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The Abrasive Blasting Resource Thread

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OccupantRJ

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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.
You can use published air flow charts in this thread to determine diameter for an air jet, then increase or decrease as necessary for your cfm. I use a temporary vacuum test gauge on the intake port of the suction blast gun, then move the air jet in or out relative to the back side of the blast nozzle to obtain the strongest suction at a desired air pressure. My air jet screws inboard or outboard relative to the gun to adjust, and I make them on my metal lathe. Mine is a pretty basic tube that I drill from round stock.
 

misterfixit

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Kaufman Texas
You can use published air flow charts in this thread to determine diameter for an air jet, then increase or decrease as necessary for your cfm. I use a temporary vacuum test gauge on the intake port of the suction blast gun, then move the air jet in or out relative to the back side of the blast nozzle to obtain the strongest suction at a desired air pressure. My air jet screws inboard or outboard relative to the gun to adjust, and I make them on my metal lathe. Mine is a pretty basic tube that I drill from round stock.
Thank you sir, the one dimension I am not grasping is the distance between the air jet and the back of the nozzle. Is that critical?
 
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OccupantRJ

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Thank you sir, the one dimension I am not grasping is the distance between the air jet and the back of the nozzle. Is that critical?
That is critical in the sense that it affects suction of the gun. It is a function measurement more than an actual measurement. That is why I use a vacuum gauge to determine strongest suction. The placement of the air jet to the nozzle, along with the rear funnel on my nozzle, create a venturi effect to create a suction as air flows through it.
 

MacMcMacmac

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canada
Would anyone have an idea on the minimum gpm required to adequately power a wet blasting setup? I'd like to blast the paint off a bike motor, and packing it up to bring to the city in the back of my car does not really appeal to me.
 

dkmc

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So what a company as a hole Ingersoll Rand is. This 300 CFM Refrigerated Air Dryer was probably around $4k when it was new in 1993.
The sides seem to have sorta decent paint, but the base is pathetic. It looks like they shot it with a quick coat of black, but no sign of primer or any prep to the metal. A lot of the paint is gone and replaced by rust. So I washed it off today, after doing an acid wash and Evaporust treatment then water rinse, to get it ready for primer and some paint. It's super humid today, and as I tried to blow the water off with the air hose, I was getting a lot of water vapor out of the blow gun. My dual water traps were not helping. Hum....if this dryer was hooked up and running that probably wouldn't be a problem!

Oh the irony....
 

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pelletman

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Worcester, People's Republic of Massachusetts
I am planning on sandblasting a few cast iron items (exhaust manifolds, baldor grinder stand type stuff) with a pressure pot outside. Despite having owned pressure pots for years, I think I have access to three and I know at least one is a TIP, I have never used them. Can someone advise me on anything I should be looking for on the pressure pots and what abrasive media I should use? Any tips on where to get it in the most economical fashion are appreciated also. Thanks!
 

dkmc

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I am planning on sandblasting a few cast iron items (exhaust manifolds, baldor grinder stand type stuff) with a pressure pot outside. Despite having owned pressure pots for years, I think I have access to three and I know at least one is a TIP, I have never used them. Can someone advise me on anything I should be looking for on the pressure pots and what abrasive media I should use? Any tips on where to get it in the most economical fashion are appreciated also. Thanks!
You can get black beauty at Tractor Supply price is not to bad. The fine grit is probably good for what your blasting. Not knowing the brand of your other 2 pots makes it impossible to compare the 3. Most work similar. As mentioned above, dry air will be a big challenge in the current weather conditions.
 

Moldyjim

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I you can ever get ahold of a scrapped checkout scanner, pull the scanner window out. Most of them have a thin layer of sapphire on the top to reduce scratches.

Mount the window, sapphire side out onto the inside of the sandblaster window. The sapphire is harder than the blast media and it won't scratch or get frosted. We used silicone seal around the edges. Its gotta be sealed, any dust gets between the windows will be annoying.

