Portable Sand Blaster - Any Good?

[rob love]

It won't be the sandblaster that will cause the limitation on what you can accomplish, it will be the air supply. You need a very good supply of air. I have a 7.5hp 2 stage compressor, and it does not quite keep up with the sandblasting operations.



If you do have a good air supply, then a pressure pot like you show is a little on the small side, but will get the job done. And, of course, make sure you use a good mask with particulate filters.

[hrpearce]

Lionel, that is the sand blaster I used and as Rob said keeping the air up to is is the problem. When I had three compressors hooked up to a 60L air tank it ran fairly well, but as Ganmain Tony can confirm when the biggest compressor blew up we had to constantly stop to recharge the air tank.

[paulnewman]

Hi,
I have one like that.As stated keeping the air up is the problem so I hooked up a 85cfm compressor to it and made a lot of difference. The problems now are the brass tap on the bottom that controls the sand only lasted a short time,the sandblaster hose wore out very quick so I put a double braid hydraulic hose on it and the sandblaster nozzle assembly wore out so I use the old nozzle off a wet sandblaster unit I had. Cleans quick but a dirty job. Old heavy raincoat gloves and an full hood air fed mask a must.

[Mike K]

Lionel

For the larger pieces like a chassis and wheels/axles and more , do it yourself blasting ,its not a easy operation for the back yard restorer. If you can find a commercial blaster nearby who is reasonable, use them. It's a dirty, messy and very noisy process. You have to buy the correct blast medium as well, most of them use garnet I think. If you do try it, use good ear/hearing protection. I use a local chap, he charges very reasonable rates. You drop off a whole trailer load of bits and he blast and primes it all, usually he charges $100 to 150 which is a great deal. Last time I was at his place, he was blasting the local RSL 25 Pndr . Used to be a Stuart hull there too and a bren carrier

[rob love]

Personally, 6 inches below the soil here, it is all sand. Two buckets full with the tractor, and I have enough for the season. I have to let it dry, then sift it through an appropriate screen. I reuse it a couple times until it is getting too fine, then use fresh from the pile.

If you are buying sand (or whatever medium you decide to use), it does tend to make the whole operation cost just as much or more than taking it to the local blaster. I could not imagine trying something like this in a residential area.

[Russell Boaler]

I have one of these sand blasting units and have used for a number of years. It's great for smaller items but if you're planning to blast large items make sure that you've got pleanty of time on your hands and a good supply of blasting grit at hand. I sand blasted a whole RL bedford cab with mine... it took a couple of weekends. As it is a small unit it doesn't chew through heavy paint or heavy rust particularly fast.

All previous feedback applies... a good air supply is very important as well as some good dry sand or garnet. If the sand isn't dry or the is any larger bits in it the bottom valve can block. The nozzles and control valve can wear out over time.

I took to re-cycling the sand as my supply was limited... buying garnet can be expensive but it's more effective than other products in my view. A good clean work area where you can sweep up the sand and then seive it worked ok. Downside of doing this as the process gets a lot more dusty and the blasting process can take longer. A good hi quality face mask is important. Be prepared to get dirty.

[Tony Smith]

DON'T use sand! Silicosis is a cruel and lingering killer.

Lots of suppliers are out there to supply various abrasive media; Garnet, Rutile, Al Oxide, Silicon Carbide, even Soda (granulated Bi-Carb). All depends on what you're cleaning and what finish you want. But never use sand.