun. Visually, they seem identical to me.
I like that tacoma has a full kit, whereas HTRM just sells the gun that needs a pedal.
I agree with you that most other stuff is kinda useless.
Baffle box is useless. It's made on the assumption that you need to swap air intake and exhaust, because as is, connecting the vacuum to the exhaust port will **** up your media.
First, it didn't happen to me at all.
Second, you can just use a dust separator. No need to make yourself extra work. Plus having to place a vac behind the cabinet is not ideal for me, I like the blaster against the wall.
The waste gate elbow, I don't know. Do you really need to control the pressure? I think again, his point was to control it so that the media doesn't get sucked out. Well my media doesn't, and I believe there's enough intake air not to have too much negative pressure built up.
Baffle box topper, installed on top of the air intake, is made to prevent the media flying around and falling out of the intake port. Again, something that has never happened to me.
Hopper funnel adapter. It's nice, depending on how much it costs. After all, it's not hard to drill a threaded piece of pipe through the bottom cover port.
Fitted 4-piece sheet metal cuffs which bridge the remaining screen support ledge, after removal of the hopper grid frame/screen support, preventing media build-up on that ledge.
I'd say this is highly optional.
Door shield. To help with media falling out when you open the door. I already sealed the openings in the door, so it's pretty flat. All i do is give a short burst of air at the door to blow away all the dust. That way when I open the door, it doesn't have anything on it.
Flow meter. I think it's an overkill. I mean if your media it getting sucked up, just lower the pressure. Do you really need a flow meter?
All those are probably worth a few hundred dollars. I think it's better to invest that money elsewhere...
But here's the kit. Pedal, gun, metering valve, I think these are the most important components.
Not sure how much HTMR gun is better
I actually wanted to make vapor blasting cabinet, but it seems like it's too much hassle.
For now I need to decide HTMR gun vs tacoma vs skat...
Agree with most everything and I am on the road to a vapor blast cabinet my self but just been lazy about it. I think I have all the parts right now except the gun but since I have the tacoma gun I am thinking I might by the Skat gun for my dry cabinet and swap the tacoma gun to the vapor cabinet since I suspect I will be vapor blasting less. I just hate the ergos on that tacoma gun. It gets very unconfortable if you blast for any length of time because there is nothing to really grip to and you end up using a lot of hand strength holding on to it. I had a hand injury a long time ago in my military career so its one of those things where it gets painful after a bit of gripping (insert jerking it joke here, lol)... The HTMR gun is pricey but if I find I do more vapor blasting maybe I will invest in that.
I didn't want to lose that much wall space when I did mine. I used a 40K automotive trans cooler and some copper tubing with some couplers and then zip tied it to the compressor pulley cage and it removed it all as well.
Consider making a detailed video when you do the vapor blasting conversion. I think it would be super beneficial to everyone! I personally don't find putting tubing on the wall, as it doesn't really use up much space being flat, but in my case, that would not be very convenient with 2 compressors. I will watch if I get any moisture and if so will consider again how to deal with it. I don't think I'll have much moisture with my latest filter upgrades.
I ordered a small gun and medium carbide conversion, but looks like I should've ordered a large one instead, since I ended up getting a second compressor yesterday...
I got my skat gun delivered today!!
While waiting for if, I redesigned my whole set up.
I got rid of all the cheap filters, and purchased this motorguard filter instead.
I'm also considering ordering this milton kit in addition to the motor Guard. It seems to be good quality, instead of no name Chiniseum.
I'm going with 1/2 size everywhere, to avoid any restrictions, even though my air line is only 3/8 in inner diameter.
Yesterday, I got unbelievably lucky and found another air compressor, brand new, for a great deal! The guy selling it said he purchased it from another gentleman, who never used it because he did not have a 240v plug. My seller did the same thing, and he also never installed the 240v plug and sold the compressor to me lol.
So it basically sat for over 10 years without being used, and I got it for a fraction of the price!