Makes it so much easier to see if the glass is clear.
 
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OccupantRJ

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I sold my Smith 110 cfm road compressor and blast pot setup to a local GJ member so he could get in on the act. As I get older, the bags of media get heavier, so I am going to be sticking with using my two blast cabinets from this point forward. I hope the new owner has a Blast!
 

tester19

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chigago
Just saw that Harbor Freight now has their version of the Dirt Deputy!
Only $40 too. If your not running a cyclonic type pre cleaner ahead of your vacuum you don't know what your missing!
My expensive HEPA filters now last almost forever as about 95%+ of all the debris ends up in the 5 gallon bucket attached to the cyclone part.

Cyclonic Air Cleaner

I rarely empty my Vac-50 unit I got from TP Tools anymore. Just dump the 5 gallon bucket from the cyclonic cleaner. Saves a huge amount of grit going thru the vacuum motor. I have changed my vacuum motor twice before I got the funnel cleaner. I don't think I will need to replace it again and at $90+ each time that's quite a bit of savings!
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Nortonscustom

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Not sure if this is the correct thread. I'll delete if need be.

My blast cabinet had a pneumatic vibration motor on it that was loud, used a lot of air and would cause the media compact when blasting for a long time.

So I purchased a 40 watt 120v vibration motor off of eBay along with a timer relay. Already had the other bits laying around the shop.

cab mod 1.jpg


The motor vibration force is adjustable by removing the end caps and changing the position of the weights. The relay can be configured a number of different ways depending how its wired.


cab mod 2.jpg


Tied the power into the light/dust collector switch. When the power is turned on it starts the timer cycle. I have it set so after every 2 minutes the motor will run for 5 seconds. This seems to work the best for me right now. Keeps the media flowing plus shakes it off the grates and door ledges but doesn't cause compaction. The off/on times can easily changed if need be.


cab mod 3.jpg


This has been a great addition to my cab and only cost about $50.
 

930dreamer

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Not sure if this is the correct thread. I'll delete if need be.

My blast cabinet had a pneumatic vibration motor on it that was loud, used a lot of air and would cause the media compact when blasting for a long time.

So I purchased a 40 watt 120v vibration motor off of eBay along with a timer relay. Already had the other bits laying around the shop.

cab mod 1.jpg


The motor vibration force is adjustable by removing the end caps and changing the position of the weights. The relay can be configured a number of different ways depending how its wired.


cab mod 2.jpg


Tied the power into the light/dust collector switch. When the power is turned on it starts the timer cycle. I have it set so after every 2 minutes the motor will run for 5 seconds. This seems to work the best for me right now. Keeps the media flowing plus shakes it off the grates and door ledges but doesn't cause compaction. The off/on times can easily changed if need be.


cab mod 3.jpg


This has been a great addition to my cab and only cost about $50.
Nice work on the shaker motor setup.
 
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OccupantRJ

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Not sure if this is the correct thread. I'll delete if need be.

My blast cabinet had a pneumatic vibration motor on it that was loud, used a lot of air and would cause the media compact when blasting for a long time.

So I purchased a 40 watt 120v vibration motor off of eBay along with a timer relay. Already had the other bits laying around the shop.

cab mod 1.jpg


The motor vibration force is adjustable by removing the end caps and changing the position of the weights. The relay can be configured a number of different ways depending how its wired.


cab mod 2.jpg


Tied the power into the light/dust collector switch. When the power is turned on it starts the timer cycle. I have it set so after every 2 minutes the motor will run for 5 seconds. This seems to work the best for me right now. Keeps the media flowing plus shakes it off the grates and door ledges but doesn't cause compaction. The off/on times can easily changed if need be.


cab mod 3.jpg


This has been a great addition to my cab and only cost about $50.
I like that.
 
