SANDBLASTER

[therealjoeshmoe]

OK IM IN THE MARKET FOR A SANDBLASTER... HOW DO THESE PRESSURIZED ONES WORK FROM HB.???

http://www.harborfreight.com/garage-sho ... 60696.html

[LM14]

If you have a lot of air, they will get the job done.

I usually rent a pull behind style compressor if I have to use one of these. It also helps to have a friend that can turn it off/on as you need it to keep it from clogging.

Use window screen to sift your sand going in, t will save a lot of clogs. Line a big funnel with screen and pour your sand thru it into the hopper.

I've spread big blue tarps on the ground and re-used sand before but it might not be worth it. It's a lot of extra work and that is when you will start having clogging problems, the re-used sand.

Wear a respirator, that sand dust will kill you.

Enjoy your project!

SPark

[foodstick]

Joey, the pressurized can type are sort of like a Mr science experiment.. you will be twisting levers, adjusting things and tweeking it when everything isn't just right with your straining setup. ..or even weather conditions... They work great when they are working..
There will however be times you will be seriously considering smashing it into freaking pieces with a sledge hammer !

If you are doing smaller projects the siphon type can be much easier, and a bit slower..

You can NEVER have to big of a compressor or tank. I actually had my best luck running two compressors at the same time to help keep up. I have also used one good sized compressor and hooked it to a separate tank to store up air.

Oh yeah typically the hand nozzle on the pressurized can types is sub par quality..

[bruceandersson]

I've had a pressure blaster for a while. It can be a little finicky, but works much better than a siphon feed. I tend to run mine at a around 80 PSI to avoid warping sheet metal.

[therealjoeshmoe]

well i have a big husky twin cylinder pro air compressor

will that be plenty?

http://s691.photobucket.com/user/joeno4 ... x.jpg.html

[foodstick]

Joey that compressor will be better than most use .. But you can always use time between blasting for sifting... scraping with tools etc. Old undercoat will either blow right off, or hold on like a biting sow

[LM14]

Mine is bigger than that (read that however you want!) and it will not keep up when blasting. That's the reason I now go to the rental place and get a pull behind unit that is normally used for jackhammers and I get extra hose, too. The blaster my friend has is now set up for the bigger air hose since we did it that way and it worked so much better. It keeps up and you are never waiting on the compressor. It gets frustrating enough when these blasters work good, it gets really bad when you realize you are removing minute amounts because you are low on air, AGAIN.

SPark

[Toyz]

Low on air, sand clogged; without those I'd never get a break for a cold one!
Paul

[foodstick]

Sand clog... just hearing that word made my jaw tense..and my teeth grind ! hahahhhahahahaah

Joey don't forget the club tradition of nude sandblasting

[LM14]

Don't grind your teeth while sandblasting, it tastes awful!

SPark

[jamesdfo]

If you plan on using a pressure pot, you will need at the very least, a 5 HP 80gal 2 stage compressor (and a 7.5/120 is closer to what you need)....and even that will only supply a pot for a short time. A dead-man valve does help, as each time you stop to have a look, it gives the compressor a bit of time to catch up.
As Steve mentioned, best bet is to rent a larger compressor for blasting, as you will spend far too much time waiting for your compressor to catch up, and will take years off it's life.
As far as the HF sandblaster, or any other with a "neck" like the HF that requires you to use a funnel, I could never put up with that after all the years of usig my TIP pot that has a concave top (cap welded in upside down??)....this acts as a funnel, so all you do is tear the corner of the bag open, flip the bag onto the top of pot, and let'er rip!! No worries of knowck the funnel off, or crushing it under the weight of the bag......
I personally could not be bothered to sift/reuse sand.....if you buy any kind of qty of bagged sand, it is not that expensive.....

not mine, just a google images pic

[milldinaire]

I use a HF 110 pressure pot, 60gal maxair. I pressure at 100psi and 1/4-1/3 open material valve. Out feed hose about 1/3 shut, so, I assume running about 70psi, nozzle wide open. My compressor keeps up pretty well. With these settings I get about 3/4 to 1 inch blast. Great on rust and paint so so on filler. Turn up pressure on filler and test your patience. If you want a good cut I use the aluminum oxide 70 grit. If you want to be delicate 80 grit glass bead. I get about 30-40 min blast time on a full pot with a 3/ 32 nozzle.

[milldinaire]

As far as material reuse. I bought a roll of aluminum window screen and fold it about 4-6 times and clamp it to the top of a bucket and pour material on screen. Really works well to keep the pine needles out as well as most everything else. Always filter if you re use. Also make sure to have a water air separator inline as well as the one on the pot. The one on pot works but is best to run 2 or 3. Also when you get low on material in pot you will want someone rocking the pot. Material gets stuck on the sides as the air blows through the middle. Seems clogged but not so. You could also use one hand to rock the pot at the end and one blowing. Real pain in the ass.

[FORDMANLCRACKEL]

My pressure blaster is like the one that Jamesdfo posted. Mine requires 30 cfm of air. My compressor is 7hp two stage 80 gal. tank @175 psi 29.9 cfm. It does ok but still works hard to keep up. That gives me time to take a break. I have 160' copper coil to give the air time to cool down and condense the moisture. The water is caught on two valved drop downs. It then goes to a second water separator then an oil separator from there it goes through a small tank with desiccant to remove final moisture. Then it goes through a filter and finely to the pressure blaster. With out a moisture removal system you will work yourself to death and send your sole to hell. For a big job i would hire it done by a professional. I will never do a complete body and chassis again.

Just my 2 cents.

Lonnie