[Lemondrop]

Shame I have to wait for Monday to get the blast media ....
Im gonna put a hurtin on my rusty floors ...... I wheeled the new sandblaster out by the car and rust started jumping off the car onto the floor in FEAR !
I can't wait for monday night !

 

[Billgear]

Make sure you get a good mask that is rated for sand blasting.

 

[Lemondrop]

The blaster came with a cheap-o hood which should keep the "grit" off but Im wearing my respirator that I use for painting when Im blasting .

 

[TheShagg]

if nothing covers the respirator do like i did and tape cardboard over the filters to keep particles from blasting tons of tiny leaks in them.

 

[Lemondrop]

The cheezy blast hood will be over it so I should be ok . It has "filters" ontop of the chemical cartridges so either way I should be ok . Ive got to replace the carts before I paint again anyway , Im sure I could primer with them but I won't try a full paint job .

 

[sharkmouth]

Sand blasting is SO useful!!!!

Dont forget you can sweep up all the media and recycle it thru a screen.

 

[Midlife]

I wheeled the new sandblaster out by the car and rust started jumping off the car onto the floor in FEAR !

:: :: :: :: ::

 

[nylhtak]

Yea, make sure your compressor is up to the job. My pithy 5hp compressor will barely keep my blast cabinet going .

Anyway, I know what you mean. Ever since I got my blast cabinet, I put every thing in there that will fit. Just a shame to have to wait for the air to catch up when doing the nasty stuff (ie steering knuckles...).

 

[laynrubber]

I was just as excited as you would be when i first bought my blaster, now, i pay someone else to do it. I had sand in every crack of my body for days, and i was fully covered, taped over, tied, hooded the whole bit. Then it was too hot !
I still have my sandblaster but i haven't used it since.

 

[gwstang]

Does a beautiful job on the inside of the doors and the textured part of doors. I literally wore out the hose on my blaster doing most of my 66. The little hole in the blasting nozzel will get much larger from wear, by the time you are finished, so you might want to pick up a couple more. Have fun

 

[Dean_T]

I bought a 40lb sand blaster from Harbor Freight and will be returning after 3 weeks of use. It started to leak from some fittings and the cutoff nozzle doesn't work any more - it's on all the time.

Cheap Chinese stuff, grr.

It did blast off the rust but it also beat up the panels a bit more than I had intended. I think I'll get a blast cabinet for small parts. I'm still cleaning up all the sand it's shrewn all over god's green earth...

Be safe and have fun,

Dean T

 

[68RCodeConv]

Lessons I've learned when sandblasting: (1) Use sand intended for sandblasting. Don't use the "sandbox sand" you can get at Home Depot. I buy "sand" (actually it's coal slag) from a sandblasting place that is the consistency of sugar. It leaves a nice finish and doesn't clog your blaster. (2) Clean the grease and oil from the object you are blasting. You'll waste a lot of sand blasting off accumlated grime. Take the part to a car wash and get all the greasy gunk off of it. (3) Buy a sheet of 1/8" plexiglass and make yourself a lot of new face shields. Face shields get hazy real quick and you can't see what you are doing. (4) You're gonna beat up your compressor. Put a box fan next to the compressor to help keep it cool. (5) Experiment with different air pressures and sand flow. I use about 60-80 PSI. (6) I don't recover my sand. I just set up in the back yard and let it go. Sand is cheap and it gets full of the junk you just blasted off. (7) "Wet" air is the enemy. It will clog your blaster and you will have to disassemble the mixing valve to clear it. I made a water separator out of a big ice chest filled with ice water, an extra 50' of air hose, and a big U-shaped pipe with air hose quick-connects on each end. Immerse the pipe and the 50' of air hose in the ice water. The moisture in the air will condense in the hose and get trapped in the U-shaped pipe. In Houston my system gets wet and clogs after about 30 minutes of blasting if I don't use this homemade water separator. I tried the inline water separators and they did not work very well. (8) After blasting a part, blow off the excess sand, wipe it with lacquer thinner, and paint it. You will be shocked at how much bare metal will rust in 24 hours. All that said, you are going to love that blaster. It has saved me innumerable hours of work and it leaves a great, rust-free finish.