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OccupantRJ

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Eastern North Carolina
 
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OccupantRJ

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thammel

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I could use 101 for blasting. I bought an Eastwood B40 cabinet with legs. I have a great 5hp 2 stage compressor. I have a bunch of questions - maybe you can point me to a good resource or help answer the questions here. My jobs are primarily old British sports car parts - removing rust.

The questions:
1) how much of the 50 pound bag of aluminum oxide to dump in the cabinet? It seems like it needs to be refilled pretty often.
2) should I run the shop vac all the time? I guess the purpose is to keep the air inside relatively clear to see the parts.
3) Is there a better system than a shop vac? (I see that Eastwood sells a dust collection system for grit reclamation)
4) How do I decide what nozzle to use?
5) what a good air pressure to use? I'm currently running 80 psi
6) With the poor tactile sense with the gloves, what's the best way to clean up small parts like nuts, bolts and washers? I tried a magnetic parts tray this morning but it wasn't great

Any other tips would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!
 

930dreamer

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Dry air is a must for the blast cabinet, nozzle selection based on the compressors cfm rating. Did you look at TP Tools they have a bunch of information. All types of vacuums from 5 gallon buckets too $$$$ commercial units.
 

930dreamer

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Here's an interesting air compressor-Gaedcke!
Never seen one of these.
 

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Strouty

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Southern Maine
Anyone here using supplied air for breathing? I am curious what people recommend to keep safe. I have sandblasted many times over the years, but just using a cheap hood, I am looking to get a decent sized pressure pot and compressor and do some serious blasting, so I figure I should try and be as safe as possible.
 
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930dreamer

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I've bought parts from here;

 

SquareWave

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Feb 24, 2022
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Tacoma, Washington
Just got done giving this cabinet a refresh. It wasn't that old but was clogging constantly because the PO did not take care of it. I cleaned everything thoroughly, deleted the foot pedal and gave it a new paint job.

It runs great now!
 

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930dreamer

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Nice work on the cabinet SquareWave. The last (8) surplus casters in my collection and this cabinet is mobile.
 

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tester19

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chigago
Why would you eliminate the foot pedal?That was one of the best upgrades I ever did. My hand just could not hold up to all the blasting and my foot pedal makes it a pleasure to use.
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SquareWave

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Why would you eliminate the foot pedal?That was one of the best upgrades I ever did. My hand just could not hold up to all the blasting and my foot pedal makes it a pleasure to use.
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I eliminated the pedal because at the time I was just trying to get it put back together and running correctly.

One less variable. Without the pedal I only have to reach down and turn the ball valve, and I can still keep my right hand inside the cabinet. It's really no trouble at all.

I might add the pedal later, but for now it work great.
 

tester19

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chigago
Oh so no hand valve at all? Just turn the ball valve and it blasts until you turn that valve off?
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gregs

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Mar 16, 2007
Messages
1,579
Not sure if this is the correct thread. I'll delete if need be.

My blast cabinet had a pneumatic vibration motor on it that was loud, used a lot of air and would cause the media compact when blasting for a long time.

So I purchased a 40 watt 120v vibration motor off of eBay along with a timer relay. Already had the other bits laying around the shop.

cab mod 1.jpg


The motor vibration force is adjustable by removing the end caps and changing the position of the weights. The relay can be configured a number of different ways depending how its wired.


cab mod 2.jpg


Tied the power into the light/dust collector switch. When the power is turned on it starts the timer cycle. I have it set so after every 2 minutes the motor will run for 5 seconds. This seems to work the best for me right now. Keeps the media flowing plus shakes it off the grates and door ledges but doesn't cause compaction. The off/on times can easily changed if need be.


cab mod 3.jpg


This has been a great addition to my cab and only cost about $50.
Cant tell by the pictures, where on the "funnel" is it mounted? Near the top or bottom or in the middle? Same side as the pickup tube assembly or opposite? I picked up a 30W unit and looking to mount it to my HF cabinet i'm working on.
 
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