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The Abrasive Blasting Resource Thread

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OccupantRJ

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Edit: Keep checking on all the various links throughout this thread, as some are ongoing projects and may have had information added since you last viewed them.

There are lots of GJ members who have blast cleaning equipment, so I am starting this thread for all of you to input information and resource material relative to the subject, in order to promote a more central location for this information.

Please post links to your cabinet purchases, restorations, builds, or tricks and tips about media and the use of your blasting equipment. This will include pot blasters, cabinets, and blast rooms.

If you have any ideas on improving media blasting, let's hear them, also.


I will go first with several links to things related to my blast cabinets.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=124933 blast cabinet refurbish

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=121914 dust separator

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=91606 blast gun

Next?
 

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PCO6

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Good thread RJ. :thumbup:

I don't have a thread so here goes ...

My home made cabinet is about 35 years old and I have built, rebuilt, renovated, adapted, etc. it MANY times during that period. I initially set it up for syphon blasting and eventually adapted it for pressure pot blasting as well. It's nice to have a choice.

The window simply slides in and out and is sealed with duct tape. It's automotive glass that I have cut at an auto glass store.

I tried several types of lighting and eventually settled on halogen lights up in each top corner. Nice and bright plus durable and inexpensive. I tried incandescent and fluorescent with guards but they weren't as bright and took up too much space.

My pressure blaster and syphon hoppers are generally stored underneath as shown in the middle photo and are easy to move for blasting outdoors.

My vacuum system is a simple 4 gallon Shop Vac with a home made cyclone (sort of) canister between the cabinet and the blaster. The vacuumed media swirls around in the canister and the heaviest parts drop to the bottom and fall into about 2 or 3 inches of water. Very little media makes its way into the Shop Vac.

I have a separate air line/gun in the cabinet for blowing parts off and generally clearing the air.

The top of the cabinet makes for a good shelf for storing buckets of media (sand, glass beads, walnut shells, etc.).

After about 30 years my gloves finally wore out. I got another pair and rather than out right replace the original ones I just cut them off a little bit above the wrists. I now just wear the new ones (which go well up on my biceps) and poke my hands into the cabinet. I was surprise at how well this works! I can easily put small parts into the cabinet and pull them out without opening the door ... and dust is now problem.

One thing I would do differently is make a deeper hopper and a better stand with casters. I've made do for all these years as is. Maybe I'll make those improvements in the next 10 or 15 years. :lol:

View media item 36758
View media item 36759
View media item 38071
 
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OccupantRJ

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This will be an explanation of how a reclaimer on a blast cabinet works. Never know, you may want to build one as I did. This was the biggest improvement I have made on my blast cabinet as far as trouble free performance. The days of jolting, starving media feed are now over.

Take a look at the first two links in post #1 first so you can have a visual of what I will be describing.

A reclaimer does several things relative to the performance of a blast cabinet. It acts as a reservoir of media for the cabinet, evacuates dust from the cabinet, filters nuisance dust from the system, and acts to provide a constant flow of blasting media to the gun.

A reclaimer type system keeps no media in the cabinet other than what settles when the unit is shut down. The media is always in motion when the unit is operating. First, it is drawn by gravity from the bottom of the reclaimer cone, then by vacuum through the draft fitting, then up the hose to the gun.

As the media is used, it bounces around and eventually falls to the bottom of the cabinet hopper where it is vacuumed through the large vacuum hose by the fan of the reclaimer. As the used media enters the reclaimer vessel, it does so on a tangent so as to set up a circular swirling motion in the unit.

This swirling motion acts to sling the heavier media to the outer walls of the reclaimer while the lighter nuisance dust is drawn upward through the central duct of the reclaimer, to be expelled into the inflatable dust bag. This bag acts as a filter for the air which once again enters the room. The material remaining in the bag settles by gravity into a 5 gallon bucket at the bottom, to be collected and disposed of at a later time, usually months later, depending on usage.

Back in the reclaimer, the cyclone (tornado) has slung the heavier grit to the outer walls of the unit where it slides down the funnel hopper and collects in the bottom to be circulated once again.

There is a door located in the wall of the reclaimer to allow the level of media to be monitored and replenished as needed. There is only enough media added to insure that the gun has a flow of grit at all times during use.

Under the hopper of the reclaimer is a fitting we will call the mixer. It's job is to accept gravity fed media from the hopper, and add atmoshpheric air to the media before it enters the suction hose of the gun. The suction hose is held in the mixer with a thumb screw so the hose can be located in the mixer by exposing more or less of the atmospheric draft hole to alter the amount of air in the media flow.

Too much air, and the blasting effect suffers. Too little air and the gun floods with too much grit, causing clogging. Adjusted correctly, everything flows smoothly.
 
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OccupantRJ

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got2boostit2 said:
Good stuff, anyone have a diagram if a reclaimer setup?
Click to expand...