Checking the oil and filter, I can tell this thing never ran.
Now I'm going to connect both compressors together, and run two 3/8 lines to the blast cabinet, where both lines will join into single 3/8.
The coolest thing, both compressors are exactly the same model.
Out of curiosity I'm going to compare how long it will take for the new one to fill, and how long it takes for the old one to fill from 0.
For inside the cabinet, I found a 3/8 milton hose with 3/8 npt connectors.
I've installed milton V fitting on the gun for greater air flow!
I also found a pretty cool coupler. The thread is 3/8 size, and the coupler side is 1/4 milton V!
Another awesome thing with this coupler is that you just push it in and it connects. No need to pull back the coupler ring. Genius design.
So with this set up, I'm going to have 40 gallon capacity with 20 CFM!
It's all starting to add up in terms of $$$, definitely a lot more than I expected. I'm probably around $1500 CAD unto my whole set up, but I think it will be worth it if I do it right.
Over the last few days I've learned a lot on this forum, and the biggest lesson was not to trust the numbers and do proper measurements, as well as going with larger size piping.
I'm still waiting for RONA on that barb 3/4 to 5/8 reducer that i ordered. Who would've thought it was so hard to find.
In the meantime I got to install another 240v plug for the second compressor, and figure out how to adjust them so that they kick in with 5-10 psi difference.
I ordered a small gun and medium carbide conversion, but looks like I should've ordered a large one instead, since I ended up getting a second compressor yesterday...
I got my skat gun delivered today!!
While waiting for if, I redesigned my whole set up.
I got rid of all the cheap filters, and purchased this motorguard filter instead.
I'm also considering ordering this milton kit in addition to the motor Guard. It seems to be good quality, instead of no name Chiniseum.
I'm going with 1/2 size everywhere, to avoid any restrictions, even though my air line is only 3/8 in inner diameter.
Yesterday, I got unbelievably lucky and found another air compressor, brand new, for a great deal! The guy selling it said he purchased it from another gentleman, who never used it because he did not have a 240v plug. My seller did the same thing, and he also never installed the 240v plug and sold the compressor to me lol.
So it basically sat for over 10 years without being used, and I got it for a fraction of the price!
Checking the oil and filter, I can tell this thing never ran.
Now I'm going to connect both compressors together, and run two 3/8 lines to the blast cabinet, where both lines will join into single 3/8.
The coolest thing, both compressors are exactly the same model.
Out of curiosity I'm going to compare how long it will take for the new one to fill, and how long it takes for the old one to fill from 0.
For inside the cabinet, I found a 3/8 milton hose with 3/8 npt connectors.
I've installed milton V fitting on the gun for greater air flow!
I also found a pretty cool coupler. The thread is 3/8 size, and the coupler side is 1/4 milton V!
Another awesome thing with this coupler is that you just push it in and it connects. No need to pull back the coupler ring. Genius design.
So with this set up, I'm going to have 40 gallon capacity with 20 CFM!
It's all starting to add up in terms of $$$, definitely a lot more than I expected. I'm probably around $1500 CAD unto my whole set up, but I think it will be worth it if I do it right.
Over the last few days I've learned a lot on this forum, and the biggest lesson was not to trust the numbers and do proper measurements, as well as going with larger size piping.
I'm still waiting for RONA on that barb 3/4 to 5/8 reducer that i ordered. Who would've thought it was so hard to find.
In the meantime I got to install another 240v plug for the second compressor, and figure out how to adjust them so that they kick in with 5-10 psi difference.
So after all the upgrades, shorter air lines, less restriction in the system, air filters, new skat gun, metering valve, 2 compressors giving me 20 cfm, the damn thing still clogs and blows air, so I constantly need to block the nozzle and clear the feeding tube.
I cannot see it being anythjng else other than mixing AlOx and steel shot.
I haven't found anyone on the internet who has done it, so I must be the first idiot lol!
