sand/bead blasting ???s

[dweymer]

How does a cabinet siphon blaster work as compared to a pressure blaster? I have been using the pressure blaster to blast my springplates(911 content) and want to do the tins and some other pieces and not make such a mess. I can pump about 9 cfm at 80psi.

Donnie

[PeteT]

Donnie,
I have the HF blast cabinet and it seems to work pretty well. I have a big compressor but with the right media it works well. I have not used a pressure blaster so I can't comment on the differences.
Pete

[Zeke]

I have the HF one, too. Does an OK job of keeping the mess down, but I still use it outside and with a mask. If you use the vacuum port, the cabinet air is clearer enabling you to see what you are doing. But, your vacuum filter will clog quickly and I suspect it's not too good for the motor either unless you have a HEPA model.

So, I don't use the vac much and have to stop frequently to inspect the work. It is very important to keep the medium very dry, or things don't work at all.

[dweymer]

So I may be better off going to the side yard and continue with the pressure blaster....

[ozz]

Zeke - maybe you have tried this already but, I use a cabinet blaster as well and use the vacum port all the time. I've found that the very fine/particulate filters that are used for drywall & concrete dust and the like work well on the shop vac. They have a filter for just this purpose for my Rigid vac. No issues with it plugging too quick or motor damage. Using my cabinet without the vacum and you can't see $hit in there - you'll blast your hand holding the parts as much as the part if you aren't careful...

[fuelie600]

I have a commercial blasting cabinet and a cheap pressure blaster. They both work about the same. The nice thing about a cabinet is the minimal setup time and not having to wear all of the shields and masks. You just put the part in and go at it.

[tom1394racing]

I originally purchased the large blasting cabinet from Eastwood. It is designed to be used with a siphon blasting nozzle. I found that the siphon nozzle often clogged and that the blasting pressure was low.

I bought a pressure blasting unit from Eastwood and converted my blasting cabinet to work with the pressure unit. A world of difference. It cut the time required to bead blast a set of heads by 1/4 and does not clog as long as you use a good moisture trap.

[herman maire]

I have not used my blaster yet but I am having problem's with too much water in my lines even for my sander. I can imagine that this would block the blaster gun.

I am new to compressors. Is this normal or what do you do to avoid water build up in the lines.

[dweymer]

you need a seperator and filter. Also, the more the compressor runs the more water it makes.

[fuelie600]

Tom, What type of media do you use? I can honestly say I have never had the siphon gun clog. I have used glass bead, plastic bead and silicon carbide.

I did try some cheap glass bead from Tractor Supply and found out it was crap. It broke down quickly and turned to dust. I got most of my stuff from TPtools.com.

Herman, a good water separator helps along with a long run of pipe/hose to cool the air before the separator.

[Green 912]

Drain the tank often as well. Get the largest water separator you can. A good one will dry almost as well as a chiller type will. Add a in line dryer right before the tool if water contamination would be a problem such as in painting or powder-coating. You can make an in line dryer from a cheap cube fridge, 50 foot of 1/2 inch copper coil tubing and a short section of 4 inch copper pipe with ends and a drain valve. Use caps and a drain valve to make a tank run the air in from the tube end to the tank and then to the tool. Stuff it all in the fridge. Pack zip-lock bags of sand inside the coil to act as a heat dump and you will condense the water out of the air as you draw it. Drain the catch tank as needed. Not as good a as $2000 pro unit but only $100 spent and you can keep beer in it too.

Pressure type systems move more media and at a higher impact speed than suction type for the same air consumption. Suction cabinet types are handy for occasional use as you don't need to gather up the used media and refill the system. Add a old towel inside the shop vac to catch much of the fine dust. Drape it over and zip tie it to the inside dust port but not all the way around, drape it like a cape. It will slow down and cause much of the dust to fall out before it gets to the recommended large full tank sized paper filter but never clog up and block airflow. Don't bother to use just the pleated filter it will clog up right away.