Blasting Cabinet

[Doodle Bugger]

Does anyone here have a blasting cabinet setup? I have always just sent all of my stuff out to be media blasted when needed but I am interested in possibly buying my own setup.

I would not get a cabinet big enough for blasting a frame, but one that could handle just about anything else (big cabinets are very expensive as are most quality cabinets, it seems). Of course they all need a big air compressor (which I also don't have) and which would require a substantial investment.

Anyway, if you've got one I am curious which one, if it leaks (or if you have a dust collector), what the CFM requirements are, and what compressor you're running it with. I'm also curious what type of media you're using and why.

[Ricks]

I have a TP Tools 780-TL.  I have had it for many years.  It does leak a little, but not much.  When I first got it, before I ever used it, I used a couple tubes of seam sealer to seal it up as tight as I could.  I also added a 2nd light, that made a big difference.

Spend the extra money when you buy a cabinet and get a carbide nozzle. I know they are expensive, but mine has lasted for years. It comes with a ceramic nozzle, and they wear out very quickly.

I had a 20 year old Devilbis 5 hp, single stage, 60 gallon compressor when I got the cabinet, and it lasted about another 3 years before throwing a rod!  I replaced it with a much higher quality Quincy 5 hp single stage, 60 gallon with a cast iron, Made in the USA pump.  It is enough for what I do, but if you are planning to do a lot of blasting, I would go 2 stage. You can never have too much air volume!

Whatever you do, do NOT use SAND! It will kill you slowly.  I like Skat Magic, which is a type of crushed glass .  I like it as it cleans faster than glass bead, and leaves a nice finish ready for paint.

As for a dust collector, I just use a 20 gallon shop vac with a good filter, which I clean often.  One of these days I will invest in a real cabinet vacuum, as I think it will save material in the long run.

One more thing, wear hearing protection.  Between the compressor and the vac, it is loud.

[oil-lamp]

If you get a cabinet get it with the light on the outside of the blast zone. That way it's not in your way and easier to swap glass out.
This is internal and I kept hitting it with the rims.

[Ricks]

Reese, is that a harbor freight cabinet?  What do you use for dust collection?

[oil-lamp]

I don't really know where it came from. This one belongs to a friend from church and he had two of them. This one was set up with the big filter bag type of dust collector you would have in a woodworking shop. He was trying to sell it to me so he could set the other cabinet with the light set outside of the blast zone. It was just big enough to do rims and was a little tight but workable. 

[Doodle Bugger]

The cabinets that you mentioned, Rick, the "Skat Blast" models from TP tools are on my short list. I'm also looking at a Trinco cabinet that I like that includes a dust collector with it. It's their smallest model, the Model 20, but it's a high quality unit. I have seen and tried the HF and Eastwood Units (same cabinet, different paint) and can tell you they are a nightmare to put together and they leak badly and need some significant modifications to work well.

I'm with you on the carbide tips. I'd rather do that than constantly have to deal with the ceramic ones that wear quickly.

It seems like they ALL leak a little as everyone I've talked to about any cabinet says they went through it and sealed the seams up before they used it or after the first time they used it and realized there was dust and media leaking out from everywhere. I guess it's just the way it is with them, but I really want to avoid it as much as I possibly can. A lot of guys seem to use shop vacs but also have a dust deputy / cyclone system that is a water trap setup. Some absolutely swear by it and say it solved all of their dust problems.

Media wise, the plan is to use walnut shells and experiment with crushed glass, steel grit, etc. It's kind of a pain to switch media in a single cabinet as you'll NEVER get all of the previous type completely out, but it's theoretically possible. I do know about not using sand. Silicosis is serious stuff and CAN kill you. Definitely not worth using a sand (silica) product of any sort!

The biggest issue for me is that my current compressor just isn't going to cut it for running a blast cabinet of any sort  regardless of which exact cabinet I get. That means that in my case the cost of entry is high as getting roughly 14 cfm (a fairly often quoted CFM figure as a blast cabinet requirement) means a compressor of around 5hp which also means they are 230v. Such compressors are not cheap: $1300 is about the entry level price for these.

If I spend $1300 + freight (!!!) on a compressor and then another $600-800 (Skat Blast 780 with their dust collector is $799) on a quality blast cabinet with dust collection system, I've invested in the neighborhood of $2,000 plus I have to pay freight and then get it my place setup for 230v. I know that I can certainly use an air compressor for more than running a blast cabinet, but I have a smaller compressor already that can do all that stuff: tires, blow gun, some air tools, etc. And I can farm out a TON of blasting for $2,000+ so I'm still not sure what I want to do. I'd love to have one, but I don't know if it's justifiable in my case...

I shall continue to think about it, I suppose.   

[Ricks]

The only thing that stopped me from getting a bigger compressor was weight.  I have my compressor in the basement, and it has to go down a set of stairs.  Too cold here to keep in the garage during the winter months, as the airlines can freeze up.  

I couldn't work without a decent size compressor, I would hate having to wait for it to catch up.

I would find it a pain in the ass to have to bring my stuff to someone else to do my blasting. I can't count the number of times I am working on something and I run over to the blast cabinet to clean it up before proceeding on with the job.  It is one of those things that you don't know how often you will use it until you have one!

[oil-lamp]

Well I suggest y'all need to look at Northern Tool they have free shipping most of the time. As far as weight I just got one and had to remove the motor and compressor to get it into my barn. If you have a small compressor try adding extra tanks for storage. That will help with blasting time. I've got a stock trailer to rebuild and will be blasting outside this winter. Happy dance...

[Doodle Bugger]

Well I suggest y'all need to look at Northern Tool they have free shipping most of the time.

Yep, I will likely buy through them for a compressor if I do it. They offer the best prices on the units I'm looking at plus the free shipping makes them tough to beat. There are stores in my area, too, should local support be necessary for some reason.

I'm still thinking about it.

Thanks for all of the input!

[oil-lamp]

If you get the upright model just remember that it is top heavy and will need to be bolted in place.  If you have plenty of room I prefer the horizontal model over vertical just for stability.

[Ricks]

If you get the upright model just remember that it is top heavy and will need to be bolted in place.  If you have plenty of room I prefer the horizontal model over vertical just for stability.

I have had a vertical model for 25 years and have never had it bolted down, per se.  I have it bolted to the wood pallet that my original one came on.  The base is around 2' x 2' and is very stable.

[oil-lamp]

Well that would keep it stable but if you remove it from the pallet it gets a little hard to handle. When I got mine the bed of my truck was full of stuff and I had to put it in a stock trailer I was pulling. It would not fit in it on the pallet so I strapped it down in the upright position and drove it 40 miles back home. Then disassemble it to take it into the barn. Boy was that fun.