The Abrasive Blasting Resource Thread

[damon18]

Need some help picking a size of glass beads blast media for my friends blast cabinet.

Large industrial style blast cabinet for general paint and rust stripping and paint prep. Mostly car parts.

This is home shop use, the big cabinet was bought used from a medical manufacture, and the original glass bead media has worn out. I want to use the rig for some rusty parts so I figured I'd buy him new media as "rent". ;-)

Most of the "glass bead media" I've found at box stores and HF have bad reviews that they are low quality or not even glass beads but crushed glass.

Found that the Memphis Grainger store stocks at least three sizes of beads in 53 lb. pails for what seems like a reasonable price.

https://www.grainger.com/content/compare#compareSkus%3D2W766%2C2W765%2C2W580

But which size to get? An any comments about the Grainger Ballotini quality or other suggestions?

Thanks for any help, I just don't know enough about this subject.

 

[dkmc]

Need some help picking a size of glass beads blast media for my friends blast cabinet.

Zoro has it as well, quite a selection
https://www.zoro.com/search?q=glass bead

Depending on what you are de-rusting, Aluminum Oxide may be a better choice. It cuts faster and lasts longer than glass.

 

[damon18]

Zoro has it as well, quite a selection
https://www.zoro.com/search?q=glass bead

Depending on what you are de-rusting, Aluminum Oxide may be a better choice. It cuts faster and lasts longer than glass.

The blast cabinet owner prefers glass beads.

Do you have a recommendation from the three choices from Grainger I linked? These can be picked up locally right away, no wait and no shipping charges.

 

[dkmc]

I've been away from mine for awhile, someone else here can hopefully chime in
Seems like I used 80 grit glass, before I went to AlOx

 

[damon18]

Just to follow up, I ended up buying the Ballotini 125-250 micron glass beads from Grainger. They were high quality with no visible dust or crushed glass.

https://www.grainger.com/product/BALLOTINI-Glass-Beads-Blast-Media-2W765

My friends blasting equipment turned out to be a really nice Trinco 36 inch cabinet plus dust remover and media recycler.

The only downside was the air compressor (1997, 60 gallon, 110 psi) was way undersized for blasting, so I could blast for about a minute effectively, then wait 6 minutes for the compressor to fill the tank.

So it took several hours to blast the two 33 inch traction bars. With a lot more air, this cabinet would be a dream setup, no dust and perfect visibility.

 

[dkmc]

I've got the same Trinco cabinet I bought new 30? years ago. An adequate compressor is a must. I have several electrics from 1/2hp to 25hp and a 185cfm diesel I use for blasting air requirements. "Several hours" to do those parts sounds very tedious. I never wait for the compressor. In my cabinet with AluOx abrasive I'd guess those parts would be about a 10-15 minute job.

My friends blasting equipment turned out to be a really nice Trinco 36 inch cabinet plus dust remover and media recycler.

 

[damon18]

I've got the same Trinco cabinet I bought new 30? years ago. An adequate compressor is a must. I have several electrics from 1/2hp to 25hp and a 185cfm diesel I use for blasting air requirements. "Several hours" to do those parts sounds very tedious. I never wait for the compressor. In my cabinet with AluOx abrasive I'd guess those parts would be about a 10-15 minute job.

Yes, very tedious, and hard on the ole back having to bend over quite a bit to get arms in the gloves. (I'm 6'7")

Would 24 cfm at 90 be enough to operate that cabinet continuously and at full strength? Like this Quincy at Northern Tool that does 23.6 @ 100 PSI.
https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200350477_200350477

 

[dkmc]

Yes, I have my Trinco up on 3" risers and it could use more.

Short answer is, depending on the air nozzle and tip, you can use as little as a 2hp compressor on up to probably a 30hp unit. Bigger is better in the blasting arena. 24 CFM is probably a good minimal supply to get things done somewhat efficiently. Having said that, that Quincy would not be my choice of compressor. Those modern units are made in China and are not up to the standards of the QR series type. Money is much better spent finding an older used QR series unit, 325, 340, etc.
EDIT: I just looked closer and saw the price. Wow. Personally, I'd hunt for an old 325 or 340 for less than a grand

Yes, very tedious, and hard on the ole back having to bend over quite a bit to get arms in the gloves. (I'm 6'7")

Would 24 cfm at 90 be enough to operate that cabinet continuously and at full strength? Like this Quincy at Northern Tool that does 23.6 @ 100 PSI.
https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200350477_200350477

 

[damon18]

Short answer is, depending on the air nozzle and tip, you can use as little as a 2hp compressor ...

