The Abrasive Blasting Resource Thread

[OccupantRJ]

Getting ready to have a blast! That screen floor looks pretty heavy duty like mine. It is 1/4" perforated plate. It has had 250 pound cast iron parts on it several times. Do you know what sizes of air jet and nozzle you ended up with? So your cabinet has a foot pedal control?

 

[Strouty]

930, you missed a spot.


Making me jealous!

 

[HotRodHudson]

OccupantRJ: That is one of the charts I have been looking at which is what raised my concern. My compressor doesnt have the CFM's for anything larger than 3/32" air jet at 80 PSI. If I go lower PSI, say 50 to 60 then I may get by with one size larger at 7/64" air jet. I kinda feel like I am getting too worried about sizing down for my compressor at the sacrifice of the speed of blasting quicker.

So far the only option and probably the most likely choice is the Skat gun & pedal kit.

 

[Strouty]

I would go with the smaller tip, it will soon wear to the larger size anyways.

 

[930dreamer]

My perforated plate is very heavy will need to check thickness, I need to be off the ground at least a foot to see into the cabinet, the gloves are super long and the bottom plate is super low for tall parts, its all madness.

 

[OccupantRJ]

I would go with the smaller tip, it will soon wear to the larger size anyways.

Strouty, on a suction type gun the air jet remains at constant ID. The blast nozzle itself is what gets the wear. An air jet will, however, wear on the outside due to abrasive flow across it. I use a piece of shrink tubing on mine to help a little with this.

Here is a drawing showing how the gun and metering valve work.
https://www.idsblast.com/images/AdminProducts/HowItWorks/HIW-Empire-Suction-Cabs.pdf

 

[OccupantRJ]

My perforated plate is very heavy will need to check thickness, I need to be off the ground at least a foot to see into the cabinet, the gloves are super long and the bottom plate is super low for tall parts, its all madness.

Looks like a walk platform is in order! Put a thick rubber mat on top of it for leg and foot comfort. You will thank me later.

 

[OccupantRJ]

OccupantRJ: That is one of the charts I have been looking at which is what raised my concern. My compressor doesnt have the CFM's for anything larger than 3/32" air jet at 80 PSI. If I go lower PSI, say 50 to 60 then I may get by with one size larger at 7/64" air jet. I kinda feel like I am getting too worried about sizing down for my compressor at the sacrifice of the speed of blasting quicker.

So far the only option and probably the most likely choice is the Skat gun & pedal kit.

The blast system has to be matched to the compressor output, or you will be waiting on compressor recovery time. The more you use a system the slower it seems anyway. The only thing that seems to blast what you can handle is a 100 cfm pressure pot system. You will get tired before it does.

 

[OccupantRJ]

I have a second Curtis 5 hp vertical single stage compressor compressor that was disassembled in 2014 for my shop relocation. It has been stored since. I am preparing to restore it to operational condition and place it alongside my Saylor Beall. Since I run the snot out of a compressor with so much restoration blasting, I am going to place both compressors on a flip-flop timer to run each for a certain time to give each one more rest.

If that presents an issue, I have facilities to patch my 100 CFM portable into the shop air system. I might burn a bit of gasoline, but I will have plenty of air!

I have also purchased a through-the-wall vent fan to install above the compressors to pull hot air out of the compressor room. It is 8x20 and gets pretty warm in there with even one compressor running. Presently I keep a squirrel cage blower going on the compressor during long runs.

 

[OccupantRJ]

930dreamer, found something for you.

https://www.idsblast.com/images/AdminProducts/HowItWorks/HIW-Zero-Suction-Cabs.pdf

https://www.idsblast.com/sandblasting-supplies/713

 

[Strouty]

Stoutly, on a suction type gun the air jet remains at constant ID. The blast nozzle itself is what gets the wear. An air jet will, however, wear on the outside due to abrasive flow across it. I use a piece of shrink tubing on mine to help a little with this.

Here is a drawing showing how the gun and metering valve work.
https://www.idsblast.com/images/AdminProducts/HowItWorks/HIW-Empire-Suction-Cabs.pdf

Got it, will need to learn about this for my own benefit. Thanks for posting the drawing.

 

[930dreamer]

OccupantRJ, I just ordered the assembly, thank you.

 

[OccupantRJ]

OccupantRJ, I just ordered the assembly, thank you.

Glad to help. On the orange cabinet, what is moving the extraction air through the separator? Is there a blower hid in there somewhere? Is there filter bag(s) inside the tall unit that empties into the bucket? I am interested in the extraction air and filtering path on that unit. Inquiring minds want to know. Lol

Would you also mind posting some pics of inside the cabinet on the rear of the grey unit? That looks like it might be a bag house for the filtration system.

 

[930dreamer]

Here's a pic of the blower ( on top left) on the orange cabinet. The gray cabinet has the bags with the knock bar, I'll get some pics when I go to the shop later.

