The Abrasive Blasting Resource Thread

[OccupantRJ]

Both of those have nice separators on them. I would buy them both today if they were near me, and I already have two. Put aluminum oxide in one, glass beads in the smaller one. Hard to find a commercial unit for a good deal price in my experience. Plus, you can make $40-50 an hour and up even blasting parts for the little guy who needs access to a blasting source. The per piece price is reasonable for them due to the speed small pieces can be done. The square footage pieces like panels are what works you hard and costs more.

 

[930dreamer]

Picking the pair up Thursday.

 

[OccupantRJ]

Good for you! Keep us posted so we can live vicariously through you! Start a thread with some good pics and it can be linked to this one. I like examining the various designs out there.

 

[OccupantRJ]

Question on hose entry point on blast cabinet.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=390391

 

[TheEquineFencer]

I can pick both of these up for $500 from a bankruptcy?

LOL, if you do... You'll get a "you ****"....

 

[930dreamer]

Loaded up in Tulsa, OK , I left Amarillo at 0200,
90 miles to Amarillo need to rest for a bit. Trip complete at 1645 hrs, man I'm tired.

 

[OccupantRJ]

Well, you get a double "you ****!" on that one! I would have been on that deal in a hot minute. You are gonna like using them and will wonder how you did without them. That was a long *** haul!

 

[930dreamer]

I don't think my compressor is big enough?

 

[OccupantRJ]

20 cfm will run a cabinet if the proper air jet is selected. On a suction gun this is not the same as the blast nozzle. I make my own air jets, and I changed down in diameter a very small amount because the compressor was having a hard time keeping up. Now it will maintain 100 psi before the cabinet regulator when run nonstop. I run 80 psi in both my cabinets. One is glass bead, one is alominum oxide. (alox)

 

[930dreamer]

Time to off load cabinets. All finished.

Overall Dimensions::: Height: 76" Width: 38" Depth: 62"
Working Dimensions: Height: 37" Width: 36" Depth: 35"
L/R Side Door: 34" x 32.5"
Window: 19.5" x 12.5" Safety Glass With Quick-Change Frame
Construction: 14 Gauge Steel
Gun Assembly: Foot Operated: 25 CFM @ 90-100 PSI
Electrical: 1/2 HP, 115 Volt, Single Phase
Dust Collector: Reverse Pulse Cartridge Dust Collector
Rubber Cloth-Lined Gloves
Two Tube Fluorescent Light Fixture
Dust-Off Gun
Pneumatic Foot-Treadle Control
Air Pressure Regulator & Gauge
General Purpose Air Filter
Media Regulator
300 CFM Media Reclaimer
Patented OSHA Door Interlocks
Ventilation Area: 107 Square Feet
Shipping Weight: 800 Lbs.

 

[OccupantRJ]

Most excellent!

 

[1/2 Cup]

Loaded up in Tulsa, OK , I left Amarillo at 0200,
90 miles to Amarillo need to rest for a bit. Trip complete at 1645 hrs, man I'm tired.

Great stuff

 

[930dreamer]

Looks like I failed to get the dust container that sits under the filter (orange unit) housing, should be able to use something else. Circled in picture.

 

[OccupantRJ]

For generic rubber parts like door seals and suction hoses, I found most of what I needed at McMaster Carr

 

[930dreamer]

A Cemco rep emailed me today and the dust container is $172 plus freight. I'm guessing this part just catches media released from the filter? Any reason I couldn't use a cut down/sealed 5 gallon bucket?

 

[Strouty]

I need to start setting up my cabinet. It is missing parts, needs some repairs, but should be a nice unit when it is up and running.

 

[930dreamer]

Strouty that blast machine is huge.

 

[Strouty]

Yeah, it is rated for 100 CFM, at least that is what I can remember. Will run on 50 to 60 CFM, just can’t use the larger nozzles.

 

[930dreamer]

This what I came up with to replace the dust container, not sure if a plastic screw on lid will blow media out or not?

 

[OccupantRJ]

If that works like I think it does, you will likely need a sealed connector hose from the funnel into the bucket. The bucket likely collects the nuisance dust and paint flakes from the blasting, while the heavier media gets returned to the cabinet. Is there an inflatable filter bag(s) in the system anywhere? The blower pressure would possibly need to be released in some manner, like filtering through the bag.

 

[OccupantRJ]

I need to start setting up my cabinet. It is missing parts, needs some repairs, but should be a nice unit when it is up and running.

That is a hoss, right there!

 

[930dreamer]

I cut out a 3" circle in the lid and glued in a toilet flange, waiting for it to dry before testing.

 

[Strouty]

What a crappy job.












LOL

 

[930dreamer]

Dust container finished only part I had to buy was the flange $5.94 total cost, waiting for a new blast gun set up.

 

[Strouty]

Hopefully it will work the way you want. Looks good to me, but I really don’t know what it does.

 

[OccupantRJ]

My large cabinet actually has a sealed drawer under the bag house to collect the nuisance dust and light paint flakes, rust particles, etc. Different systems use different designs, but the main objective is to separate the abrasive by swirling and return it to the gun pickup point, while the useless stuff goes to a waste container that gets dumped occasionally.

 

[Strouty]

I don’t have a clue what mine does, will need to investigate that a bit. Unfortunately mine is missing the blower system, so I will have to buy some replacement parts for it. I have been organizing things and working towards making this one of my “next” projects, one out of 100.