It's just that both medias are used for blasting, so I never expected that mixing them would cause me issues.
For the few seconds when the gun actually works, it blasts an amazing stream of media, way better than before.
But it still clogs super fast and then all the gun is blowing is air.
So if anyone else ever mixes these medias and then has problems, this thread will confirm the reason...
I might have to just throw out all media and purchase a new bag of AlOx or steelshot separately.
I wonder if steelshot is the problem here, or if mixing both media is the problem.
I cannot see it being anythjng else other than mixing AlOx and steel shot.
I haven't found anyone on the internet who has done it, so I must be the first idiot lol!
It's just that both medias are used for blasting, so I never expected that mixing them would cause me issues.
For the few seconds when the gun actually works, it blasts an amazing stream of media, way better than before.
But it still clogs super fast and then all the gun is blowing is air.
So if anyone else ever mixes these medias and then has problems, this thread will confirm the reason...
I might have to just throw out all media and purchase a new bag of AlOx or steelshot separately.
I wonder if steelshot is the problem here, or if mixing both media is the problem.
OccupantRJ
Well-known member
Screen all your media through a kitchen strainer before you buy more media. I screen ALL media that I use, even new. I often find debris. The kitchen strainers I use are about 6 inches in diameter. I run the least amount of media in a cabinet that it will successfully blast with. Excess media can compact the media below it reducing the flow. Whatever the screen catches, including media, reject it.
Steel shot is going to destroy anything delicate in my opinon and not really needed unless you just have old farm stuff that you don't care about the surface appearance after blasting. Mixing two media's is something that should be done simply because different media uses different pressure to siphon. You may get some of both but the flow is not optimal. You can screed out the steel shot with a sifter or using some small steel mesh. The right kitchen strainer will work but it depends on the strainer mesh so shop accordingly. The wire mesh ones are usually stainless so that is a good starting point.
Siphon tubes need to be cleared periodically in every system I have used but yours sounds excessive. I'm pretty sure you still have moisture and maybe oil getting into your air system. Maybe I missed it in the research I have done but it seems like guys that do the wall mounted pipe systems for moisture removal aren't usually blasting but rather doing it for painting or air tool use. Like I said maybe they are and I missed it. You should try a gravity feed hopper and seems like you still need to work on moisture removal, especially with 2 compressors. I blast off a 3.5 HP compressor, so not big air. It does about 10 to CFM (measured) and I can blast consistenly for about 20 to 30 minutes with just the 60 gallon tank before I need to let it recharge completely and stay at a higher blasting pressure. Once it gets to that point I know it because I will see moisture in the water separator. You have 2 compressors running so that is double the heat in your air so you need to look into a cooler for each tank probably. Here are a couple of videos of a compressor mounted cooler using auto style coolers. To me with what I have seen and taken in they just seem to work a lot better than the wall mounted contraptions and a lot more convenient.
Siphon tubes need to be cleared periodically in every system I have used but yours sounds excessive. I'm pretty sure you still have moisture and maybe oil getting into your air system. Maybe I missed it in the research I have done but it seems like guys that do the wall mounted pipe systems for moisture removal aren't usually blasting but rather doing it for painting or air tool use. Like I said maybe they are and I missed it. You should try a gravity feed hopper and seems like you still need to work on moisture removal, especially with 2 compressors. I blast off a 3.5 HP compressor, so not big air. It does about 10 to CFM (measured) and I can blast consistenly for about 20 to 30 minutes with just the 60 gallon tank before I need to let it recharge completely and stay at a higher blasting pressure. Once it gets to that point I know it because I will see moisture in the water separator. You have 2 compressors running so that is double the heat in your air so you need to look into a cooler for each tank probably. Here are a couple of videos of a compressor mounted cooler using auto style coolers. To me with what I have seen and taken in they just seem to work a lot better than the wall mounted contraptions and a lot more convenient.
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