Having said that, that Quincy would not be my choice of compressor. Those modern units are made in China and are not up to the standards of the QR series type. Money is much better spent finding an older used QR series unit, 325, 340, etc.
EDIT: I just looked closer and saw the price. Wow. Personally, I'd hunt for an old 325 or 340 for less than a grand

When I was using it I was wondering if it was possible to put a smaller nozzle on the gun. See the picture, the gun didn't have any ceramic tip and had a pretty big opening letting a lot of air through. With the 125-250 micron glass beads what would be a good tip if it is replaceable?

On the Quincy compressors, I thought it was just some of the smaller portable ones that were made overseas? It's stated pretty plainly on their website and brochures that the QT-QP-QR series are manufactured in Bay Minette, Alabama.
https://www.quincycompressor.com/products/reciprocating-piston/qt/
PDF QT Series Brochure Download

That said, would love to find a killer deal on a 325 in good condition, but they are really hard to find. At least with a new one, free delivery and a warranty.

 

[Monza Harry]

That tip is replaceable and appears to be steel or carbide. Carbide is the longest lasting and most expensive! The front set screw is loosened to remove but if it is a "soft" steel one it will likely be burred in there, [will fight you coming out]. You can make your own with a lathe. If you use 4140(PH) that will be in the upper 20'(RC) to maybe 30RC and should last ok but if you heat this to "Red" heat, and quench in oil it will go to 58-62RC, but brittleness can/will be an issue, remove the scale and re-heat to a very light straw/tan and allow to air-cool naturally for an upper 40's hardness and that should be a very long lasting tip in what ever size(s) you want to try. [Add a flat for the set screw prior to heat treat though for easy removal/service later. Harry
There is a chart part way down to show air requirements:
https://sandblastingmachines.com/blog/understanding-sandblasting-compressor-size-requirements-/
and the general search from Google:
https://www.google.com/search?q=Air...JCs0KHVcXDgwQ9QF6BAgQEAE#imgrc=TOBzw78Fc0rybM

 

[damon18]

That tip is replaceable and appears to be steel or carbide. Carbide is the longest lasting and most expensive! The front set screw is loosened to remove but if it is a "soft" steel one it will likely be burred in there, [will fight you coming out].
...

Thanks for the info.

The number on the Trinco gun looks to be G-34-L ? I didn't measure so don't know how big that nozzle is, but I think it was very large. Looking at your chart that explains why the compressor wasn't nearly enough.

Looking at the chart you linked:

It seems like the max nozzle size for even a big "home shop" 5-7hp 80 gallon compressor would be 1/8 or 3/16 inches.

On that gun, can you just swap in one of those size nozzles or do you have to replace the Air Jet Assembly?
https://trinco.com/parts-accessories/#guns

Or to go that small do you have to replace the whole gun? (maybe that would be cheaper?)

Sorry for all the absolute beginner questions in the expert thread!

 

[OccupantRJ]

That chart applies to pressure blasting. A suction style gun’s air consumption is determined by the gun’s internal air jet diameter, or the internal diameter of the entry fitting. The blasting tip in this case determines the blast pattern more. I use a 7/64” air jet with a 1/4” blast tip powered by a 20 cfm compressor.

 

[OccupantRJ]

A question thread about air to a blast cabinet.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=478808

 

[dkmc]

Hello folks.
I have an abrasive blasting gloat today. Please go ALL the way back to post #318 for reference and back ground relative to here, today. Although I was quite bummed for missing that deal, now, I'm glad I missed that Maxi-Blast cabinet and found this one!

This one was only 3 hrs away instead of 5. I knew enough to jump on this as I think the price of $500 was a very good deal. Trying to track down info on the company "Vacu Blast" but alas, I think they are long gone. I'd really like to pour over an operators manual for this unit, but I'm afraid I'll probably have to write one of my own at this point.
Anyway, I'm ecstatic to have secured all this equipment for not-much-money.

It's a 4' x 5' x 3' size. This thing is pretty massive and the reclaimer/ pressure pot/ dust collector is 9ft tall to the upper most level of the cyclone.

 

[OccupantRJ]

Hell yeah! You are in the real game now! That type extractor system is worth it’s weight in gold. I run alox in my larger cabinet and can see clear as a sunny day while blasting. Is there some type of suction adapter cone for the base of the cabinet hopper? Mine has a 4” extracter line, then a 6” to the cyclone, with 15 fliter bags in the bag house cabinet. I built all the system components onto a dolly to make it all a moveable module that I can roll out for service.

