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Tips

whats a good sandblaster?

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JonnyRotten

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whats a good sandblaster that wont break the bank.cabinet and handheld.I have a Rolair twin tank compressor with a 5.5hp engine.9 gal,8.9cfm,125psi
 
TpTools.com used to sell DIY plans to make your own cabinet from plywood as well as kits with all the parts. I have a set of plans somewhere but ended up buying one of their own cabinets and love it. It's not just the cabinet that's good, their guns are also superior IMO.

A twin tank compressor for nail guns won't cut it. You'll need more tank volume if you want to blast much.

Is yours gas powered?

they still have kits here: https://www.tptools.com/dg/142_Abrasive-Blasters-Kits.html
 
yes it gas,It refills air pretty quick.I also have a craftsman,15 gal.6.1 cfm@40psi,5.1 at 90psi with a 1hp engine but it takes forever to refill.I wonder if i can link them together with a tee fitting
 
JonnyRotten said:
yes it gas,It refills air pretty quick.I also have a craftsman,15 gal.6.1 cfm@40psi,5.1 at 90psi with a 1hp engine but it takes forever to refill.I wonder if i can link them together with a tee fitting
Click to expand...

Yes you can link them together. Set the primary compressor to go on at a slightly higher pressure then the secondary. Then if it can't keep up, and the pressure drops more, the secondary will cut in. This way you will work from the two tanks together.

How much stuff do you have to blast?? We have a sand blaster over at Tony's (Ratco). I believe there's another tech session coming up this next Saturday if you want to come and use the blaster.
 
Art,I will definitely be a the session.I was going to blast my rotor hub backing plate.my calipers have a little rust in the bores.I spoke with apple they said its fine as long as the pistons are good.Ill bring them in to see what you think.
 
Often over looked is the vacuum system needed to remove the dust which adds to the cost. Most shop vacs are not up to the job.

VAC-35_L.jpg


https://www.tptools.com/p/2322,15_Vac-35-Vacuum-System.html
 
JonnyRotten said:
Art,I will definitely be a the session...
Click to expand...

I'll PM you to affirm that there will be a session this coming Saturday. Sometimes Tony has other commitments. We're looking forward to meeting you.
 
I just bought a harbor freight cabinet myself - how critical is the vacuum? I was thinking of running my existing shop vac with a homebuilt 5 gal bucket watertrap in between - not a good idea?
 
If you don't have enough cfm airflow from the vacuum, you won't be able to see what you're doing because of the dust. A lot depends on the size of the nozzle the sand blaster is using and how dirty (rusty) the parts are. If you have too much flow, you could suck up good media. Try it and see how it works. You'll know pretty quickly if you need more air flow.
 
I would splurge for the Carbide Nozzle. I went through many ceramic nozzles in short order. My carbide nozzle still looks new. I checked it the other day after blasting for ~200 hrs over the last 5 months...no change. I was rather amazed. I use x-fine black beauty. I use a 'Rigid' brand shopvac. I'm sure I suck a little media out. My tp vacuum didn't last very long. And to replace it was too pricey for me. Good Luck.
Tim
 
We use the boron carbide nozzles at work. Our cabinets at are running 5-6 hours a day. The boron carbide nozzles are very expensive, but they do last. You have to weigh how much blasting you will expect to be doing vs. the price difference between the boron and ceramic nozzles.
 
I put a 5-gal covered bucket between my Sear's vac and the blaster. Put the IN-from-the-blaster hose near the bottom of the bucket, and the OUT-to-the-vacuum flush with the lid. Works great for the $.

I've wanted to try a carbide tip. Good to know that it works and lasts. A great thing about TPtools is that they sell all the parts and consumables as well as cabinets.
 
TR4nut said:
I just bought a harbor freight cabinet myself - how critical is the vacuum?
Click to expand...
Just makes a mess without it. I used a HF cabinet with just a pot scrubber stuffed in the exhaust port (hopefully to stop some of the glass beads from escaping) and it was OK for occasional use. Oh yeah, after I added a cheap flourescent light inside the cabinet. Without it, I couldn't see what I was doing even without the media flying around!

Gloves sure didn't last long, though. I need to figure out how to attach some replacement gloves to the existing gauntlets.
 
PeterK said:
I put a 5-gal covered bucket between my Sear's vac and the blaster. Put the IN-from-the-blaster hose near the bottom of the bucket, and the OUT-to-the-vacuum flush with the lid. Works great for the $.
Click to expand...

I'll have to give that a try. The filter on my shopvac 'clogs' rather fast with very fine particles. Perhaps it would help that. Good tip, thanks!
Tim
 
TR3driver said:
Gloves sure didn't last long, though. I need to figure out how to attach some replacement gloves to the existing gauntlets.
Click to expand...

You can get new gloves for about $20 per. They will sell either left of right hand separately. Usually, it's the left that needs replacing...unless you're a southpaw. :laugh:
 
Vacuums also keep down the dust around the cabinet to keep it out of your lungs!
 
Somewhere that unfortunately I can't find now, I saw the 5 gallon bucket setup which looked cheap but effective - small amount of water in the bottom, so the discharge dust winds up collecting in the water. After a while, just toss out the grungy water and repeat.
 
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