I thought I knew what I was doing.

[[email protected]]

Apparently I have no idea what I'm doing. I mean how hard can it be to understand how a sand blaster works. I've got a 60 gallon air tank and a 5 horse 2 stage motor. I've got the air turned up to 140 psi. And though I don't really have the volume I'd like to have it's really not there and I have to quit blasting every couple minutes to let the compressor catch up. When I first started blasting the parts the blaster was doing a great job. I didn't put the parts in without cleaning the grease off them first and making sure they were dry so as not to introduce grease into the glass beads. I was really happy with the job. And then everything went south. All of a sudden it wasn't cleaning the parts worth a s%#t. So what happened? The gun isn't plugged, the air is still keeping up as good as it ever did. The sand isn't bridging under the syphon tube. So can the glass beads wear out? The ceramic tip looks like it's still new. I don't think I have much more than a couple hours worth of use on the blaster. So please, all you guys who know about this stuff please let loose with some advice.

[jackdaron]

Try putting your finger over the gun tip and pull trigger. It should back flow and clear the feed line. You may have some crap in the nozzle.

[Jay Ess]

Glass beads will pulverize and turn into dust. At what point this happens depends on the size of the beads and air pressure. Higher air pressure will speed along the break down of the beads. I remember years ago thinking that turning up the pressure on the cabinet would clean the parts faster, and it did for a while until the beads broke apart. Even at "proper" air pressure, I recall having to change the media as it could only be recycled for so long, and then it became ineffective. You may want to ask your supplier for recommended pressures. Also make sure that your air supply is as dry as you can make it. I hope this helps.

[[email protected]]

Originally Posted by Jay Ess

Glass beads will pulverize and turn into dust. At what point this happens depends on the size of the beads and air pressure. Higher air pressure will speed along the break down of the beads. I remember years ago thinking that turning up the pressure on the cabinet would clean the parts faster, and it did for a while until the beads broke apart. Even at "proper" air pressure, I recall having to change the media as it could only be recycled for so long, and then it became ineffective. You may want to ask your supplier for recommended pressures. Also make sure that your air supply is as dry as you can make it. I hope this helps.

Good points Jay. I apparently followed your line of thinking and left the pressure up thinking it would do a better job. Tomorrow I'll throw a regulator in line, change media and give it a try.

Jack please understand I'm a little bit leery about putting my finger over the end of an air gun that's cranked up to 140 psi or for that matter any psi. Especially when I consider the fact there are glass beads mixed in with the air. However I understand you methodology and maybe it would be worth a try if I could put something over the end of the gun to create the back pressure you're speaking of.

Another point to make is that I live in Minnesota where the humidity is lower than the Sahara deserts once winter gets here. But there again I'll drain the tank down again and when I put the regulator inline I'll make sure there's a water trap included.

[J Franklin]

My bead blaster recommends air pressure at 40 - 60 psi. I think you are using too high a pressure. Did you get an owners manual with it?

[Farmallcub49]

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Mike, 140 is way to much. Ours is set at 80, but we have a bigger unit and that is what the manual says. Also, we have good (read over $400) air line dryer right before the cabinet. Plus the glass beads do wear out, especially at 140 psi. They will turn to dust and you do need to replace them frequently, sometimes I will change them out in one weekend.

[jackdaron]

I use black bueaty carbon,and I routinly put my gloved finger over the nozzle and disloge bigger particals. It doesn't hurt.

[ken ct]

I use my palm to clear it.It dont bother you unless you have a hole in the glove where you block it off. ken ct.

[t42]

Definately lower your air pressure. Blows by too fast to pick up glass beads. You did not mention if you had an air dryer on your feed line. Farmall49 is right on. Moisture is generated by compression and water may be making its way down the line to the gun. Everything has to be clean and dry. Good luck!

[[email protected]]

I'm surprised the air pressure is that critical but there is definitely a benefit to turning it down in the fact I won't be blowing right through the volume of my compressor in a hurry. The reason it was as high as it was is to keep up with a sand blaster I used outside to sandblast a boat trailer. The sand wasn't recycled and the air pressure was set right at the limit to keep from blowing the pop off valve. It didn't take much to clean that old trailer right up. But now I realize a sandblast cabinet where the media is recycled is a whole different deal.

