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[HiProfile]

So I got a HF sandblaster on sale for $55 (pressurized 20lb), some "rough" soda media, then wasn't happy with the hastle & ineffectiveness of baking soda.

Then I decided to build a rough cabinet. Went to Homeboy Depot and got ~$25 in wood/parts, had them cut everything for free. Went back to HF, got some 80grit Glass Bead media, random guy gave me a 20% off coupon and n00b cashier keyed it as $20 off the media instead. I also added a 18" flourecent light I've had for random lighting situations, inside right above the arm holes.


So I'm at:
$55 for the blaster
$17 for the deadman nozzle/gun
$25 for wood/parts
$8 for real glass
$20 for beads
$40 for soda media
=$165 including "soda mistake".


The local speed shop charges $65 to clean ONE Honda block, and I have a bunch of blocks, turbos, heads, t-bodies, and misc shit I want to clean - all aluminum. Basicly I'll be saving money after I do my 2 gsr blocks and 1 gsr head. My friend will probably give me >$100 to blast his rims, which will be a cakewalk for this thing. It eats paint like Chris M does n00bs. I put more time into it than I thought and made the cabinet a bit too big, but the results make up for all the bullshit. It almost looks like I just sprayed silver paint on everything:


Dirty-ass free 42/48 turbo I got (need black beauty or sand for turbine):



The most crusty TB I had (56-to-60mm test mule), 2nd pic shows uncorroded/unblasted factory finish (and TPS spot I missed):



Free B18B1, the ribbing on either side of the dipstick was solid crusty oxide (obviously I only did the left):





Then the cabinet itself. 48"W x 24"H x 36"D, 24"x20" glass window (not acrylic), V-angled bottom to collect the leftovers (chair is to load stuff into it).
I could probably jump up and down inside the thing the way I braced it. I tend to overbuild shit. I was surprised that beads don't create any dust.







The only downside is I have to spray media for 20-30 seconds into a bottle before it comes out decent (if I let it sit). Basicly it loads up in the hose when I don't use it for several mins. It doesn't bother me since my compressor is big enough & the blaster is fairly efficient. I'm going to get black beauty and plastic stuff since I've heard & read that it those 2 will do rust/aluminum better and cheaper than glass beads. Edit: now that I think about it, I think it's because the compressor's regulator is busted and is stuck at 100psi. I'll probably just put one right on the sandblaster and go from there.

[ryan89crx]

Fucking sweet!

What air compressor are you using to power this bitch?

[bigwig]

I bought the 20lbs unit & the cabinet.  The decent HF cabinet is $176+tax with a 20% off coupon.  I just assembled one today.  Overall, not terrible except the damn plexiglas/glass is all scuffed/cloudy.  I got lazy at the end of the day and didn't take it off to take a look to see what exactly was the issue but I'm sure it's a $10 fix.

My foot pedal came in today and I hope my pinch valve comes in Thursday.  I'm hoping to have the whole setup operational on Saturday.  I bought the plugs and outlet for the 220line.  I just have to find a reasonable priced electrician to do the work because it's rented commercial space.  One guy wanted $300 for a run of roughly 4' from the breaker to a box and another 4' to make a cord from the damn compressor to the box.  Sounded about $75 too high to me.

Ryan, for blasting 60 gal is a minimum.  You really want 80 gal 2 stage.  I just got a 60 gal 3hp that will be okay for low pressure blasting(what I do) but for this stuff would cause the machine to cycle A LOT.

[HiProfile]

It's actually not that much, I honestly never looked at it too closely. It's a bit buried, but looks like a 3/4hp Baldor powering a dual-piston pump with only a 50gal tank (if I'm guessing right). My dad gave it to me because he got a smaller vertical to save garage space. In the far future I'm going to use a modded d16 longblock or harely block as a multi-piston compressor running a pair of baldor motors, hooked up to some big old LP tank. I'm getting a house before next fall, will upgrade past 200amp service if availible, and my dad's an electrician.


I looked at the HF cabinet, but I need something I can just trash at a moments notice if needed. It's basicly sitting on borrowed space. Plus I'm super cheap, saving for the house DP.

[ryan89crx]

Ryan, for blasting 60 gal is a minimum.  You really want 80 gal 2 stage.  I just got a 60 gal 3hp that will be okay for low pressure blasting(what I do) but for this stuff would cause the machine to cycle A LOT.

Ya I think mine is a 60gal 3hp as well. I figured it would be pretty much running non-stop. Not much different than when I'm using my die grinder for porting...the compressor never shuts off

[ktown powder coating]

it's easier on the compressor to run all the time then to start and stop all the time.

[bigwig]

it's easier on the compressor to run all the time then to start and stop all the time.

Good compressors, maybe.  Average stuff, not at all.  They get HOT and then they fail.  Oil & air is not typically enough to keep a compressor cool.

[HiProfile]

it's easier on the compressor to run all the time then to start and stop all the time.

It's easier on the motors, since they rarely have starting caps worth a damn. The compressor still heatsoaks like a turbo setup. The motors tend to outlast the pump anyways.


One place I worked at had a fucking gigantic compressor. The actual pumping unit was the size of a full pallet, 3' tall, and had a truck-sized radiator, which I assume was some sort of air-water setup. The fan produced a gust you could feel 100' away. Then there was the tank..9' tall & 4' wide. They kinda needed it with some older cnc retrofits that still needed tons of air instead of electric motors.

[SgtB]

It all depends on how close to the service factor the motor is. If you run it at 1.15 all day, it's better to give it a break. Anything over 1.0 shortens the life of the windings, and the bearings as well.

[rsmith2786]

It all depends on how close to the service factor the motor is. If you run it at 1.15 all day, it's better to give it a break. Anything over 1.0 shortens the life of the windings, and the bearings as well.

I'm pretty sure all electric motors have a service factor of over 1 and isn't 1.15 the standard for all small electric motors?

[SgtB]

It's standard for most motors, even 200hp. My point was that if a 10hp motor is ran at 11.5 hp all the time, it will die faster. If you run it nice and cool at say 8hp, it will live a long life. As long as it runs cool, without too much side loading, you'll be good to run it continuous.

[HiProfile]

Got home late, put a regulator on the blaster, tried it at lower settings on some parts.



I have 2 sets of gsr rods/pistons, tested one from each. I spent an hour SCRUBBING four of them and 2 days soaking to get them looking like the bottom half of the left-side piston. Tonight I spent 30 seconds with "medium" glass beads at 30psi:




You can see the different parts of each rod I blasted:




Media blasting is soooooo much better!