 

[dkmc]

RJ there is an outlet in the back of the cabinet. I think it's about 6 or 7". The cabinet is still on the trailer on its side, and it's raining and crappy out there right now so it'll be awhile before I can get it unloaded, upright, and begin investigating how it's designed....eager to do that!
The reclaimer/dust collector is massive, I couldn't haul both pieces on the trailer, so I unfortunately have make another trip back for that. Didn't look inside to see what filter arrangement it has, but I suspect hanging bags as there appears to be a manual shaker setup on the side. I'll post more details as I discover them.

EDIT: Actually, I had a look at it in daylight now, and laying on it's face puts the hopper base in clear view. I don't know what the inside of the hopper looks like yet. One thing I don't like is how far it sticks out the back. The cabinet is going to have to set way away from the wall. It will waste a lot of floor space. Might have to think about changing the orientation.

 

[OccupantRJ]

Here is the outlet at the base of my hopper. Looks like they tried to keep your unit as low as possible to the floor.

 

[OccupantRJ]

When you have a high volume air extraction system you can do stuff like this part that was too long for the cabinet. It has enough draft to **** the door shut and maintain negative pressure. I had about 5 oz of alox on the floor when finished due to rebound.

 

[dkmc]

A very handy design feature indeed.

When you have a high volume air extraction system you can do stuff like this part that was too long for the cabinet. It has enough draft to **** the door shut and maintain negative pressure. I had about 5 oz of alox on the floor when finished due to rebound.

 

[metlmunchr]

Trying to track down info on the company "Vacu Blast" but alas, I think they are long gone.

Dan, Vacu Blast was a part of ABB (Aesa Brown Bovieri), the Swiss company that now owns Baldor Electric, among other things. I've had one of their vapor blasters for about 15 years, and there wasn't anything online about them even back when I got mine.

Mine came from a mfgr of jet engine parts, and they outgrew it with the size of the parts they needed to blast. The guy I dealt with there said they'd bought it in the early 90's and it cost over $20K back then. I'd bet that critter you've got sold for north of $50K when new. Built like a tank with a price to match.

 

[dkmc]

Cliff,

With some googling, I found the company that apparently bought the intellectual property from Vacu-Blast, or something to that effect. Luckily, I was able to purchase the 80 page manual as a PDF for the series of machines including my machine, from them for $50, which I thought was pretty reasonable. Looks like the drawings were scanned and touched up by Chamberlains in 1994, the date in most of the title blocks.
Link to their website: https://www.chamberlainsvacublast.com/products/

The building Chamberlains is in seems much too small for major fabrication, and I'd be surprised if they are still building complete systems. Probably just supplying parts, (I haven't gotten to the point of asking that question yet).
A former NJ address listed for Vacu-Blast shows up on satellite as a facility large enough to fabricate the units. So I suspect (guessing) that major production shut down around the early 1990's. I may be completely wrong with these guesses.

Vacu-Blast seemed like quite a large and active international corp 'back in the day'. Here are some articles on the company's exploits:
https://www.shotpeener.com/library/vacublast/aerospacenews_toc.php

In due time, I want to ask the folks at Chamberlains more about the company history and how they have come to be the current state of Vacu-Blast corp.

 

[Honch]

Thanks for the info.

The number on the Trinco gun looks to be G-34-L ? I didn't measure so don't know how big that nozzle is, but I think it was very large. Looking at your chart that explains why the compressor wasn't nearly enough.

Looking at the chart you linked:





It seems like the max nozzle size for even a big "home shop" 5-7hp 80 gallon compressor would be 1/8 or 3/16 inches.

On that gun, can you just swap in one of those size nozzles or do you have to replace the Air Jet Assembly?
https://trinco.com/parts-accessories/#guns

Or to go that small do you have to replace the whole gun? (maybe that would be cheaper?)

Sorry for all the absolute beginner questions in the expert thread!

I have a mid 90s Trinco 36x30/800PT that I picked up at an auction last year.



It has the same gun (G-34) that had a 25CFM nozzle and jet, I replaced them with 12CFM parts from IDS Blast, which is local to me.

Nozzle

Jet

With those installed I can easily run it at 40-60 psi on a 6hp/60gal Craftsman compressor, it will run for about 30 seconds after I let off the pedal. The guys at IDS Blast were great to work with and very knowledgeable on blast cabinets.

Is this an ideal setup? No, but for what I am doing its more than adequate, if I were making a living with it I would have a Polar Air/Emax 2-stage and the 25CFM nozzle back in the gun.

