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SANDBLASTERS

the old trucker

New member
I am interested in buying a small bench top or cabinet style sand blaster. It will be used mainly to clean up rims, cleats & a few small parts. What's the difference in siphon feed or using a pressure vessel ??? Weatherby I saw yours in a few pics & it looks like it fits neatly in one corner. I need something compact if possible.
My compressor has a 5 hp. motor with a 60 gal. tank. I'm not sure of the CFM rating. I know the previous owner could paint a full sized car no trouble. I'm open to suggestions.

The Old Trucker
 

Mtn-Track

Member
I have a Scat Blast White Lightning that's a siphen feed cabinet. It's just big enough to do pick-up rims and such, but nothing bigger. The advantage of the siphen cabinet is the lack of dust in the air (no respirator) and it re-circulates the media. The majority of the pressure systems that I've seen are just the opposite and used primarily outdoors on larger pieces of equipment.

It sounds like your compressor should just handle what I have, but I use a slightly larger IR compressor hooked to it and it works well.

Or were you looking for a different type of answer..........?
 

Snowtrac Nome

member formerly known as dds
GOLD Site Supporter
i also have a scat blast cabinet for my gunsmithing shop don't cheep out like i did i didn't get the light or evacuation system both in my opinion are necessary for regular use
 

weatherby

Member
I have both, a pressure feed and a siphon feed cabinet. The pressure feed is used outside for bigger jobs and it has a bigger tip or (nozzle) and I use it at a higher pressure, It's a very messy, dirty process, I hate when I have to use it.
The siphon feed is a cabinet that you seen in my shop, I can't remember who makes it but I'm sure it's much like DDS and Mtn-Track has. The most important thing you should consider in a cabinet is that it has welded seems as opposed to bolted together seams because they will leak sand. Like Don says you WILL NEED a light and a Vac. system, if no Vac system it gets really hard to see through the dust and the dust WILL end up in your shop. Your compressor "should" be ok with the smallest tip you can get, a blast cabinet will use MUCH more air than a paint gun, so don't use that as a comparison. I use a 5 hp with 80 gal BUT I have seen 5 hp compressors with a motor the size of a cantolope (the fruit) and my 5 hp is the size of a Watermelon and has three capacitors and requires a magnetic starter, so I guess I don't know how they rate hp. in a electric motor when one can be so much bigger than the other and both be the same hp.
 

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the old trucker

New member
Thanks for the info. I'm thinking of going with a siphon feed unit. It don't sound so messy. How would you hook up the vacuum to the cabinet ?? Wouldn't that fill it after awhile ? :ermm::unsure:

OT.
 

BigAl

Gone But Not Forgotten
SUPER Site Supporter
Smart move . If you use glass bead instead of sand it will make a nicer finish too .
 

the old trucker

New member
Thanks again.... I know I can get sand locally but I'll have to check on availability of the glass bead. The sand comes in 00, 0 & 1, I think....OT.
 

weatherby

Member
Thanks for the info. I'm thinking of going with a siphon feed unit. It don't sound so messy. How would you hook up the vacuum to the cabinet ?? Wouldn't that fill it after awhile ? :ermm::unsure:

OT.

What the Vac does is suck all the dust out, not the media, and I have never changed my filters yet. I don't use mine every day not even close, but I have had mine for about six years. My vac stands about five feet tall and about as wide as a basket ball hoop.

Like Big Al says, glass beads give's a nicer finish, however, if you have heavy rust on your parts, or thick paint, glass beads do not cut as well. To keep cost down, I use ordinary play sand in my cabinet and my pressure feed blaster, BUT you need to filter it before it goes into the blaster. I use door screen and it traps all the stones that would be big enough to plug up your tip.
 

Blackfoot Tucker

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
Like Weatherby I have a pressure feed for outside work and a blast cabinet inside. I totally concur with a good light and a vacuum system for the blast cabinet.

If you've never had the *fun* of sandblasting outside you're in for a treat (not!). Honestly, I think it's absolutely miserable. I suppose if you have a hood setup that has air fed to it it might not be so bad, but my experience is it's hot and well ...miserable.

I recommend buying the best blast cabinet you can afford. I also recommend the carbide nozzles which last much much longer than the ceramic ones, and a foot operated valve.

I have a 5 HP, 80 gallon, two stage compressor that is 220 volt and uses a magnetic starter. It's a darn nice compressor and was a good "investment".
 

weatherby

Member
Like Weatherby I have a pressure feed for outside work and a blast cabinet inside. I totally concur with a good light and a vacuum system for the blast cabinet.

If you've never had the *fun* of sandblasting outside you're in for a treat (not!). Honestly, I think it's absolutely miserable. I suppose if you have a hood setup that has air fed to it it might not be so bad, but my experience is it's hot and well ...miserable.

I recommend buying the best blast cabinet you can afford. I also recommend the carbide nozzles which last much much longer than the ceramic ones, and a foot operated valve.

I have a 5 HP, 80 gallon, two stage compressor that is 220 volt and uses a magnetic starter. It's a darn nice compressor and was a good "investment".