Orange cabinet has a foot control pedal. It might be time to get the Kellogg American 7.5 hp compressor back together.

 

[HotRodHudson]

OccupantRJ, I have often thought about building a shed behind the garage for the air compressor but have concerns about it living in Montana where there are very cold temperatures. If one was to do a compressor shed, would it most likely need to be heated due to the water condensation?

 

[930dreamer]

^^^ in the winter the shed would need freeze protection.

 

[Strouty]

The freezing issue has stopped me as well. I would love to get the air compressor into its own space, it takes up a lot of room and makes noise. My newer compressor is not as annoying as the one I owned before, so it is more tolerable.

930, what are you using for a compressor with the unit you have?

 

[930dreamer]

I'm using a 5hp Industrial Champion compressor.

 

[930dreamer]

A few more pics.

 

[Strouty]

Does the 5 hp keep up ok or not?

 

[930dreamer]

It will run continuously while blasting and I have two tanks plumbed in.

 

[Strouty]

Before I get mine setup, I am going to add the continuous run option for my compressor, it allows it to unload when the tank is filled, but keeps running, it is better than stop and go, so I have been told.

 

[930dreamer]

A bit more work, I removed this water separator from the orange cabinet and this was inside, yikes.

Not sure what this sliding panel does, its ducted from the separator fan on top of the unit. I blasted this again with the tape off the metering valve.

 

[930dreamer]

Finished product.

 

[OccupantRJ]

^^^ in the winter the shed would need freeze protection.

Very much agree. I do not like a compressor being outside due to many factors.

 

[OccupantRJ]

Even though you are putting compressed air into the cabinet, there is not necessarily a pressure balance inside the cabinet to create the proper pressure differential (suction) for the extractor. By it's location, It looks like the gate is to adjust that. See if your gloves inflate when you turn the blower on. They should possibly stand out a bit to indicate a negative pressure in the cabinet, but not enough to fully inflate, in my opinion. The electrical current to the blower can also be checked with an amp meter to be sure the blower is working to it's proper rating. When the blower is deprived of air, it unloads.

If the gloves inflate, to me that indicates not enough makeup air entering the cabinet. This can make it hard to see also. The gate would be adjusted to get the desired effect. If the gate is fully shut, it should actually unload the blower from an efficiency standpoint. My large cabinet has an open port above the viewing window for this purpose, and it also serves to wash makeup air across the viewing window to help keep it clear of dust.

Thanks for the pictures. I like seeing the various ways the cabinet makers engineer things. Lots to learn.

 

[930dreamer]

I saw another Cyclo-Blast cabinet on ebay and it said its a pressurized unit, how can I tell on mine?

First pic is the ebay unit, second pic is mine.

 

[OccupantRJ]

The one on eBay does not appear to be a pressure unit. It would have a pressure pot underneath the hopper if so. Grit runs from pot to blast nozzle. After grit runs out, the pot is depressurized. During this period a valve opens to allow the grit from the cabinet hopper to refill the tank. When air is applied, the tank valve shuts, pressure rises in the pot, and blasting cycle begins again.

 

[930dreamer]

Ok, that makes sense, so much to learn.

 

[OccupantRJ]

Yes, there is. Like everything else, one can dive into the details, like measuring vacuum on a suction gun, similar to hot rodding a car. Blasting is actually rather tiring, but I enjoy the principles of it. I have considered converting my large cabinet to a pressure unit. I already modified the mixing valve system on it from the factory configuration because I felt the factory design sucked.

 

[930dreamer]

OccupantRJ

I'm glad your up on blasting stuff because I'm sure I'll have many questions. Thank you.

what kind a compressor are you using?

 

[OccupantRJ]

I have a 5 hp Saylor Beall with around 20 cfm, and a large 5 hp single stage Curtis I am placing back in action for normal duties. If case of a failure or extended run time is needed, I can tap my portable 110 cfm into the shop manifold. It is the Smith 302 Ford monoblock compressor that runs on 4 cylinders and pumps air on the other 4.

 

[Strouty]

I had a really big rotary screw, but I ended up swapping it for my Quincy. I would have had to run a 3 phase generator to run the rotary screw and the Quincy will run on my current single phase power.

 

[930dreamer]

I'm always searching for a trailer mounted compressor.

 

[Strouty]

I can borrow a big one if needed, but I am hoping to make it work with what I have. In theory when I get both pumps set up I can make 70 CFM.

 

[OccupantRJ]

You will have plenty of air with that

 

[930dreamer]

This is a friends compressor near Abq, NM I could buy it pretty cheap but hauling it home and the condition might required a lot of work.

 

[Strouty]

That is a big one!

 

[930dreamer]

I think its 365 cfm?

 

[930dreamer]

Metering valve came in the mail just now, Only piece I was missing was the vertical pipe piece, nut and adjusting stud.