I'd never have a problem holding a gloved finger or the palm of my hand over the tip of the nozzle as long as it was the glove used in the sandblast cabinet. Along those same lines I wouldn't have a problem running my bare finger or the palm of my hand across the nozzle as long as there wasn't any air coming out of it. But in every machine shop I worked in and during school I was told of the hazards of high pressure air and the effect it can have blowing it against your flesh. Now I figure I've got close to 50 years in different shops and I've always been told not to shoot compressed air against your fingers or your hand or any part of your body and I actually worked in one shop where if they saw you blow metal chips off yourself with compressed air they would immediately discipline you and would take it as far as firing you if you were stupid enough to do it more than once. Most air nozzles you purchase are purposely set-up to keep you from being able to blow full pressure out the end of them and the nozzle is drilled to keep from allowing it to. And I know damn near every fool who's ever worked in a shop will tell you it can't hurt but believe me there's a reason for all these safety practices and where there's smoke there's fire. I've seen disregard for safety result in some very bad scenarios and I won't push my luck. Sorry if I've offended anyone if I've carried this to far but everyone has there own beliefs, habits and ways of doing things and trust me when it comes to safety there's small chance anyone is going to change me.

[John Otis]

Gloved hand on the nozzle will clear it with no harm as there is no velocity to speak of until the blast exits the nozzle. Glass beads are great if you are cleaning fine carb parts and stuff like that but for just general cleaning you will have excellent results using kid's white sandbox sand that you can get at any of the big box stores like WalMart, Lowes, or Home Depot. It's really cheap and cleans like mad. When your glass beads start to fail the dust packs in tight and plugs the gun in no time. Your air pressure is WAY too high. Cut it in half or even lower regardless of what media you are using.

[[email protected]]

Originally Posted by John Otis

Gloved hand on the nozzle will clear it with no harm as there is no velocity to speak of until the blast exits the nozzle. Glass beads are great if you are cleaning fine carb parts and stuff like that but for just general cleaning you will have excellent results using kid's white sandbox sand that you can get at any of the big box stores like WalMart, Lowes, or Home Depot. It's really cheap and cleans like mad. When your glass beads start to fail the dust packs in tight and plugs the gun in no time. Your air pressure is WAY too high. Cut it in half or even lower regardless of what media you are using.

Makes sense, however the idea originally state was; "Try putting your finger over the gun tip and pull trigger." Now that it's become extremely tiresome responding to the reasons why I won't do what the original idea stated I think I'll let this one lie. As far as turning the air down, it's already done. But John you said something that finally got through and made sense. I guess I'm fairly dense and lord knows if a persons going to ask a question on this site every expert in the world (yes the world) is going to crawl out from their respective rocks to have an opportunity to help. But it never occurred to me that "glass beads start to fail the dust packs in tight and plugs the gun in no time." So the fact I put a regulator inline and cranked the pressure down to an intelligent level, then putting in new media to cut down on the amount of dust, the situation has been dealt with.
Thank you everyone who made safe suggestions regarding methods to correct my problem. It once again proves this is without a doubt the best place to turn for information on our old T's.
-Mike

[redmodelt]

Check what the sand is made of before you use it;
http://www.osha.gov/Publications/silicosis.html

[[email protected]]

Originally Posted by redmodelt

Check what the sand is made of before you use it;
http://www.osha.gov/Publications/silicosis.html

Yeah, I know. I'm very aware from reading several bags of the stuff (silicon) over the last couple years. I use it in my pressure unit when I sandblast outside and I always wear a facemask when using it. I'll continue to use the glass beads for the rest of this job anyway. I'm blasting transmission components and really don't need anything as abrasive as silicon. I've used the black beauty and it's way to aggressive. I think I'm going to look into an air dryer as farmallcub49 suggested. I really don't have a problem with moisture now but in the winter my compressor becomes a fawcett because of our high humidity. It's weird in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. In the summer it's unbelievably humid and in the winter it's dryer than a popcorn fart. At any rate thanks redmodelt. As you have probably gathered by now I try to be as safety conscience as possible in the shop. I've been burned, broken and have bled too much in my lifetime. Hell I drive a model t because I'm afraid to go over 41 mph.

