Media Blasting

[kuponut]

Reading through people's project threads, I've noticed that many like to clean parts and sufaces by bead blasting, sand blasting, nut shells etc.

I've only done a little searching on internets, and it seems like the two options are a portable container for spraying large items out in the open, and the second option is a sealed Blast Cabinet for cleaning smaller parts.

I seem to have a large ever-growing list of smaller parts that would need cleaning, and buying a cabinet seems like it would save some time and effort. I know there's some smaller cheap Chinese cabinets available for $150~ or so, but I try to buy American made when I can, and came across this for $299: http://www.cncreport.com/product-review ... -a-winner/


I was just wondering what sort of setups people use for this task.

[DrewP]

Do you have a compressor that will flow enough air to run a blast cabinet? On the order of 10-12 CFM at 90-100 psi I think is about entry level for a blast cabinet to have any hope of it not taking forever.

We have an out-in-the-open one we used to clean up the bottom of my Dad's Mini, makes a huge mess but gets the job done. For small parts I'd infinitely prefer to have a cabinet though. Baking soda works well for engine stuff once it's mostly clean, and will rinse out of all the oil passages and not clog anything, for more caked on paint or older plating or powder coat you'll need something more abrasive.

[Crazyswede]

be sure to invest in an oversuit, goggles, and proper respirator if you will be using an open one. The grit gets everywhere and you do not want to breath the dust.

[SwedeSport]

I have a guy who does small parts blasting for me, he has a few cabinets with various types of media.
I have a guy who does larger stuff with Sand. usually a little too aggressive for some stuf though. The same guy does powder coating.

You can score a nice blast cabinet on CL for a few hundred beans.

For a whole car, it's probably best to hire that out. There are companies that will come to your place with the blast rig, and do it right in your driveway. Soda is a good choice in terms of clean up, as it melts with water. But it needs to be neutralized before you paint it. Sand blasting leaves a beach in your driveway that you need to dispose of.

The hopper systems will work, but take forever.

[87 n/a]

I borrowed a cabinet from a friend and filled it full of glass beads. Don't know if it was the limitation of my 21 gallon compressor or the diameter of the air line inside the cabinet that was my issue, but it was tedious and overall I was not very impressed.

Plus it was always fun sticking my hands inside the gloves wondering how many spiders had decided to take up residence in them

[Luke]

I do small brackets and stuff in-house with a compressor that flows about 11 CFM at 90 psi. It's great for small hardware and brackets with glass bead.
For anything larger than an intake manifold I go to a specialty blasting place, they use everything from black slag to steel shot to plastic beads depending on the material and the finish required.

[DougM]

Like Drew said, you need air flow. I run an Ingersol-Rand 60 gallon compressor rated at 11.3 cfm @90psi. I have a small Snap-On cabinet for smaller parts and a 100 pound pressure blaster for the large stuff. The large parts get blasted out in the backyard. I tried to run the blast cabinet with a small compressor years ago and it was 20 seconds of blasting then 2 minutes for the compressor to build pressure again. I use play sand that you can buy at Home Depot for three to four dollars for 50 pounds- wear a respirator.

[MattWatson]

Mine was thrown together by shortening an old metal fridge... I didn't have a cheap source for the cabinet here, so it was the better solution. Something similar in size here was around 4-500$, and I couldn't find anything used.

One thing I have noticed using various professional systems is that pressure pot style systems are MUCH faster and end up with better results for heavy work. I didn't have one for my work, so I made due with just a cheapo gun with a hose stuck in the bag of sand.

For engine stuff like I was doing, a smaller compressor works fine since you arn't blasting a large area. I *think* mine is about 7-8cfm, but will eventually end up in my other shop that has a bigger 2 stage compressor. Once it is there, I will either put together or buy a pressure pot system for it.

I also recommend getting proper blasting media (sand, glass, slag, shells etc) rather than outdoor sand. In my experience, it tends to be cheaper and you can usually find a low dust version which is essential, even with a cabinet. Also, you usually end up avoiding the clogged gun issue. If you DO use outdoor sand, I would recommend sifting it first to clean out all the crap and clumps that come with it.