The Abrasive Blasting Resource Thread

[OccupantRJ]

A picture of my shop made media regulator. Due to the 90 degree, the media tends to pile at the intersection to be drawn by the air flow coming into the vent hole on top. The smaller tapped hole on the left is for a thumb style set screw if needed. The suction hose is moved in or out to allow or disallow room air to enter the hole as mix air. The fitting on right was an experiment I may pursue at a later date. This is made of 3/4" nominal threaded pipe and a 5/8" automotive heater hose works nicely for an abrasive feed hose.

 

[OccupantRJ]

If anyone is getting good use out of the information in this thread, please don't be shy and post up what you have done and post up your results, good or bad. This is how everyone gets to learn. Thank you.

 

[930dreamer]

Great information on this thread, thanks everyone for posting.

 

[Duker]

Great information on this thread, thanks everyone for posting.

^^^^^ What he said!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[dkmc]

Interesting design.
Sounds like it works like a carburetor in effect. I'm guessing it tends
to not pack and clog as much as other designs.

A picture of my shop made media regulator. Due to the 90 degree, the media tends to pile at the intersection to be drawn by the air flow coming into the vent hole on top. The smaller tapped hole on the left is for a thumb style set screw if needed. The suction hose is moved in or out to allow or disallow room air to enter the hole as mix air. The fitting on right was an experiment I may pursue at a later date. This is made of 3/4" nominal threaded pipe and a 5/8" automotive heater hose works nicely for an abrasive feed hose.

 

[OccupantRJ]

Yep! Griterator!
Not my original idea, it's just that I am cheap and so self reliant that I just had to make my own. It is basically an Empire brand design. I did not include the drain plug at the corner, I just screw it out to drain used grit. Easy to make, cut a pipe into at a 45, rotate to position, weld, drill a couple of holes.

Post #13 in this thread shows an Empire factory unit I got hold of and used on my large cabinet.

 

[930dreamer]

I managed to get away this morning for some shop time, so I thought I'd look a bit more at the bigger Cyclo-Blast cabinet. I almost plugged it in to test the recycler motor, light etc. I started by wiping the light lens and saw it has a bunch of water Inside it.

I climbed into the cabinet ( what could possibly it go wrong) and removed the lens, and yes a lot of water In it. The top of the cabinet has a group of four holes on each side, not sure what the reason was yet.

 

[OccupantRJ]

The holes are most likely the makeup air for the cabinet to enhance air flow through it when the blower is in operation. I would use some sheet filter media over them with some type of retainer, likely what the small center hole is for. May have had a frame around the filters with a screen to keep the filters from sucking into the cabinet.

Looks like someone has been taping them on in the past by the residue left behind.

 

[930dreamer]

I think your correct, here's the boxed area inside the cabinet. I need to find a manual for the cabinet, I found a place in CA that's a dealer? and will give them a call.

Searched for other Cyclo-blast pics and found these.

 

[OccupantRJ]

Couple of pictures. One of my extra air jets, two different styles. The other pic is of my larger cabinet makeup air intake. I have expanded metal with a sheet of filter media on it to prevent flywaste dust escape. Notice how the intake is positioned to wash the glass of dust with the airflow across it.

 

[dkmc]

Griterator!
That's cool......!!

 

[OccupantRJ]

After two separate trials of one of the siphon sandblast attachments used with a pressure washer, I have come to the conclusion that it is not worth another trial and will be relegated to the spare parts shelf for project material. Even though the design should be to pull dry sand down the feed tube to the suction head, the sand ends up wet and clogs the feed hose. Save your money.

I think I may try an attachment for the pot sandblaster instead to inject water fed by a pressure washer through a check valve into the sand stream right at the nozzle to create a dustless blaster.

 

[dkmc]

I think I may try an attachment for the pot sandblaster instead to inject water fed by a pressure washer through a check valve into the sand stream right at the nozzle to create a dustless blaster.

Thank you for the results regarding your testing RJ.
Looking forward to your test data from the pressure pot/ pressure washer
combination.

 

[930dreamer]

We're heading out to Oklahoma to pick up the Champion compressor pump, the OKC Dodgers have a home game also.

 

[dkmc]

Good luck with your road trip!

 

[930dreamer]

Pick up complete . Stopping at Bricktown for lunch and then a ball game

 

[930dreamer]

Houston we have a problem;

I drained the oil out of this pump and it has some water in it. I noticed the unloader cover has a dent so here is what I found inside.

 

[OccupantRJ]

It may still work ok. The compressor I normally run was under 5 feet of water for 2 days in a flood. I drained the oil, let the motor dry out for a month, refilled with oil and fired it up. I ran it for about 30 minutes, changed oil and ran it. That was 18 years ago.