[fordman67]

We have a scat blast cabinet.It is a good one and pretty good size.I have to REGULARLY lift off air,cover nozle-blast or a second, uncover nozle and blast away.I PROMISE it is totaly NORMAL. I would not lie to you! Now get back to work...haha

[[email protected]]

Originally Posted by fordman67

Now get back to work...haha

Damn, slave driver. Boy am I ever gonna catch a ration when I actually do put my gloved finger (sandblast glove) over the gun, clear it and then tell all you monkeys I actually did it and it worked. Or maybe nothing will get said.
I kid you not, they were just talking about an electric prostate heater on the TV; and they were in southern California. Unbelievable. I mean we need stuff like that in Northern Minnesota, but in Calipornia? Come on!

[[email protected]]

Just one more Windsor (snow snake, ice worm, and frost frog medicine) and I'll tell you how I really feel!

[redmodelt]

Another thing, the glass beads wear out the tip. We have a blast cabinet with a cyclone to get rid of the dust. I tried reusing the spent glass only once and that was the last time I will do that. All it did was clog up the works and didn't do much cleaning. Spent more time blowing the line out as suggested above.

[John Otis]

The kid's play sand that I used was ground up marble waste that was less harmful than silica. (I think). It also seemed to be less affected by humidity than the bagged beach sand that you can buy. Anyhow it's 40 years later and I'm still breathing easily.

[Bookman]

Your problem is probably in the pickup tube. I have seen lots of problems in the area thru the years in different cabinets. Pull out the line (should be a steel line) in order to be able to inspect it properly. The open end should be out of the glass media in order to create a proper air flow and a vacuum at the pickup hole in the line. I have had to reshape the line and sometimes make a new line in order to accomplish this. Next make sure that the media pickup hole is not worn too much. The hole wears pretty badly with use especially when using sand. Also, we used to have lots of problems with the glass clogging and clumping with grease, moisture and debree. Sometimes a wire screen helps out in that situation. The glass beads are a lot easier on the metal than sand but with use the glass pulverizes into powder and this makes the problem worse about stopping up. These cabinets are pretty simple and there is not very many things that can cause your problem.
I hope this helps.

[Willie in Houston]

I used to use sand from a local supply house in Houston. When they told me about black beauty I was not eagar to switch until they told me the price. It was a lot cheaper and did not have the silicon that is not supposed to be healthy to breath.
I was very impressed when I used it, it cleaned much better than sand.
Yes, I do use it in a small and a very large industrial blast cabinet and it recycles a number of times before it becomes powder. I do not expect it to work perfect, just good.

[[email protected]]

Thanks Willie. I keep hearing about black beauty and the more I hear about it the more I like what I'm hearing. Problem is I've got 200 lbs of silicon I ordered a couple years back and never used. But from what I'm hearing the silicon might have to go back to the beach. I'm still plugging away at getting my transmission parts cleaned up so I can get into the reason I tore it apart in the 1st place. Which is to check the integrity of the drums, bands and clutches. And then I'm on to the rear main bearing. I'll sure be glad when I'm done. I like working on this stuff but I hate cleaning parts. I know, it's a necessary part of the job but, I still don't have to like it.

[yachtsmanbill]

You can get a 12 lb bag of the black glass (slag) at Menards or the homo depot to try it. Get the finest stuff you can find. We used some medium coarse stuff blasting the aluminum boat bottom and it left a really rough finish which was good for the anti fouling paint but would be lousy for esthetics or machined parts. Gotta use way less pressure too! ws



Thats JB Weld on the top of the rudder plate..stuffs really aggresive!



Stuff went places where the sun dont shine!



Superior adhesion for coal tar epoxy base coat

[[email protected]]

Thanks Will. I cranked the pressure down via a regulator. I still don't care for the glass beads. I think they're better suited for a less aggressive use.

