I Need a Bead Blaster!

[Richard in Florida]

I want a blasting cabinet that'll accommodate small- to medium-sized stuff... maybe as large as a cylinder head or intake manifold.

Who's got what? What do you like and dislike about it?

How big a compressor am I gonna have to get?

[paleot]

Richard I bought the floor model from harbor freight,it has a few draw backs. The light fixture in it leaves a lot to be desired I wired in three 75 watt bulbs. You will also need to seal the seams with rtv as it tends to leak a lot of dust. I use the provided fittings to use a vacuum cleaner which helps a lot. All that said it does a pretty good job. I have a 6 H.P.campbell hausfeld compressor I am not sure of the cfm it handles it pretty good.
Luck Tony

[cmbrucew]

Made mine from an old cold spot refrirgerator, on two saw horses,
37cfm Quincy compressor,5 HP 220 motor, good shop vac, and HF throw away guns.
Good ground wire a must.

Bruce

Works good
Lasts long time

[Richard in Florida]

Originally Posted by cmbrucew

Made mine from an old cold spot refrirgerator, on two saw horses, 37cfm Quincy compressor,5 HP 220 motor, good shop vac, and HF throw away guns.

Oh, I think we ALL need to see some pictures of that!

[Uncle Bob]

The cabinet thing is one subject, and there are lots of ways to get there. I have one of those tin box ones similar to HF, and yes, the light is weak, and they can leak.

The compressor will depend on how you work and intend to use it. If you think you're going to stand there and blast for extended periods then a "normal" compressor like you'd buy at a big box store is going to have trouble keeping up. They only put out, typically, 10-15 cfm at 100psi, tops. To run air tools (which a blast cabinet is) you need volume of air (think mid 20s and up at 100psi)..............not necessarily higher horse power motor (there are some creative calculations there) and not necessarily higher pressure (many tools are limited to 125 psi max operating pressure so a two stage 175 psi machine needs to be throttled back anyway) Higher hp and two stage don't automatically equal higher volume, it's a total package deal. Specs need to be read.

As for vacuum, gotta have something to pull the dust out of the cabinet while you're working or you won't be able to see what you're doing after a minute or so. Some guys use a shop vac and find they get ground to death by the abrasive material. Their solution is to just keep buying cheap ones at garage sales or craigslist. That works in a fashion. Otherwise, look at a good quality bag system like the wood workers use. Again there are differences that not all appreciate. The bags come in different filtering ratings, the cheaper ones are 30 microns, the better down in single digits (I have a 3 micron set up). And if you're especially health conscious wear a very good particle mask (not the paper cheapies) to keep silicates out of your lungs.

[Ken/Alabama]

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Got mine from TIP Tools . Quality product and has served me well for the last 12 yrs.

[gearhead1952]

Tip Tools makes a kit with the parts you need to build your own the size you want. (They used to anyways) Nice parts and I made mine out of plywood and used a plastic container bolted to the bottom for the hopper. I am able to do exhaust pipes and driveshafts.

[hotcoupe]

Zero http://www.clemcoindustries.com/prod....php?cat_id=11 makes the best blast cabinets that i have used, they are expensive. i`ve been pretty happy with my Tip 46" w/ 5 H.P. compressor w/ 80 Gal. tank.
tom

[JM 35 Sedan]

Bought one at TIP/TP Tools, whatever they call themselves these days. Got a good size cabinet and later bought a fiberglass extension box so I could do longer items such as bumpers, axels, etc. I have a two stage 5hp compressor with a large electric motor (HP?) mounted horizontally on an 80 gallon tank. Should probably have a larger compressor since it runs constantly while blasting. This system does everything I need to do. I know many of you like to save $$$'s by making your own tools/equipment, and so do I, but in this case there was a good sale going with I believe free shipping. So, I took advantage of that and also purchase a 40 ton press and parts washer along with the cabinet and many pounds of different abrasive materials, all delivered directly to my garage door.. Plus I needed these items asap to move my project along at a good pace.

