Media/sand blaster

[Oregonhunter5]

I'm a strong believer in buy all the tools and do my own work whenever possible.

So who here uses a media blaster? I'd like a hose external one first. Something that will take anything off metal. Paint. Grim. Rust.

Thanks for any help

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[matts]

Wish you were closer, id sell you a couple of barely used harbor freight ones!!

 

[Oregonhunter5]

Wish you were closer, id sell you a couple of barely used harbor freight ones!!

Tell me this
How well did that harbor freight unit work?

 

[matts]

My friend at work is the only one that has used it and he liked it, i think it is fine for small projects.if you do something large you will want a huge unit and a tow behind compressor like the construction guys use.

 

[Oregonhunter5]

First use would be the metal framing on a 6x10 utility trailer minus the wood walls

 

[matts]

Your compressor is going to run alot.
Probably best to get some flapper disc type sanding wheels for your 4-1/2" grinder and hit all the easy stuff with that, then start the sand blasting on the inside corners and harder to get areas.

 

[Pete F]

Take it to someone that does it for a living, probably less money than you think. You can also get them to spray a zinc/galvanized coating to prevent rust. You only have a limited time to coat it after sandblasting. Don't do it yourself unless you have a compressor that will run better than 150 psi. It is a very messy job. I did it on some wheels to take the old paint and rust off outside. The media got everywhere. I was using a gravity fed hose/gun setup with a 125 psi, 60 gallon compressor and it took forever. I took the wheels into work and used their blasting booth. It went much faster, cleaner and better. I don't remember the psi it ran at.

We had our patio furniture done and it was less than $200 for a large table, four chairs and a couple of end tables.

 

[The Heretic]

Yes, for anything that involves air tools, going to want a serious air compressor - not one of these roll around 5-10 gallon tank jobs.

 

[bentoncity]

I'm a strong believer in buy all the tools and do my own work whenever possible.
So who here uses a media blaster? I'd like a hose external one first. Something that will take anything off metal. Paint. Grim. Rust.
Thanks for any help

1. Buy/build an enclosed cabinet !
2. a compressor that CAN deliver the cfm you need
3. an HVAC vacuum system that WILL/CAN clear the cabinet of the dust so you can SEE what you're blasting
4. a cabinet 2X or 4X larger then what you 'think' you need
5. a front load cabinet instead of of an end load
6. Replaceable window in the cabinet
7. A foot-peddle instead of a 'trigger' type handle to start the blasting
8. lighted inside with protective/replaceable covers
9. heavy enough gloves for the inside you DON"T blast through them
10. baby powder for the gloves
11. right height

Go have fun...

Dan

 

[Pete F]

1. Buy/build an enclosed cabinet !
2. a compressor that CAN deliver the cfm you need
3. an HVAC vacuum system that WILL/CAN clear the cabinet of the dust so you can SEE what you're blasting
4. a cabinet 2X or 4X larger then what you 'think' you need
5. a front load cabinet instead of of an end load
6. Replaceable window in the cabinet
7. A foot-peddle instead of a 'trigger' type handle to start the blasting
8. lighted inside with protective/replaceable covers
9. heavy enough gloves for the inside you DON"T blast through them
10. baby powder for the gloves
11. right height

Go have fun...

Dan

$$$$ Like I said, get someone who does it for a living do it. It is cheaper in the long run.

 

[Ura-Ki]

I built my own cabinet with a funnel floor and fridge shelves on a steel frame! A simple catch bucket and siphon from the bucket to the harbor freight tools blaster worked great! I have a 50 gallon 10 horse compressor, so CFM wasn't too big an issue until the pressures went up! Works best with Silicia and Aluminum oxide!

 

[NW Backpacker]

I'm a strong believer in buy all the tools and do my own work whenever possible.

Some light reading before you start:

Abrasive Blasting | NIOSH | CDC

Abrasive blasting may have several hazards associated with it at any given time. Abrasive blasting is more commonly known as sandblasting since silica sand has been a commonly used material as the abrasive, although not the only one always used

www.cdc.gov

https://www.osha.gov/dts/maritime/standards/guidance/shipyard_guidance.html

 

[Doomtown]

This is a very open ended subject, and even people who blast as a career continually change up their media and application dependent on the variables . I could write paragraphs, but I'll try to keep it short. Consider your environment and how you're doing clean up. IE: if you're blasting in your backyard and using steelshot, glass bead, urea, etc, you're going to have a messy yard with a lot of non-organic material to clean up, whereas walnut shell or a non-silicon based sand may be better. Of course if you have a booth or contained room, clean up ranks low on the deciding variables. Before someone beats me to it, yes all sand has silicon in it. The difference is two popular types of sand are 510 and 530 silica sand which is most commonly used as casting sand. Some irresponsible sellers will sell silica sand for blasting without any thought for safety or environmental regulations. Even if it's a personal project and you're not concerned about optics and exposure, consider that there is no need to expose yourself to airborne silica when so many alternatives exist that do an equal or better job.

FWIW, I manage a sand mine that also works in foundry and steel commodities, including blast media. Most of the auto shops, boat/vessel blasters, and metal workers use Garnet, Starblast, Walnut Shell, Aluminum Oxide, plastic, and glass bead. Shops that do powder coating usually blast with Garnet 30/60 and/or white aluminum oxide.

Edit: consider also Green Diamond. They are local and have a great product.