Can you see how the unloader is attached to the crankshaft? The broken corner may not affect it's operation. If you get it off, can you take several views of it so we can see it better?

 

[930dreamer]

It's unbolted from the crank end now, the plunger still worked.

 

[OccupantRJ]

Looks like one of the flyweights has broken away on the unloader casting. I assume the parts were not inside the cover? It may still work properly as it is.

 

[930dreamer]

Just in swarf debris.

 

[Strouty]

This is a PSA about a cool thing that the GJ has going, thought people in here might be interested. It is a spring cleaning tool swap, you can read about it in this thread.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=392056

 

[OccupantRJ]

Blasting wood rafters.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=392729

 

[OccupantRJ]

A question of static while blasting.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=7244960#post7244960

 

[930dreamer]

Moving the gray giant to a better spot in the shop tommorow.

 

[OccupantRJ]

Moving the gray giant to a better spot in the shop tommorow.

We need pictures!

Have you fired it up yet? I am using glass beads in my smaller one and aluminum oxide in the larger, so I will not have to change out media for different jobs. I have them face to face 3 feet apart in a corner to save a bit of space in my shop, with a 1/2" rubber runner mat between them. One is accessible from both front and back, and the other is on wheels to roll out for service, with a guide track to make rolling it back into position easier.

If you have not yet, consider adding an air hose inside or right outside the cabinet door to blow off grit from parts upon removal from the cabinet. It comes in handy.

 

[930dreamer]

Relocated from just inside the North overhead door to closer to the West wall. Not the perfect spot but ......

I plugged the cabinet and turned it on, no issues but this port off the motor spews dust like crazy.

I cleaned out the tray and vacuumed the whole area inside.

 

[StinkinEngine]

Re: My Abrasive Blaster

I run at 110-120PSI when using filtered play-sand from Home Depot, 80 PSI when using Blasting Media.

Works great, I blast outside so my recovery method is sweep/bend and scoop.

 

[OccupantRJ]

When I was blasting outside, I used a canvas tarp to blast on, then pulled up the corners to get the grit to the middle. A shovel and dust pan got used next to reload the pot. I would use the grit 4 or 5 times before discarding.

 

[OccupantRJ]

Relocated from just inside the North overhead door to closer to the West wall. Not the perfect spot but ......

I plugged the cabinet and turned it on, no issues but this port off the motor spews dust like crazy.

I cleaned out the tray and vacuumed the whole area inside.

Make sure the bags have no holes in them, or that one is missing. If so, it will let the dust do a pass through and come out the exhaust. I have my exhaust run outside, but there seems to be no dust coming out, judging by the port outside. I will watch it next time my son is blasting.

 

[930dreamer]

Good call on the bags as I remember seeing a few holes in them.

 

[OccupantRJ]

I had to have a few bags for one of mine when I first got them. My mother was still living at the time so she made me more filter bags from Duck, available in piece goods stores. Some units use other materials. I made the mistake of washing and drying them to soften them up. Whoops! They shrunk in length by about 6 inches! I still use them to this day. One of mine tore, so at the moment I run without it by capping off the opening with a hose clamp and a piece of the bag. I have new duck to have a new bag made when I can find one of those elusive round tuit days.

 

[930dreamer]

^^^ i was looking online and prices were $14-$44 from blasting supply place. JoAnn's here in Kansas has it for $9.99 a yard, on sale for$7.99 now.

https://www.joann.com/jo-ann-stores-duck-canvas-fabric/prd23683.html#q=Duck&start=1

 

[OccupantRJ]

I asked the lady at the store if it was ok for me to blow through a corner of the duck to test for airflow so I would not seem freaky, but she replied that the older seamstresses did this anyway to test for material for cooler dresses.

 

[930dreamer]

Lets see this cabinet has at least 35 bags in unknown condition @ $7.99 a yard.

 

[OccupantRJ]

If you have the model and serial of the cabinet, I would price out original bags just to compare total cost.

 

[930dreamer]

10-4, that sounds like a good idea.

 

[930dreamer]

Media filter bags are about 18-3/4"×18". Some have a rod sewn into the bottom and a metal frame around the top , other ones have the weight on the outside.

I have more cleaning to do here.

 

[OccupantRJ]

Yep, looks like you had a bit of leakage!

 

[930dreamer]

Are these bags ever meant to be removed/emptied? Does the new bag come with the top metal frame?

Here's the Clemco/Zero +++ bags;

$1312 for 32 bags YIKES, I need more information about the bags.

https://www.idsblast.com/sandblasting-supplies/2279