 

[930dreamer]

I'm guessing this side is where the used media collects.

 

[OccupantRJ]

That would be the reclaimer. Fresh abrasive is placed inside up to about 3/4 of the funnel height. The piece on the bottom with what looks like blue tape is the mixing valve. Think carburetor. Air is pulled from the top of the reclaimer which sets up a cyclone inside, hence cyclone separator.

The heavy abrasive slings to the outer wall and slides down to be reused. The nuisance dust gets sucked into the other unit and goes to waste, usually after the air is filtered through filter bags and the air is blown outside or returned to the room. My large cabinet blows outside through a flex duct and a hole in the shop wall. This type cabinet usually retains no abrasive in the bottom of the cabinet hopper, as the air/grit is always in motion.

As you blast, media is pulled from the mixing valve along with atmospheric air to give the correct grit/air mixture for best performance. Too rich, and the gun pulses and puts out clumps of abrasive. Too lean and blasting performance suffers.

The mix is accomplished by controlling how much room air is allowed to enter the mixing valve at the blue colored port. You want just enough abrasive in the reclaimer to keep the gun fed in a steady fashion. I use a vacuum gauge attached to the suction port of the gun and adjust the gun's internal air jet back and forth relative to the blast nozzle to give the highest vacuum for best performance. Might as well tune it if it is possible.

 

[rello]

I have used dry ice blasting several times both in industrial applications and on my hull.
I wouldnt advise using it to blast the ingines in situ, it makes an ungodly mess in confined areas. The expansion seen when going from solid to vapour phase of the frozen CO2 blows minute particles everywhere. You would need to mask / seal up everything inside the boat, any where the gas and microscopic dust can go, it will.
There is the obvious HSE issues associated with CO2 in confined areas but easily mitigated with the correct PPE and ventilation.
You can also guarantee you wont get to all the bits on an engine in a confined space and at some point in the future your lovely new paint job will be covered in rusty streaks from those areas you couldnt quite get to.
Ice blasted my hull and was still cleaning blue dust from every orifice a year later.
Read more at

 

[OccupantRJ]

Question of what blast gun to use.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=54865

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=391033

 

[930dreamer]

Tp Tool medium carbide blast gun.

 

[OccupantRJ]

I decided to see how much nuisance dust my large cabinet had collected over the last year, so I took some pics for you. My dust collects in a drawer inside a sealed compartment in the base of the filter bag house. Always use a dust mask for this duty. My unit has 15 filter bags, therefore the individual piles of dust where it gets shaken out of the bags occasionally. The bag house has a manual crank arm that spanks the set of bags in a group fashion to make the dust drop from the bag interior to keep them from clogging.

 

[dkmc]

That is some fine dust you have there RJ.....

 

[OccupantRJ]

That is why it is called nuisance dust, because that is all it is at that point, a mix of rust, paint chips, and dust. The cyclone separator pulls that fine dust into the center of the vortex to get filtered out of the evacuation air stream, while the heavier grit gets slung to the outer wall to slide down the cone to get reused. The trick is in knowing when to change out the blasting media, as it becomes more rounded with use in the case of angular abrasive. One clue is when it gets hard to see what you are blasting, as long as the separator has been previously evacuating the cabinet. You are then likely to be blasting with dust instead of grit.

 

[HotRodHudson]

I need to ask this thread if there is a specific size air jet orfice to look for when buying a new gun with foot pedal control? Will a foot pedal with 1/4" connections (3/8" hose) provide adequate air? Ultimately I am trying to set up a well functioning system and don't want to get too big of an air requirement which i would not be able to come close to handling. I can see it will be a balance either way because production time = CFM, which I am limited. Unfortunately I asked these question on a separate thread having missed this one.

Background info: installed a metering valve assembly from IDSBlast.com with a 1/2" ID hose for media. Air compressor is a single stage 60 gallon 5hp, 13.4CFM at 40PSI & 11.5CFM at 90PSI. Air supply hose is a 3/8" with high flow 1/4" fittings. Use is for general auto restoration of parts, and i am guessing of using glass bead in the 70-80 grit on most things and guessing I will be in the 50-60PSI range while blasting, however all that may change as I learn more when this is completed & working.

 

[930dreamer]

What does this third hole do?

 

[OccupantRJ]

It might be for a blow-off hose inside the cabinet to blow as much grit as possible off the part before removing it from the cabinet. Seal those grommets with silicon for dust control. Pretty nice to have. That fitting on the floor next to the bucket is called a Chicago fitting, and if used, it needs to be safety wired in place. You got a nice, industrial level cabinet there. The plug in the bottom of the metering assembly is to change out abrasive as needed. If the stem the blue tape is on is threaded, you may need a valve there to meter mix atmospheric air into the flow stream. Mine uses a set screw to hold the hose in place, and the cut end of the 5/8" heater hose is slid across the air hole to adjust the mix. Cover the hole, too rich on abrasive. Uncover the hole, it becomes leaner.

 

[OccupantRJ]

For HotRodHudson. I run 80 psi on my glass bead cabinet. Here are some gun flow charts.

https://www.mediablast.com/sandblasting-compressed-air-chart

 

[930dreamer]

Thank you sir, I just finished finding the needed brass parts to get the blast gun set up.

First try;

I'll need to work out a platform for me to stand on, also a turn table sitting on a stand inside the cabinet too.