Sandblaster Review

[40_Tudor]

A friend needs a sandblaster to blast his 37 chevy floors and a few other rusty patches. I have a cheep 80lb pressure blaster from Harbor Freight but it doesn't do a very good job and it runs out of sand pretty fast. He checked on have the body blasted but the local company wants a little over $500 to do the job. We thought why not spend that money on a good blaster a little bigger than the one I have so we can use it later on other projects.
Anybody have any suggestions on brands of sandblasters that do a good job?
Thanks.

[enjenjo]

TIP is one good brand. SCAT is another.

[tom36]

I have a TIP and have no complaints with it.  I have blasted 2 frames and floorboards of 2 cars with good sucess.  Tom..

[Bruce Dorsi]

I have a cheep 80lb pressure blaster from Harbor Freight but it doesn't do a very good job and it runs out of sand pretty fast.

A small hopper will have to be filled more often, but should not have any effect on the quality of the blast.

I have learned that the quality of the blast media has a huge effect on the blasting speed & quality.

If you are using "play sand" because it is cheap, try a bag of "sand blast" sand from a masonry supply and you will see a big difference in cutting speed.  Although the media is more expensive, you will probably use less of it.

The cfm available from your compressor will dictate hose & nozzle size.  ....The largest nozzle which your compressor will support, will increase productivity.  

Anybody have any suggestions on brands of sandblasters that do a good job?

I, too, recommend TIP.  ....I have a 150# hopper model, and it has done all I've asked of it.  

I've run as large as a 5/16" nozzle on it using a 150 cfm compressor.  (Yeah, the hopper empties fast!)

[Phat]

Used both the Scat and Tip  Both good.  But it alls goes back to the same thing  500 bucks = No mess... No hard work  and the real biggy NO HEALTH problems.  Back to the old deal if you aint using fresh air......dont do it.  The stuff will kill yah QUICK.  28 year old young guy built a good bussiness around here blasting for everbody.  Great trun around time fare prices........He is now dead from silica........Because he took the short cut with the breathing.  No fresh air.... no blasting for this guy unless its in my cabinet and even that i just changed over to Scats new filter system....It made a big diff in noise and dust if anybody is thinking of doing it.  Just and upgrade kit for the scat cabinets.  If the sand dont get yah the crap that could be on and old frame /body can.  They regular check for radioactivity at one place i know that rebuilds old turret laths so the guy borrowed the meter and checked his media at the blast shop....surprize!!!!  It came from someplace and all he does is grave stones ,car, and bike parts.  Now thats scary!!!!  Soooooo.......spend the 500 bucks and stay safe and healthy.

[Bib_Overalls]

I would not use sand on sheet metal.  It will harden the surdace and make it difficult to work.  If the pressure is not right you can deform the metal.  There are other media, like walnut shells, that work just as good and don't do the damage that sand does.

Have you considered using one of the rust converters on the market?  Your paint or auto body supply can recommend something.

[berkelusa]

This is how we are doing ours..

Any local metal scrapyard will GIVE YOU a 100-lb propane tank for FREE as they dont want them in the yard (run that over and BOOOM)

Of course after it's EMPTY cut the top off that has the open end, Flip it over and weld it back on, Design it so the top opens and you can fill the bugger with baking soda or nutshells, I'm with the other guys on no silica, My cabinet has silica, But it's sealed and I added a bigger vacuum vented to the great outdoors..

YES nutshells and YES baking soda even works great with high pressure and no damage to any metal.. even sheet-metal

A few valves and adapters at Home Depot and a ceramic nozzle elsewhere, some ball-valves and you will have a MONSTER of a blaster that holds more media then MSN and more air-pressure then anyone could ever need due to the extra space...

Have a nice compressor about 60-feet away you can plug the bugger into and Viola!

PS: Release the air after every use from the tank from the top, If you kids get ahold of the lever for the nozzle with bare hands it can take a finger to BONE in no-time

This involves 4 ball-valves

one for the nozzle at the end of the blaster hose
one at the bottom for sand flow adjustment
one where the air comes into the tank from your compressor
and one to release air without it being in the media at the top

A good choice as wheels for your tank are the ones on that broken floor jack in the corner as they are solid steel and have bushings not bearings..

OK let me find the pictures... Geeze

This setup doesnt show a ball-valve used as a pressure-release for the tank.., Un-hooking the hose however does the trick as there is no check-valve inside..., as long as you can handle the loud HISS for the next 10 minutes your all set...

Rob

[berkelusa]

We are currently making FOUR more from FREE Tanks...

This picture shows the one we have used the last 5 years+

Note the floor-jack wheels and side plates also used from the jack...



T-handle is just a scrap bar welded to the cap to fill and seal the bugger tightly...

The new ones will be made a little DIFFERENT to add more area for more media and more volume, Dont get me wrong, The current one SCREAMS...

Rob

[Bib_Overalls]

Dang it!!!  I've got some of those jack wheels out in the shop.  Looks like I am going to have to scrounge up a tank and build one of those things.

[Ed ke6bnl]

Dang it!!!  I've got some of those jack wheels out in the shop.  Looks like I am going to have to scrounge up a tank and build one of those things.

I have the perfect propane tank for you even full but you will have to come back to so. Calif. ed ke6bnl

[Bib_Overalls]

Ya, I got one of those too.  I'm going to sell it this winter if I can.  If I build a blaster I will need a stronger air compresor.  Heck, I need a stronger air compressor now.  If I get a stronger air compressor I'll need to change out 60 feet of #12 for #10 or possibly #8 wire.  This cheap sand blaster is getting expensive.  Think I'll just throw the wheels away.

[C9]

500 bucks = No mess

True.

If you're using a small blaster like the HF and not doing too much, do it over the back lawn.
The sand won't hurt it and can be used to bring up the low spots.

Golf courses have been sanding greens for years.
Not laid on too thick, but spread somewhat thin and when first done you see more sand than lawn.
As long as you spread the sand out fairly well it will disappear in a matter of days.

Course, my back lawn ain't like a golf green.
With the doxies digging out there it's more like a WW1 no-mans-land....

[Stevie G]

Biggest problem I had with the HF blaster was the ball valve with the nozzle and media that was just a little damp.  I bought there Deadman nozzle and am happy with the way it works.  I agree that the larger tank would be a benefit.  I'm going to have to find one of those Propane tanks.

[Canuck]

A smaller version of berkelusa's blaster made from a 20 lb tank, soon to be replaced with a 30 lb. tank.  Wheels are from a BBQ and work OK with the weight of tank loaded.  The only addition is a kind of filter in the bottom of the tank to prevent clogs in the sand.  The filter is a 8" length of conduit mounted in the bottom "T" fitting with a bunch of 3/8 holes in the side and the top squeezed shut.

Used this for the last couple of years and works great.

[berkelusa]

Canuck can you post a closer picture of that filter thing you spoke of?, Cant really see it in the one here.., But looks good

Thanks
Rob with the 100-lb propane blaster in NH

http://www.ammoman.com/chevy