Bought A Sandblaster

Went to HF yesterday and bought a 40lb sandblaster. It was the same as Eastwood but cheaper. I was wondering if anyone had tips on how wide I should open the air inlet value to reduce the amount of medium coming out.

 

I have a filter on it and I am using 80 media. Are you using lower medium

 

motor guard paper filter that holds a roll o toilet paper.

 

Air dryer, air dryer, air dryer, air dryer. (Moisture cooler/separator.). Not filter.

Not funny when the sand freezes next winter.

I throttle the media feed valve versus the tank pressure valve as I work to get the effect I need. It can make a huge difference.

 

yup the paper filter is to get anything not trapped by the separator even with a dryer it still traps stuff.

 

I bought this (Black Bull) 90 pound blaster a few months back based on its excellent reviews. I think my air compressor (2hp) must be under powered because everything is very labored coming out of the gun, and the shot pattern is very small. This is my first go at blasting so I'm pretty green.

 

as to what compressor is need for blasting
as big as you can get . it's like working with a big hole in hose
5HP 220 V - 2 stage - 80 gallon - 175psi

 

Gravity feed. A pressure pot will have more nuts.

 

With a smaller compressor you may be able to work well enough in short cycles. An auxilliary storage tank can help.

 

Anybody use this stuff? Black Diamond Medium Blasting Abrasives at Tractor Supply Co.

It's coal slag. Looks cheap enough to use in a pot blaster without trying to recycle.

 

I used the coal slag. Does great job. I would invest in a Respiratory with this stuff. I got one from HF for 21 bucks

 

Pressure pot blasters are about the only way to go. With these, the air valve is opened all the way. Media flow control is usually anywhere between 1/3 to 2/3 open, but the type media and air pressure affect performance. Playing with the setting, you will figure out where the sweet spot is. Tip size will determine how efficient the blaster is, dependant on air supply (cfm).
Definitely get a respirator to save your lungs!
-Donny

 

I had the media open all the way. I’ll have to use your tips. Definitely got a respirator when using the coal slag from tractor supply

 

The coal slag will not cause silicosis like blasting with silica sand or play sand will. Silicosis - Wikipedia However, it makes sense to keep any fine mineral dust out of your lungs. Coal slag is an alumina-silicate left over when coal is burned. The danger from the coal slag dust seems to be not as potent as silica, but considering the track record of such things (black lung, silicosis, asbestosis) I think it's clear you'd want to avoid inhaling any mineral dust if you can.

 

Compressor size is really important. Also, don't get too big of a tip for the sandblaster, and change it regularly as it gets worn bigger. It's amazing how much better it works when new. Buy good quality sand, black beauty is great. It really eats rust quickly. White fine sand for lighter work leaves a finer finish. Please get a good respirator, or better yet a fresh air helmet. Silica dust is extremely hard on the lungs and once in, doesn't come out. My grandfather died from miner's lung (black lung disease). It was a gruesome and protracted way to go.

 

Oh, sometimes you just have to wiggle a blaster to get the sand to slide, or move the valve a bit more open then less, to keep things flowing well.

 

JohnD love to hear any more tips/tricks you've learned with this unit as I bought the same as a donation to the makerspace (community metal shop - Truckee Roundhouse) that I founded and help direct here in Truckee. The metal shop there is expanding in January to the warehouse next door so as we don't have space for the blast cabinet yet I'm going to "make sure it works" at home in my garage for a month or so.

At home I have a much smaller compressor (120V, 7CFM @40, 6 CFM @ 90) than the shop has so I'll be taking it easy at first. To start with I bought glass beads, 80 grit to strip down and clean all of the stuff from around the Jeep that I can fit in the cabinet (steering gear box case, rocker arm covers, timing cover, etc.). We have pretty low ambient relative humidity here, typically 40% or less. We have a 3-stage inline air dryer at the makerspace, but at home I just have a single stage in-line California AirTools drying filter cup. As I've said elsewhere it's typically around 40 in my garage in the daytime and as low as 20F at night. I can store the media inside in a closet when not in use. I was planning on silicon sealing the cabinet, and I also bought the dust collector for it.

How clean of gunked on grease does stuff have to be in order to have a hope if recycling the media? Or should I just resign myself to buying lots more media.

Any tips/tricks/advice would be greatly appreciated as I've never sandblasted before. Thanks!

 

At work we have a small cabinet that we use for small blasting jobs. Large jobs are farmed out to blasting shop. We really only use aluminum oxide (about 80/100 grit) and glass bead (very fine/ 400 grit).
Aluminum oxide cuts fast but leaves a relatively rough surface. This will take paint and rust off quickly.
The very fine glass bead gives a smooth surface that works well with the additional coatings we do. The glass bead blast is more for the assthetics that rust/corosion removal. When using glass bead keep the pressure down under 40/50 psi or you end up shattering the glass beads and you have powder.