Ask, and ye shall receive. More info than a man can handle. Mine actually was a great shop project to build. Suction hose was acquired from McMaster Carr. You will need about a 3 inch blower with an impeller, not a fan. There IS a difference.

http://goo.gl/D8yZJR
 
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OccupantRJ

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Reclaimer operating principles. This is the type system my larger blast cabinet has. Instead of the blower being mounted directly on top of the reclaimer, there is a secondary filtration system, called a baghouse, that features multiple filter bags to collect unwanted debris and nuisance dust. The baghouse on my system has 15 bags, about 4 inches diameter and 3 feet long.

The fan is mounted on this unit instead to pull a vacuum through the entire system, as opposed to my smaller unit, where the filter is inflated by positive pressure.

A mechanical crank handle is normally included in this type of system so the operator can shake dust and unwanted debris from the bags' inner surface into a receptacle below. The prices of this level system runs in the multiple thousands of dollars.

http://products.empire-airblast.com/item/dust-collectors-reclamation/media-reclaimers/item-1458#Reclaimer Operating PrinciplesB038094F-35C1-4706-B930-BD5833276518.jpeg
 
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flyingw

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Recently I bought a pressure cabinet and it came with a tempered glass window. Dummy me dropped the glass and broke it so I replaced it with some 1/4 Lexan. I am putting Mylar lenses on the inside and getting about 1.5 hours of runtime out of each lens.

My question is, is glass better than Lexan and is there a window material I can use that does not require Mylar lenses? I have 10 wing nuts I have to unscrew to remove the window frame so changing lenses is not speedy. I'm running a #6 glass bead in the cabinet.
 
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OccupantRJ

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Interestingly, I often see people comment on the window situation on their cabinet. We have a reclaimer cabinet at work that has the same windoow in it as when I started 25 years ago. It runs glass beads exclusively, and it gets a couple hours a day use. This could make for some interesting discussion. How about others pitching in with their viewing window experiences.
 
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PCO6

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As mentioned in post #2 I get my windows cut at an auto glass store. They last a long time and are fairly inexpensive - about $20 for about 12" x 24". That price may be out of date because it's been quite a while since I replaced one, at least from "regular" use. The most abuse it gets is probably when I dust it off with a wiper.

A friend once turned the gun against the glass from the inside to see why it wasn't working. Guess what ... it suddenly worked and destroyed the glass.

I considered various bolt in, screw in, rubber seal, etc. windows but in the end a simple metal track which allows me to slide it in from one ends works well. The duct tape doesn't look great but it is a good seal.
 
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OccupantRJ

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One thing that seems to affect the life of a viewing window is the design whereas a slotted port is in the top of the cabinet above the window, which acts as an inlet for makeup air needed by the vacuum system. The placement of the slot allows air to wash across the inside surface of the window, keeping it cleaner for viewing, and possibly deflecting random grit from impacting the window.
 
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OccupantRJ

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Here is a link to a gun supplier. I use the MH2 gun in three cabinets, and that is the one I copied to make my own. They have an eye to suspend them from the roof of the cabinet by a light spring if you prefer. At work, we have ours hung close to the right glove to make it almost seamless in repeatedly reaching into the cabinet to start blasting multiple small parts. I know for sure parts have been readily available for the last 25 years because I have been using them that long.

Note on the MH2 that the media hose features a full inner diameter flow due to the fact that the hose inserts into the gun housing rather than the hose pushing onto a barb fitting. This gives full flow to get media to the gun. It is the often overlooked small things like this that make some mechanical systems out perform others.

Parts link to MH2 gun below. Look at the fore/aft adjustability of the air jet relative to the nozzle.

http://www.idsblast.com/images/AdminProducts/EmpireMH2LongLD.jpg60954FC4-6053-4A26-B029-BC09CA575ABE.png
 
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OccupantRJ

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This is an Empire brand media regulator. I had it in my contingency materials, so decided a pic was in order. It is the piece that attaches underneath a media hopper to aid in the distribution of the proper grit/air mix to the blasting gun.

This particular one is 1-1/4" NPTF in size. Ambient air enters the smaller open hole and mixes with the gravity fed media from the hopper. Air /grit mix is adjusted by sliding the gun's suction hose in or out of the regulator until the optimum flow is acquired, then the thumbscrew holds it in place.

A wedge type rubber plug is inserted into the bottom and aids in media changeout, or if a clog happens to occur. There is further discussion of a shop made version of this device going on in the cabinet build thread of member chris fresh, here.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=237444
 

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OccupantRJ

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For masking off delicate areas during beadblasting, a rubbery tape such as duct tape or electrical SPLICING tape makes a decent masking tape. Grit tends to bounce off rebound surfaces rather than cut. Experiment on a sample piece first, then use your own judgement. Special masking materials known as "resists" are available for detailed etching work on glass and other materials.
 
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OccupantRJ

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Cabinet style sandblasting gloves are available in various lengths and cuff diameters, and are basically a generic item that you select depending on your requirements. A pair of gloves should be available in the 30 to 40 dollar range from blasting equipment suppliers. Some charge double this price, so shop around.

