• Hi Guest!
    If you appreciate British Car Forum and our 25 years of supporting British car enthusiasts with technical and anicdotal information, collected from our thousands of great members, please support us with a low-cost subscription. You can become a supporting member for less than the dues of most car clubs.
    There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Tips
Tips

Sandblast cabinet

Share this page

HF has the floor stand blaster for $189 on sale. I think I'm getting it because my shop vac fits and I have a light for it. Seems to be the same sold in most tool stores, just minus light and vacuum. It's big enough for a wheel and small fenders.
 
Marvin Gruber said:
I'll in the market to buy a sand blast cabinet, not just the tabletop from Harbor Freight. Any recommendations?

Marv
Click to expand...

Until I decided to fix up my HF table top blast cabinet it worked fine for what it is. Now I don't know that I'll ever finish it.
 
I would not suggest a unit that uses a shop vac. They are very noisy and will not keep up with the removal of dust, etc. Look up Eastwood and purchase one with the up-right evacuator unit.
 
:iagree: Not much that is more frustrating than a PoS tool.
 
Grantura_MKI said:
I would not suggest a unit that uses a shop vac. They are very noisy and will not keep up with the removal of dust, etc. Look up Eastwood and purchase one with the up-right evacuator unit.
Click to expand...


I have a TP tools Skatblast big cabinet and it has the TP tool dust evacuator, it burn up toew to motor, like $90 each in 2 years, I hooked up a $40 dry-vac to it as temporay deal, 5 years alter it still work and not broke like TP tools one did, I imagine the TP tool s unit is the same as Eastwood.

I also have the HF floor model as well, I curently have plastic medai in it, but hardly ever use that anymore, so my thoughts are to use a more agressive media like aluminum oxide for the big Skat blast cabinet and modify the HF cabinet to be better. The Skat balst cabinet used a simple by very effecting lift system, a normal housing electrick box with a light swithc for apower swith then a normal light receptile with a flood light forinterior ligthen, a shortcoming to the HF unit is over time the lifght will crap out, so thiswoulbe a cahp and effective mod, then i may opt for a new foot pedla and gunset up like the Skat blast cabinet has, then it would be a good acessories wise ans the mnuch more expensive Skat cabinet, and my though then is use this cabinet of fine glass for deleicate meadia blasting jobs .

Another alternative is look at TP tools site, they sell a kit with plan for you build a plywood cabninet and they include all the parts needed, besdie the wood. I seen a few folks do this, even line the interior with aluminum, or sheetmetal, and end up with a very nice unit for the fraction of the price of the big Skatblast cabinet.
 
Hap Waldrop said:
Another alternative is look at TP tools site, they sell a kit with plan for you build a plywood cabninet and they include all the parts needed, besdie the wood. I seen a few folks do this, even line the interior with aluminum, or sheetmetal, and end up with a very nice unit for the fraction of the price of the big Skatblast cabinet.
Click to expand...

At this point I don't have the compressor etc. etc. or even the space for a blast cabinet - but I've always wondered how hard it would be to convert one of these - the shape could mean a gravity hopper and it is sealed already.

https://ontario.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-other-55-Gallon-Solid-Plastic-Drums-W0QQAdIdZ447995276
 
I only know what works from a restoration shop point of view. I tend to purchase equiptment that is a little larger than what is required, as it WILL get used more than I thought. Marv has a few cars come through his hands, and once he has the blaster it will get USED more than he thought originally.
Every car that I restore gets all parts blasted, etching primer and top coat. Makes for a proper job that will last for years.
 
I only suggested the one from Harbor Freight as usually if I suggested one from Eastwood or Sears with vacuum and lights, foot pedals , etc., for $1200, I'm usually frowned on because of price. I only need the cabinet as my old one is pretty gone. Between the existing add-ons that still work the HF cabinet does what I want. If you are from a business stand point and doing continued daily blasting there are even some better high end models, but in the shop I worked at a middle size blaster worked great for our restorations as we also soda blasted and were well covered.
 
Think I'm going for the 960 Skatblast. I'll have to make a hole for it in the shop, thats going to be a challenge. Let you know when I get it.

Marv
 
I vented my exhaust outside, it cuts down on some noise. added a 3' fluorescent lamp inside to see better. Also took and made a quick clean window cover. a wooden frame, some clear plastic (sorry I don't remember the type???? they use it to protect baseball cards and prints) held on with 4 cabinet door magnets. I can pop it off hose it off let dry as good as new as this plastic does not fog / etched like other plastics. You may think it is a lot of work for better vision but years down the road you will be glad you did. Another trick is to put a larger piece along the back wall as you do smaller parts, the big pieces gets a good start from the over spray and bad aim....
 
The choice of a blast unit depends on how much you'll use it and/or how much your willing to spend. I have a HF floor model that gets used maybe a couple times with in 6 months. I only us glass beads or walnut shells in it. You don't have to use a vacuum if you don't want, it also depends on what your cleaning up. Not everything I use it for has paint on it. I use a detachable aftermarket treadle foot valve which I also use at the work bench when using some air tools. I'm very pleased with the blast cabinet. My large 35 gallon shop vac will handle the dust if needed. To each his own, no matter what you choose, someone will usually have a better idea! If I need a chassis stripped, I take it to a commercial operation. PJ
 
The 970 is the bomb. Had it up and running in less than an hour. Put a TR3 front fender in and blasted it ( both sides) in about 15 minutes. They send you a 50 lb bag of glass beads. A little fine for the fender but was nice not having to get everything ready, then dress out. I blasted hinges next, a jack and so on. The vacuum filter needs to be emptied and clean after an hour or so but I can live with that.

Marv
 
Back
Top