Media Blasters

[Greatscott]

I have a project on my workbench that needs to have the paint removed (steel), and I was thinking of finding a company locally that does media blasting. For kicks and giggles I looked at what a new one would cost and realized I could buy one for less than someone would charge me to do it.

With that, Harbor Freight has a 30lbs bench-top blaster for about $120. It is not perfect, but it really doesn't look like a bad deal from what I have researched. I understand that I need lighting, a shopvac and compressed air (and the media, of course). Anyone have any experience with one of these?

Plus, what would be the best media to get paint off of Tonka plate steel without damaging the surface?

What would be the best media for aluminum?

I might have to buy another air compressor, I don't think my little 2-gallon compressor will work very well. What CFM and pressure should be supplied for something like this?

Thanks!

A little story of local culture...
I posted up on a local FB group looking for suggestions for places that do media blasting locally. In typical North Idaho style I received a lot of responses asking if I meant that I wanted someone to take my TV out and shoot it. To their credit, most said they would do it for free, but would appreciate it if I bought the ammo.

 

[mprudic0404]

for steel (tonka) try silica sand (kids play, sandbox stuff) on aluminum its a matter of personal choice. walnut shells are easy on finishes, but ive always kept with sand unless its a really bad part/piece. For bad rust parts, silicone carbide i think its called.
cool info: the media used for blasting is a wild open world, people even make their own.

sandblasting is a artform, and dont be fooled if you get it the first time, but then warp or mess up your second time.

Back to the orginal point, i use silica sand and clean the media regularly(filter it often). air pressure, Distance to part and nozzel type all effect outcomes.

havent looked up the model you listed, so i cant speak about it, but i can tell you that a sealed cabnet or large sealed room is a prefered place to sandblast. If you buy a cabnet, put a layer of SCOTCHGUARD (rock guard auto bumper protector) on the inside of the glass, and it does two things, first it keeps static dust down on your vision glass, then it helps extended the glass life.
ALWAYS ground ALL your equipment VERY well, as blasting generates massive static charges.
You will need a 100% duty cycle,air compressor for blasting to work. (unless you fit a 10 foot+ air tank somewhere) NOTE: you can use a small air compressor, but this raises even more questions(how long are you willing to spend doing this? 8hours? 16? hours, more? how much time will you wait until its more cost effective to take your parts elsewhere?) sand/media blasting is THE most taxing of any AIR-TOOL-JOB for a compressor, as its a wide open valve 100% of the time.

back on point, the fact that your considering getting your own is a awesome step, and the way you spoke seems as you want to?

I can promise you, If you get your own setup, a whole new world of options opens up, and youll find uses, never considerd before.

i do ask that you consider getting a good compressor, and not just for this, but for so many reasons that cant even fit here. 700.00 dollars and up gets you a good 100% dutycycle one on 120v(single phase) That can meet most media blasting needs. (My personal setup was using 2 compressors, one one each phase at home) If i can help a little here, dont buy a store AIR COMPRESSOR, get one online for commercial uses. Most store bought air compressors have limited lifes and parts availibity dies fast.
the only other thing i feel is important, is a blow-gun tool. VACULA is bar none the best and you wont fully understand until you use one. (get the open tip model) I use a long tip vacula blow-gun about 5 times a week, and even my wife uses it. (she never touched the snap-on blowgun) from cleaning out the vacumm to your cars inside, to drying shoes after washing, then house HVAC duct cleaning, cleaning dirt off rc cars, etc... my dad even uses his blow gun to
clean his gutters.(he has a extension)

why am i going on and on about a blow gun? well, if you can get one or try one, please do, youll understand. (youll need it to clean the sandblasting work too) (also a mighty fine reason to consider a big compressor)

Air tools arent what they used to be, as battery tech has now surpassed air tools, but they still have a place that can never be matched

 

[mprudic0404]

I am sorry, forgot a VERY important part!!

ANYTIME you strip metal, it oxidizes almost instant. get yourself a cheap spray can of ACID ETCH primer.
when you are ready to paint finish your parts it can be sanded off or wiped off with laquer thinner, but in the mean time, your metal wont oxidize.

i can not spell :-(
(auto correct removed from android)

 

[Greatscott]

I am sorry, forgot a VERY important part!!

ANYTIME you strip metal, it oxidizes almost instant. get yourself a cheap spray can of ACID ETCH primer.
when you are ready to paint finish your parts it can be sanded off or wiped off with laquer thinner, but in the mean time, your metal wont oxidize.

i can not spell :-(
(auto correct removed from android)

Great advise, many thanks!!!

 

[Gula]

I have the HF table top blast cabinet, and I've done some pretty big pieces. It works well once you seal the chamber with some silicone and figure out a way to feed the intake hose better. I also recommend installing a light in the cabinet, as it gets hard to see. Also make sure you have a old vacuum to suck up the dust in the chamber, also makes it easier to see. Ass far as parts bind, drywall aluminum tape works well

 

[mprudic0404]

granted its wonderful to have a media blasting setup at home, its also a hefty upfront bill.
check around to your local collision repair shops. Autobody shops know who does sandblasting/media blasting and their work can depend on it.

 

[Greatscott]

granted its wonderful to have a media blasting setup at home, its also a hefty upfront bill.
check around to your local collision repair shops. Autobody shops know who does sandblasting/media blasting and their work can depend on it.