Sometimes the gloves are sold in a manner where the left glove is readily available as a single, but to get the right glove requires buying a pair instead. This is due to most people holding parts to be blasted in their left hand, so this glove takes more abuse.

From past experience, there are gloves available for 6, 7, 8, and 9 inches cuff collar diameter, and usually are available in 24 or 33 inch length. A longer glove with a diameter larger than you need can have the tapered cuff trimmed off in length to create a cuff diameter to fit a custom situation, as they are usually rather long anyway.
 
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chris fresh

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Great thread man,There's gonna be a lot of good info put into this.So far i've ordered gloves,rings and a pedal.Still debating gun set up,but i've also bought all of my fittings for the gravity feed,update pics to come within a few days on my build.
 
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ZRX61

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Rickster55 said:
Great thread! Any thoughts on media type vs. material to be blasted?
Click to expand...

I'm a big fan of plastic media for removing paint & other clag (even on wooden hammer handles).
I have two kinds, formica which is big (ish) & chunky & some smaller stuff...
The formica is mostly white with various color specks in it:
blasting%20beads.jpg


the other stuff was white to start with but is now a bit darker owing to being 9 years old & having been used on multiple vises.

looks like the stuff below the red stuff:

products_3.jpg
 
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Heavymetalmechanic

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Not sure if this is the correct location for this question, but it's the closest I have found.

After blasting a project like a trailer or a bumper, what is the best way to clean the fine dust off prior to painting?

I have tried 90 psi blowguns, followed by spraying thinner and wiping it down, but i always end up with either fibers from my rags or areas that look like they have 'oil' stains, or fine dust trapped in the surface where the paint will not hold well.
 
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stsmytherie

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I put LED cabinet lights in my HF blasting cabinet. Details here: http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=4968304#post4968304

Also upgraded to the TP Tools "USA Cabinet Gun & Pickup Tube Upgrade Kit" (http://www.tptools.com/USA-Cabinet-Gun-and-Pickup-Tube-Upgrade-Kit,2320.html) and it made a HUGE difference for the better. Money well spent.

Pro tip: the TP Tools kit comes with the medium nozzles. Told them I have a relatively low CFM compressor and they gave me the small replacement nozzles with the kit. Gun still has a medium nozzle, but the swap is easy.
 
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senlow

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OccupantRJ said:
Here is a very good technical link on abrasive blasting principles I ran across. It has the most tech info in any one source that I have found.

http://mcfinishing.com/resources/blastingtech.pdf
Click to expand...

Pat Wenino (owner of MC Finishing) is the most knowledgeable person that I've met in the field of abrasive blasting. He is a wealth of information. I've only done business with him for about a year, but his recommendations have always been spot on.
 
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lonely mechanic

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Hello there. I have been reading a lot here on this forum so time to post something, and also my first question

I recently bought a blasting cabinet, now i have used it al little bit but it does not work like it schoud, this is al up to the air compressors i am using
Both are realy old (1950's) but stil do their job for what we needed them One is a devilbiss 330 the other one is a westinghouse twin v cilinder compressor.
But They just cant keep'up with the amount of air i need i gues

So now the question is, how big schoud the tank be? and how much schoud the compressor deliver to do some decent work in my blasting cabinet?

What is the most important a big tank or how much air the compressor deliveres

I wil use my cabinet in my car restoration project to clean up various parts

image_zps6tqoyuym.jpeg


This is the devilbiss 330 when i put a new tank on it this one is the small one it has a 150liter tank the westing house has a 250 liter tank
photo image_zps49jxwg0v.jpeg" data-url="http://<a href=https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/the-abrasive-blasting-resource-thread.237844/"http://s1272.photobucket.com/user/Joris_Vanoirbeek/media/image_zps49jxwg0v.jpeg.html" target="_blank"><img src=https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/the-abrasive-blasting-resource-thread.237844/"http://i1272.photobucket.com/albums/y381/Joris_Vanoirbeek/image_zps49jxwg0v.jpeg" border="0" alt=" photo image_zps49jxwg0v.jpeg"/></a>" class="bbImage" data-zoom-target="1" style="" alt="a>" title="" width="" height="" loading="lazy" />
 
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OccupantRJ

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I feel that you need about 20 cubic feet per minute of air to do any satisfactory blasting for any reasonable period of time. Also, the air jet in the gun of a siphon system determines the volume of air required, not the nozzle hole diameter. However, on a pressure blast system, the nozzle diameter determines the volume of air required. When blasting for an extended period of time, the compressor cfm comes into play more so than the tank size. You can have a large tank, but once the blaster catches up with the tank's delivery, it's all on the compressor then. This is why the respective nozzle sizes are so important, to create a flow balance. Also, from my experience, a diptube suction delivery device will almost always have a pulsing and inconsistent grit delivery. You need to be suctioning air with grit being drafted along with it, not the other way around. You may want to look at post #21 in this thread. It explains more on the draft process.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=91606&page=2
 
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