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Who knows about sand blasters?

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Steve_S

Steve_S

Yoda
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I need a new blast cabinet. I want a large-ish cabinet for relatively little cost. A 48" wide unit would be about right. I prefer US-made products if possible and I'm willing to spend a little extra to get it. I sleep better at night knowing I didn't help destroy my country's economy. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif

My compressor is a 5HP 14CFM 2-stage 60 Gallon unit on a dedicated 220V 30A line. The blast cabinet will most likely be kept outside under a tarp.

Originally I was hoping to spend around $300 but I've come to realize I will only get junk, and I'll end up spending hundreds of dollars upgrading the gun, dust collection, etc. So now I'm looking at these units....

This one is non-metal and one piece, which is good for preventing leaks and rust. And it's cheap.
https://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200103074_200103074

This one is a good size and seems like a decent price. Doesn't require huge CFMs so my compressor should keep up.
https://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_153761_153761

This one looks extremely nice and a great bargain. Down side is $240 shipping and high CFMs.
https://www.tptools.com/p/2560,53_960-TI-Titanium-Edition-Abrasive-Blasting-Cabinet.html

Opinions?
 
There have been a number of discussions recently - under the "Harbor Freight Sandblast Cabinet" discussion below, Hap says

I've got two blast cabinets, one HF unit like the one shown, I use plastic media in it, ans a 3 ft. Skat Blast cabinet I use glassbead in. The HF cabinet is a good buy for the money,, the light is a little bit crappy, but other than that it's not a bad cabinet for the money. The Skat Blat is a professional model, it uses a normal flood light for it's interior light, I think the would be a good mod for the HF cabinet as well. here's a tip for you guys, the company that mades the Skat Blast cabinets, TP tools, sells anything you would ever want for any blasting cabinet, so if you end up wanted to hot rod the HF cabinets or just buy a replacement part or some hard to find media, check these guys out, they have everything.

https://www.tptools.com

and then someone else says

Every year TP Tools has a blast cab special where they price their 48" wide cabinet at $799.00 with a good commercial grade vacuum that will last years and not fry bearings from exposure to grit.

It's a great buy...and the cabinet is BIG....

FWIW
 
That could be the one I'm looking at now. It appears to be a heck of a deal. Anyone have personal experience with it?
 
Nice! I don't know how I missed that one on eBay! I'll keep an eye on that auction. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif
 
how hard would it be to build a blast cabinet by yourself?
 
It isn't that hard if you're handy with wood. TP Tools sells kits with everything you need expect two sheets of plywood. If I had decent woodworking skills, I'd do that. But I don't. So I'm not. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/blush.gif
 
Steve,

I bought the TP Tools 960 cabinet about 6 years ago and have used it to bring many old rusty parts back to life.

There are some members of my car club that have bought the HF blast cabinets, and they work fine for small jobs. The HF units tend to surge and clog due to their design and generally work slower than the Tip models.

The Carbide nozzels last much longer than the ceramics and are worth the expence. I have used mine for hours on end with no broblems other than changing nozzles and jets when required. I use a Craftsman 6 hp 80 gallon compressor with it and it works well though it runs all of the time when blasting.

Go with the TP Tools unit, it will be worth the extra cost vs the cheap units.

Paul



beadblastcab.jpg
 
Whatever size blast cabinet you wind up with, an important consideration is the nozzle size. According to th chart in this link, with 14 CFM, you will only be able to use an 1/8" nozzle. You will have to set your regulator to 65-70 psi, but it should work fine at that pressure. I run all my sandblasters at work with that pressure.
 
A popular thing to do apparently is to buy the Harbor Freight piece of junk just for the cabinet, and immediately upgrade the gun for $100. You end up with a $400 blaster with a high quality gun.
 
I too have the Skat Blast from TP tools, it's the one you want. The first one is joke except for anything but small stuff, the second one form Northern has a huge top load door, but a smallish side door, the Skat blast has a large side door much better for heavy part loading. Go for the foot pedal and get the crabide tips as Paul recommended. as for small parts baskets, get you a all metal vegetable strainer, thay last a good long time for doing nuts and bolts and small bits, and are cheap. The TP unit will cost you more, and you have to pay for the shipping, but it's once in a lifetime purchase, and a couple of hundred dollars savings now, won't mean much 5 years from now.
If you a good wood worker, TP sells a kit where you build your own cabinet from plywood if you lined the interior of the cabinet with sheetmetal, I don't see why this wouldn't be as good as steel cabinet.
 
I've got the big Harbor Freight floor unit that cost around $200 back years ago (on sale)....different nozzle though...good side load door...didn't have a foot option though....for my limited usage, its done the job.
 
I also have the H.F. unit. Seems ok although I`m only doing small parts. I didn`t much care for the light tho. Changed that with a home brew. I also attached a large sears shop vac to it as a dust collector. {it was just laying around serving as a home for spiders anyway} I tried Aluminum oxide as my first media it did ok. But then seeing that silica sand was much more economical I switched to that with much more satisfactory results. {yes the vac keeps the silica dust contained just fine.} Plus the vac exaust I routed through the wall of the garage to the outside just in case. Anyway the H.F. Unit has so far served me very well.
Kerry
 
Upgrade tip: Cut a hole in the top of the cabinet and install a weatherproof halogen work lamp there. You can get them for $10 at most hardware stores. Use sealer around the hole before mounting the lamp, and be sure to screw it securely.
 
The Skat Blast cabinet uses a normal home light outlet and a outdoor flood light, works great, I've been thinking about doing the same thing to my HF cabinet, like Steve said you can buy this stuff at any hardware store or Home Depot. The cheesy flouresent light is what I hate most about the HF unit.

Tony you can get anything you can dream of for updating your HF cabinet from TP Tools, foot pedal, carbide tips, light kits, you name it, they got it.

Right now I have two cabinets, the big skat blast with fine glass in it, then the HF unit for plastic media, I'm think about a small third unit, so I can add a third type of media to my arsenal /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif
 
Think I'll look into the foot pedal option...
 
tony barnhill said:
I've got the big Harbor Freight floor unit that cost around $200 back years ago (on sale)....different nozzle though...good side load door...didn't have a foot option though....for my limited usage, its done the job.
Click to expand...

Ditto - I bough the HF unit because my needs are generally very minor and so far its done all that I've asked it to do. WHen I get ready to restore my Daimler however, I will probably invest in a proper cabinet and gun.
 
AweMan said:
But then seeing that silica sand was much more economical I switched to that with much more satisfactory results. {yes the vac keeps the silica dust contained just fine.} Plus the vac exaust I routed through the wall of the garage to the outside just in case. Anyway the H.F. Unit has so far served me very well.
Kerry
Click to expand...
phew.. ya had me worried there for a bit.... Be careful with that Silica dust (sounds like you already know that)
That's nasty stuff.
 
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