BlackFoot brings up a good point, I also use carbide nozzles they probably last 10 times as long as ceramics. As ceramic wares out, your tip opening gets bigger & bigger there-for, your compressor can't build up enough pressure fast enough. I think I use a 5/32 tip opening.
 

Snowtrac Nome

member formerly known as dds
GOLD Site Supporter
for real bad stuff nickle slag is hard to beat it will cut rust and paint but it does laeve a rough finnish
 

the old trucker

New member
Thanks for all the info. I appreciate it very much. Now I will size up the cabinets & carbide nozzles. One thing I'm thinking... if I can't get a welded unit & have to go with a "bolt together unit" I could seal up the seams when assembling it.
OT.
 

dlmorindds

Junior Member
SUPER Site Supporter
BlackFoot brings up a good point, I also use carbide nozzles they probably last 10 times as long as ceramics. As ceramic wares out, your tip opening gets bigger & bigger there-for, your compressor can't build up enough pressure fast enough. I think I use a 5/32 tip opening.


Where do you guys get those carbide nozzles??
 

weatherby

Member
forgot the pic. in the above post.
 

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BigAl

Gone But Not Forgotten
SUPER Site Supporter
Radiator shops are a good place to check about getting Glass Bead and sand blaster parts . Modine Radiators use to carry lots of stuff . Thats who i ordered through . The nice part about glass bead is its ready to weld , solder or paint as soon as it comes out of the blaster .
 

dlmorindds

Junior Member
SUPER Site Supporter
The ceramic nozzles do tend to wear rather quickly and really lose there efficiency and put a real test to the compressor. I run my 80 gal 5hp compressor at 150 psi and draw the sand blasting cabinet at 95 psi. As the nozzles wears the compressors runs and runs and runs just like the bunny. I have found it very difficult to find nozzles let it be a carbide nozzle for my blasting gun. The siphon type cabinet works great but spend on the unit to get a good light, ventilation/filtration, and good door access...My two cents thanks to schooling from Weatherby!!!
 

weatherby

Member
there's an out fit called t&p that's whee i get all my scat blast consumables they also sell blast cabinets mine is molded hdpe no leakage

Thanks Al & Don...I use to get all my parts & supplies from Tip sandblasting (I think they were in Ohio) and they also sold Skat Blast brand, I wounder if they are now called T&P.
 

dlmorindds

Junior Member
SUPER Site Supporter
Kevin...so I have been meaning to ask...is that the neighbor kid sandblasting your pile of grousers...:yum:
 

weatherby

Member
Kevin...so I have been meaning to ask...is that the neighbor kid sandblasting your pile of grousers...:yum:

I would rather you refer to him as my STUDENT, who I was allowing to have the "privilege" to learn the fine art of sandblasting,.... and I would have NEVER given a new young kid...er...er..I mean STUDENT a PILE of grousers to learn on, that would be waaayy to many for a new STUDENT, "even I know that".....it was more like only 320 grousers I told him he needed to do, and when he was done "and IF he does a good job"I would buy him pizza, So when he started eating his pizza he kept complaining about all the sand in his teeth, so I told him not to worry .....in a couple of days all the sand should be gone:whistling:

So...I guess what I am trying to say DAN, is I was not taking advantage of some young impressionable neighbor kid...........It was a teaching lesson in a outdoor class room:thumb:
 

Blackfoot Tucker

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
Thanks Al & Don...I use to get all my parts & supplies from Tip sandblasting (I think they were in Ohio) and they also sold Skat Blast brand, I wounder if they are now called T&P.

Weatherby,

That's where I got my blast cabinet. It's actually TP Tools and Equipment.

Here's a link to the ceramic nozzles: http://www.tptools.com/dg/22_Abrasive-Blasters-Guns-Nozzles.html?page=2

They frequently list some blasters on ebay. You can usually save a few bucks on a cabinet. When I bought mine via ebay I called them and added a few accessories, which they put on the pallet and the shipping charges were nil (on those extras).

BTW Weatherby, getting a young impressionable "student" to do the blasting was a stroke of genius!

I wish I had a candidate for such schooling, but around here most of the kids that age have an attitude of entitlement and would never remotely consider actually doing such work.
 
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weatherby

Member
Thanks BlackFootTucker

Yep, That"s the same place, but I think they were called TIP "something or another" back in the 80s. and they used to sell Quincy compressors. It's looking like I will have to buy a different nozzle gun to hold there carbide nozzle, my (old) style nozzle looks different than there (now) style, but I will give them a call and find out.

Thanks for that "stroke of genus" thing.....The last person that thought I was a genus was a 9 year old that I was showing how to burn ants with a magnifying glass:biggrin:
 

yj junker

New member
I bought my cabinet at princess auto and use glass bead in it ,make sure you get the light and when you are bolting it together use a good sealant on all the panels,I put mine together with no sealant and the first time I out air to it the dust came out from all the seams,it has a hole in the back to hook a vacuum to, but I just put a piece of 2"hoses on it and drilled a small hole in the side and put an air fitting into it to created a syphon effect and vented it outside,so no plugged filters on the vacuum
 
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