[51 MERC-CT]

I have had a Scatblast (Tip tools) cabinet for over 20 years and it has served me well. It is virtually identical with the Harbor Freight model (42202). Been using a 5hp compressor that puts out appox.12 cfm. If you don't mind taking a break to let the compressor catch up it works well. Just a tip if you do get one, the glass in these are generally safety plate (the same as in cars). It should have a thin plastic sheet taped on the inside to protect it from being pitted so bad that you can't see thru it. I found a source for .007 milar from my local plexiglass supply house. They had leftover trimmings that the let go for dirt cheap.

[peewee2you]

Save yourself the headache, spend a bit more and blast with eaze, I saw this on Graveyard Carz, I checked out the website, and they have a cabinet within a decent price range, and probably a decent one, I do own one from Harbor Freight worked good for awhile, now can't seem to get anything, and yes leaked like a siv...

I hope this link helps:
http://www.badboyblasters.com/id125.html

[peewee2you]

Look at Model BB-100 at badboy blasters $189.00

[texas webb]

When using a shop-vac put a 5 gallon bucket with 1-2 gals of water between vac and cabinet.Hose in just above water,vac hose higher up.Sealed lid for hoses of course.Cheap.

[Russ/40]

I have the large Harbor Freight one, paid $189 on sale. It works well, but needs certain modifications to make it more convenient to work with. First was to replace the switch for the light, that failed in short order. I used an old toggle switch. Second was to change the mounting method for the window, so the inner film can be changed without major effort. I used large self tapping screws, eliminating the need for getting at nuts inside the cabinet. The door and door edge tends to accumulate abrasive which falls out on the floor when you open the door. I added a second air line in the cabinet with a blow gun attachment, so I can blow the abrasive off the door and its ledge. Now I don't loose any abrasive when the door is opened. I also keep a long handle paint brush inside the cabinet to dust off the glass when it starts getting dirty. The last was the addition of their abrasive reclaimer. It mounts on the wall beside the cabinet. It has strong suction, keeps the view dust free in the cabinet, and makes retrieving the aspirated media easy to return to the cabinet.

I tried the the water filter approach, which uses a 5 gallon bucket and various sizes of ABS pipe, but found it unsatisfactory, as the water level is critical, and the media must be dried before it can be reused. Just too much to deal with. Plans are on the net, and can be googled if you want to try it.

[Ronnie]

Take caution with bead blasting engine components. http://virtualindian.org/2techclean.htm

[39portlander]

I new If I got a small blaster I would need a larger one soon enough. I spoke with TIP tools and loved the patriot edition. It always sell's out.

As far as a compressor, I bought a Quincy 2 stage 5h.p. through Maine Air Power in Auburn. One of the salesmen who lived near our shop in Portland brought it down and delivered it.

If you have the space go a little bigger than you think you will need, were guy's stuff is never big enough

[FRITZ47]

Skat Blast Cabinets are made in Canfield, Ohio and sold by TP Tools in Canfield, Ohio. Most others are imports. 40 years experience in building affordable sandblasting cabinets and every part is in stock ,and can be shipped the same day. They also answer their phones live and provide technical help via their 800 lines. See their affordable and quality Made in USA cabinets at www.tptools.com Skat Blast also has a web site at www.skatblast.com They still offer plans and parts to build your own cabinets using their Made in USA components.

Fritz

[hardtimes]

Originally Posted by peewee2you

Look at Model BB-100 at badboy blasters $189.00

Nice tip...and says $149 sale right now !

[len]

I recently purchased a bead blaster from a Sacramento Company. Very good quality good people to deal with. The products are all made right here in Northern Calif. Gritguy.com.

[Mafman]

I've had a SKATBLAST cabinet (TP Tools) for 10 years and highly recommend them. I stalked the one I wanted (780-TL) for a couple of months until they put it on sale and have used the daylights out of it. I use a shop vac with a HEPA filter and low micron bag as Uncle Bob mentioned above.