There have been a few jobs I have done where having a media blaster would have helped. If I buy new I'll likely be into it for around $350, perhaps a little more. Here is my list so far:

Blasting Booth: $120
Compressor (20 gallon): $200
Oil separator, plumbing and lights: $30
Blasting Media (likely walnut shells): $25

I already have a shop vac.

One mod I found was to use an 80mm computer case fan for a shaker, cutting off all but two of the blades and mounting it to the booth.

 

[Shinchu]

Why did I click this thread and expect to read about speakers...

 

[mprudic0404]

what are the specs for the air compressor?

200ish bucks? single stage? 2stage? iron or AL compressor pump? *120psi @3.5 cfm?
( *i am guessing here)

50%duty cycle?

oil - less pump?(self lubicated)


for a cheap in-line air drier, look for the toliet paper metal ones. they are about 20 bucks and when you replace it, just grab a whole roll of toliet paper.

please be cautious about your choice of compressor, not an opinion or personal pref, but a safe and well being concern. Ive seen a few cheapies fail in weird ways. bearings fail then motor smokes, seen a check valve fail and motor burn up, saw a overheated pump fail when it warped. Last craftsmen pro i had, died when the crank shaft snapped. (i ran that poor thing way past its duty cycle too many times)

100psi+ can be spooky if somthing goes wrong. (havent seen tanks fail except for rust blowout)

you going to PIPE the blaster or use a hose? 3/8 or 1/2? (1/2 inch hose can empty 20 gallons in about 90 seconds or less)

sorry if i am getting too deep. I am a tool/power tool fan in my free time.
(RIP old dewalt)

 

[Greatscott]

what are the specs for the air compressor?

200ish bucks? single stage? 2stage? iron or AL compressor pump? *120psi @3.5 cfm?
( *i am guessing here)

50%duty cycle?

oil - less pump?(self lubicated)


for a cheap in-line air drier, look for the toliet paper metal ones. they are about 20 bucks and when you replace it, just grab a whole roll of toliet paper.

please be cautious about your choice of compressor, not an opinion or personal pref, but a safe and well being concern. Ive seen a few cheapies fail in weird ways. bearings fail then motor smokes, seen a check valve fail and motor burn up, saw a overheated pump fail when it warped. Last craftsmen pro i had, died when the crank shaft snapped. (i ran that poor thing way past its duty cycle too many times)

100psi+ can be spooky if somthing goes wrong. (havent seen tanks fail except for rust blowout)

you going to PIPE the blaster or use a hose? 3/8 or 1/2? (1/2 inch hose can empty 20 gallons in about 90 seconds or less)

sorry if i am getting too deep. I am a tool/power tool fan in my free time.
(RIP old dewalt)

All great questions! Here is the compressor I am looking at:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-20-Gal-175-PSI-Portable-Electric-Air-Compressor-C201H/206189626

This will be an upgrade from my little Craftsman compressor that is starting to act funny. I do not do anything industrial, so I really don't need anything insane.

As far as stored energy goes, I have a healthy respect for it. Having spent 20+ years on submarines where you have an insane amount of stored energy all around you, I have been taught respect the energy itself, and the necessity for proper maintaining the vessels that contain it.

 

[mprudic0404]

looks good, only thing i cant find on the link is duty cycle.

you will probaly make a few new local friends with a blaster setup. everyone seems to come out of the woodwork overnight...

 

[Greatscott]

Getting to the point were I need to find someone to do this, or get the equipment and do it myself.

Question about CFM, when the specifications for a blaster cabinet says 10 CFM @ 100 psi, is that the minimum, or the maximum it can handle to work properly?

 

[Duuuuuuuude]

If you're not going to be doing a lot of sandblasting, check out the handheld gravity fed units. Harbor Freight has them for $20.

 

[Browneye]

For a few pieces far better of to have a plating company do it. Decent equipment is expensive.
I've been doing restorations on cars, bikes and boats for forty years. Cheap equipment never quite works out like you would hope, and then it just sits and collects dust. Take every piece you need done and drop them off at your local plater or powder coater and they'll blast them for a small fee. Far less than buying equipment to do it.

Mostly the higher cost is for more cabinet space and more blast media. For small parts it costs less for something that will blast them.

It's the shiznit for a motorcycle frame. ;-)

 

[Duuuuuuuude]

Question about CFM, when the specifications for a blaster cabinet says 10 CFM @ 100 psi, is that the minimum, or the maximum it can handle to work properly?

That's optimal.


Seriously though, if all you're doing is a Tonka Truck, get the handheld unit and a bag of play sand. I've got one that I've had for years, and since I don't do much blasting, my undersized compressor is fine. I just drag my hose out into the yard, make sure any exposed skin is covered, strap on the safety goggles and face shield and start spraying sand. Blast for a few minutes, wait for the compressor to charge back up, blast, wait, blast, wait.

Worst case scenario, you'll spend $30 on something that you'll use once.

 

[Browneye]

Seems to me 10cfm at 100psi is a $800 compressor. My 20gl 115v portable doesn't even get to 100psi. Lol It's barely enough for an hvlp gun.
Curious to hear the outcome. "thumbsup"