Sandblasting Outdoors

[Ferrino]

I've been thinking about doing my own sandblasting for various parts I'm refreshing, using some of the cheap kits available through Harbor Freight. I don't really want to do this indoors in a cabinet as garage space is already compromised and I don't want anyone in the house to be affected by the particles, however well they can be shop-vac'd. Also, this will only be used very occasionally.

So I was wondering what setup people use to blast outdoors? Do you just lay a big tarp down on the ground and collect the media in that? Maybe build some sort of wooden "pit"? Obviously a good respirator will be essential too.

Thanks for any ideas!

[wildcat077]

Get yourself a good quality sandblasting hood ... trust me, the media will find a way into your ears, nose and places you would never imagine !

SnapOn makes a good quality hood,ask me how i know ... lol

Cheers
Phil

[sballard]

And especially your eyes! Ask me how I know!!!

Glass beads in your eyes are no fun. I'll never blast outside without a cabinet again.

[Ferrino]

Well, 1.5 years later and I finally blasted my first parts outdoors! I now have a 60-gallon Kobalt belt-driven, oiled air compressor and just tested it on a pair of 40 year-old heat exchangers. I mainly wanted to remove the corrosion from the manifold flanges in preparation for high-temp paint, but decided to just do the entire stainless shell and will then decide whether to paint or polish up.

I am using a cheap/simple Harbor Freight setup which worked really well:

Media Hopper Thingy - $35
Hood - $20
Gloves - $7

I spread a tarp on the yard floor and wore a good respirator under the hood. I used Garnet as the medium - this was recommended to me as a good choice for a silica-free abrasive where I need paint to adhere. I used a pressure of 60 psi - no idea what is recommended, but this worked. I think I only reclaimed about 50% of the Garnet. It's about $27 for 50 lbs at Home Depot.

[Quicksilver]

The grit goes EVERYWHERE! Hanging a surrounding curtain helps keep it in the area.

[rothaus]

It depends how large your parts are. I just build a blasting cabinet, and the only thing I regret, is that I didn't build it 10 years ago.

Here is how I did it



Happy New year
Engelbert

[Ferrino]

Wow, that looks awesome! I have the benchtop one from Harbor Freight which works well for my needs (and budget).

[Jack Stands]

I'd still consider getting a cabinet, even if it will sit outdoors. The sand does get into everything and the cabinet certainly makes things more tolerable.

[Black_Hat]

CoolSandblastBooth.jpg Photo by californiakid1 | Photobucket

[allaircooled]

I saw a cool home made blasting cabinet in the back of a trailer one day. It was made out of an old ice cooler, the kind you find in front of a gas station with 10 lb bags of ice in it. Wish I got a picture of it.

[Jeff Hail]

I used a cheap small HF unit until it finally gave up the ghost after 6 years. Got my moneys worth but it leaked badly. Was always replacing seals. Never like using aluminum oxide in the cheapo HF as the dust got everywhere and is both hazardous and explosive when mixed with iron.


I did not have room for a large cabinet although I was more than willing to spend the money on one. I then found the Barrel Blaster. Perfect size and for the money BEST bargain I have found. Quality, made in the USA and great support. Best part is it does not leak. I use both Starblast and glass beads. Port connects to shop vac. I use an old scotch bright pad for a filter in the port-works great. The lamp is a small exterior 35 watt flood light -the ones with the thick glass.

[SCadaddle]

A cabinet is great for small parts, but the large stuff gets done outdoors. NOT my favorite thing to do!

[safe]

If you buy/make a cabinet choose one with an internal fan and filter. Otherwise you wont see a thing after a few seconds...

[Ferrino]

What are your favorite blasting abrasives for paint and rust removal? I have been using garnet (largely silica-free) but there seems to be a lot of choice out there. Black Beauty seems to get a lot of love. Anything else?

Also, what PSI are you typically shooting at?