[Farmallcub49]

Mike,

I can't believe those glass beads aren't working for you. I hate the black diamond or black beauty or whatever the heck it is is called. Glass bead is really great and works wonders for us. It leaves the parts shiny, clean, and smooth. I just found a hot lead in Rice, that sells glass bead for $11 a fifty. I have to get some and try it.

[[email protected]]

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Hold on everyone, I said it the wrong way. I cranked the pressure down but have not used the rest of my glass beads yet. That still needs to happen. When I said I didn't care for the glass beads I meant to say I didn't care for the way the glass beads held up for me under those high pressure circumstances. So Andy if in fact you've got a lead on somewhere to purchase 50 lbs for $11.00. Based on what I paid at Fleet Farm that's a great price. So follow up on it my friend, my buddy, my pal and let me know all the little idiosynchrasys of the deal. Is idiosynchrasys a word? I know if it is, this isn't the correct spelling. It appears I've had some success cleaning parts with the stripper/cleaner I've been using, and that's a good thing. I'm hoping I can get out there tomorrow and get everything dried off and keep on going.

[fordman67]

Call me crazy.we use good ol jc30 sand.didn't care much for black beauty.

[[email protected]]

Work has come to a complete standstill. I haven't been out to the shop for weeks. Old wounds are starting to throw up roadblocks I can't seem to overcome. I want my T back together but I'm having some unbearable pain in an old break in my leg and foot. It isn't helping that nerve damage from a broken back in 2008 is creating a weakness in my legs that keeps me in the Lazy Boy. I'm really disgusted right now and ready to throw in the towel. This whole damn thing started because of some icy steps about 2 or 3 weeks ago. I live in a trailer park. Maybe some of these idiots around here have got some pain killers I can buy. As long as they don't start thinking I'm their friend I might be OK. Be just my luck and I'd pick out an undercover cop to get my stuff from. I guess I'll just stick with tylenol and windsor.

[yachtsmanbill]

Honestly, barring insurance issues, head over to a "pain management" clinic tday! Get some meds thatll ease yer discomfort and rest up for a few weeks. Old bones really suck dont they? Sometimes I feel like in a few more years Im gonna be wheel chair bound! "Herbal relaxicants" can help as well.
Ten years ago I went in for a torn rotator cuff and post surgery the doc told me while he was in there he removed the anterior clavical due to being encrusted with arthritis scarring. "You wont miss it..." I miss it every day and it still hurts... thats the collar bone BTW. Wish you the best! ws

[fordman67]

Originally Posted by [email protected]

Work has come to a complete standstill. I haven't been out to the shop for weeks. Old wounds are starting to throw up roadblocks I can't seem to overcome. I want my T back together but I'm having some unbearable pain in an old break in my leg and foot. It isn't helping that nerve damage from a broken back in 2008 is creating a weakness in my legs that keeps me in the Lazy Boy. I'm really disgusted right now and ready to throw in the towel. This whole damn thing started because of some icy steps about 2 or 3 weeks ago. I live in a trailer park. Maybe some of these idiots around here have got some pain killers I can buy. As long as they don't start thinking I'm their friend I might be OK. Be just my luck and I'd pick out an undercover cop to get my stuff from. I guess I'll just stick with tylenol and windsor.

Hate to hear that! Hope u start feeling better SOON! Maybe I will get back on mine one of these days and you can just give me heck on the way! I got some goodies today,may post up some pics here soon.

[[email protected]]

Went out for a few minutes today. Kerosene really seems to be cutting the grease. It would only take a days worth of work to get ready to take parts to farmallcub49's and see if I can get my transmission reworked. Went to look for a good cane to help me add stability. Windsor only helps as long as you drink enough. Tylenol does better but I'm not suppose to take it. Seems it's not good for people with severely sick livers. Seems I came home from the land of short, yellow people that wear black pajamas with a blood virus. Over the last 40 or so years it's really taken it's toll on my liver and I'm about a half a jump from cirohsis. I guess drinking the windsor isn't helping but I only have an ounce shot a couple times a week and that's only to keep check on the worms. I went through 17 months of chemo-therapy that ended 2 years ago and the blood virus is gone but the liver's still sick.