 

[dkmc]

I managed to pick up this IR 300 CFM refrigerated air dryer today, and it was local.
Certainly don't need one this big but the price was right.
Need to check it out and give it some maintenance.

 

[dkmc]

Continuing along the theme, I'm engineering the installation of the Vacublast blasting system. Scored some 2" sch 40 pipe this week. And also this 1943 Oster pipe threader in great condition with accessories. The intact logo and lettering is a plus.

 

[dkmc]

This thread seems unusually quiet.
RJ ? Where have you been? How's things going?
I see your last post was almost 1 month ago.

 

[engineer2]

I revived my crappy old Harbor Freight sandblaster. Except for the vacuum elbow swivel, all are ideas from the internet. This is the benchtop version. Improvements:
Shop vacuum attachment with swivel elbow
Duct to **** dust from the lower part, per advice from the 'net.
Fresh acrylic window with a piece of glass from a tabletop and window screening attached underneath.
New weather stripping
Old plastic window cut into triangles to improve the slope to the pickup tube.
Pickup tube held in with a junk box spring clip
Flexzilla hoses. Added an elbow on the inside for better ergonomics.
A rope light I had laying around.
Variable speed control for the shop vac. Not really needed.

It's set up right now for soda blasting. I still need to improve the pickup tube. The Internet says you can't soda blast in cabinet blaster, but it works pretty well. Visibility is limited but the super fine soda dust is sucked into the vacuum. Eventually the soda left turns into powder, but will still clean light rust and delicate parts. Just add fresh soda.

 

[930dreamer]

My friend is slowly selling off his collection. I'd still like to pick up this Gardner Denver small compressor.

 

[930dreamer]

Old Worthington air compressor on FB MP

 

[dkmc]

My friend is slowly selling off his collection. I'd still like to pick up this Gardner Denver small compressor.

Small compressor? That looks like a weird engine.

 

[dkmc]

I picked this up the other day on CL. 100 CFM Gardner Denver screw. Oil tank tag says 1987, 816 hours and seller says that is accurate. His neighbor bought it new. He says it pukes coolant out the overflow, they works OK, then pukes again. He thinks head gasket, I'm hoping it's a failing thermostat. It's a small Ford inline 4 industrial engine that I have yet to identify. I just couldn't pass it up for $200.

 

[930dreamer]

A fine purchase at $200.

 

[metlmunchr]

Small compressor? That looks like a weird engine.

The 2 spark plugs make me think it's a diesel that uses a gas pony motor for starting like the old Cat engines.

 

[dkmc]

The 2 spark plugs make me think it's a diesel that uses a gas pony motor for starting like the old Cat engines.

I'd say you are correct

 

[dkmc]

Turns out the engine in that Gardner Denver compressor is the same as in a 1980 Ford Fiesta. Gasket set from Autozone is $45. It does have a blown head gasket. Didn't help that it's got a 195 thermostat that just starts to crack open at 210.

 

[930dreamer]

Man it's really raining this morning, any advise on converting a large cabinet to a pressure pot type setup?

 

[930dreamer]

Anyone use a shipping container for a blast setup?

 

[930dreamer]

Trying to get some shop time in, watching grandkids all week leaves little time now. I need to get this cabinet movable so what are your suggestions? I'll need to add some type of bar across the front to place a steering skate, one skates on the back sides and something under the dust collector that hangs off the back/middle.

 

[misterfixit]

I've read through this thread. I really hope folks can help answer a question for me. Specifically, making the right sized internal jet for a gun. I'm going to be building a FrankenCompressor, true 5hp motor and horrible freight compressor pump. Should be getting about 15cfm at 90psi. I'd like to not completely max out the CFM on it.

Also, after seeing Keith Ruckers video on the Tacoma upgrade kit, I want to know how well it would work at 40-50psi as he shows in the video. With a metering valve and 'custom' gun and jet size, what is the best guess for my ''small'' compressor?
really love to hear from RJ on how to build/size/space the internal jet. FWIW, I have a mill and lathe to work with for doing this.

 

[dkmc]

Trying to get some shop time in, watching grandkids all week leaves little time now. I need to get this cabinet movable so what are your suggestions? I'll need to add some type of bar across the front to place a steering skate, one skates on the back sides and something under the dust collector that hangs off the back/middle.

I like the idea of using a shipping container as a Blast Room for larger parts. You might need an angle iron perimeter frame around that cabinet to mount the casters to. Does not look like an easy one to get mobile.

 

[930dreamer]

Lots of weight hanging off the back end.