Sandblaster

[Brockport Bill 1,661]

heres a 37 s.d. I owned originally since 1989 I had blasted professionally 

[ebinmaine 67,454]

4 hours ago, oliver2-44 said:

Im going to give a different option on some of these comments

Now ya see..... That right there is one o the things that makes this site so excellent.  

 

Several of us giving several versions of our life experiences and how we all solve an issue.  

 

Excellent.  

 

 

 

14 minutes ago, Brockport Bill said:

thanks for all the comments - - very informative --

 

Absolutely agreed.   

[squonk 41,079]

Biggest thing I found with hiring somebody to do it is  that there are not many guys that do it so they are usually busy and how long will it take for you to get the parts back.

[Thatoneguy 197]

A guy told me he has heard of people putting a tarp like background for an open blaster and then you can reuse the blast material and it is not wasted. Has anyone had experience with this or heard of it? 

[Sailman 1,291]

I purchased the HF model a few years back but have not acquired the space yet to put it together ....but I have saved some $$ from what they cost now.

Here is what I have done for small jobs. Might not be for you but works for me. HF sells a small hand held unit, 18 oz I think for about $30. https://www.harborfreight.com/18-oz-portable-sand-blaster-gun-kit-59490.html?_br_psugg_q=sand+blaster+kit.

Then I picked up 2 - 50# bags of "glass media" on sale from Northern Tools. I do it outside with eye protection and mask.

It's messy but with a 20 gal, 135 PSI set at 90PSI I can run a full gun before needing to recharge. By the time I refill the gun I have more air ready so it doesn't take too long. Uses a lot of media but its cheap. Like I said ....not for everyone.

 

[oliver2-44 9,742]

5 hours ago, mower said:

A guy told me he has heard of people putting a tarp like background for an open blaster and then you can reuse the blast material and it is not wasted. Has anyone had experience with this or heard of it? 

about 20 years ago (before I had even heard of a Wheelhorse) I redid a Suzuci TC90 trail bike with my son.  Blasted in a box made from a sheet of plywood on the ground and a tarp around it. 

Use some coarse screen wire or a wire mesh vegetable colander from Goodwill to screen the media as you reuse it.    

[squonk 41,079]

Wheel out of the vinegar bath after the electrolysis tank. Wire wheeled a few nooks and crannies.

 

then primed.

 

 

Edited July 20, 2023 by squonk

[Thatoneguy 197]

26 minutes ago, squonk said:

Wheel out of the vinegar bath after the electrolysis tank. Wire wheeled a few nooks and crannies.

 

then primed.

 

 

That is looking good! 

[ineedanother 1,369]

1 hour ago, squonk said:

Wheel out of the vinegar bath after the electrolysis tank. Wire wheeled a few nooks and crannies. then primed.

 Soooo much better than sandblasting IMO. I don't even go the vinegar route at all anymore. I don't see the need and really don't want to deal with the leftover vinegar.

[squonk 41,079]

I use the vinegar to kill weeds. 

[Thatoneguy 197]

I cut a water bottle in half and put the spray nozzle thru the water bottle spout and tape it on and you can spot treat weeds around the flowers and flower beds 

[Damien Walker 246]

Just thought I'd add my two-penneth.....

 

There's no substitute for blasting in my experience. It is essential to properly clean the metal (rust pits etc) and it also gives an excellent finish for the paint to adhere to.

 

Blasting is very tedious!

 

Blasting is very dirty and produces a lot of dust and filth! Best to not have your blaster in your workshop next to the lathe or the tractor.

 

i generally use glass beads as the media - avoid silica sand - there are serious health risks (silicosis) if you breath in the dust.

 

Wise to wear a face mask even if using a blasting cabinet as they can leak fine dust and you don't want to breath that in regardless of what media you are using.

 

I have a Harbour Freight type of cabinet (as shown in an earlier response in this thread) and it is about big enough to blast a rear wheel. You need room to wield the blast gun, so whilst the cabinet may technically be big enough to hold an item, it's no use if you can't pull the gun back far enough to be able to target the surface.

 

Dust extraction and separation is essential (mine requires improvement). I have fitted better lights but be careful punching holes in the outer casing due to the inevitable escape of dust.

 

Modern stuff is powder coated which is VERY tough and generally just laughs at the blaster, meaning a blast session can be very inefficient. The way forward with powder coat then is to burn it....attack it with a gas blow lamp and get it to the point where it is boiling and beginning  to char and it will blast off much more easily. 

 

I take large items to the professionals. A local company have an oven set up to burn (and not over heat the metal) and then blast the remainder off. Professionals obviously get an excellent finish for no effort from me and it is not too expensive over here. I think I paid £125 for my 518H bonnet, fender and rear wheels. (I did the front wheels myself). I made a new 36" deck shell (not Wheelhorse sorry!) and that cost £90 to blast and powder coat......and I think it was worth it.

 

I also have a blast pot for external blasting (purchased for cleaning brickwork in fact) but you really do need serious protective clothing and breathing apparatus. It is impossible to stay out of the rebound zone as the media sprays in all directions. If you have proper protective clothing ie heavy overalls with a built-in/sealed hood then be prepared for long sweaty hours...it is a very unpleasant environment. Large plastic sheets laid down will collect the mess. I purchased a cheap plastic sheet gazebo which was nominally successful at containing the mess, but I didn't have proper protective clothing....so this project did not last long!

 

So, in summary: large items to the professionals, do small items yourself (pulleys, pedals, brackets etc), blasting is essential and I would add that powder coating is excellent too if you store your machine inside. I have just restored the axle mount dual pulley for the Quiet Collector on my 520LXI in about an hour....blasting took around 30mins, zinc loaded undercoat powder 15mins, top coat 15mins (done hot). Ok so it takes another 30mins to cool down, but I went and had dinner and it was cool enough to fit the bearings and reassemble in that time.  The only real issue with powder coat is the availability of the correct colours.....

 

I thoroughly recommend blasting, but you need to set it up properly..

[Thatoneguy 197]

1 hour ago, Damien Walker said:

Just thought I'd add my two-penneth.....

 

There's no substitute for blasting in my experience. It is essential to properly clean the metal (rust pits etc) and it also gives an excellent finish for the paint to adhere to.

 

Blasting is very tedious!

 

Blasting is very dirty and produces a lot of dust and filth! Best to not have your blaster in your workshop next to the lathe or the tractor.

 

i generally use glass beads as the media - avoid silica sand - there are serious health risks (silicosis) if you breath in the dust.

 

Wise to wear a face mask even if using a blasting cabinet as they can leak fine dust and you don't want to breath that in regardless of what media you are using.

 

I have a Harbour Freight type of cabinet (as shown in an earlier response in this thread) and it is about big enough to blast a rear wheel. You need room to wield the blast gun, so whilst the cabinet may technically be big enough to hold an item, it's no use if you can't pull the gun back far enough to be able to target the surface.

 

Dust extraction and separation is essential (mine requires improvement). I have fitted better lights but be careful punching holes in the outer casing due to the inevitable escape of dust.

 

Modern stuff is powder coated which is VERY tough and generally just laughs at the blaster, meaning a blast session can be very inefficient. The way forward with powder coat then is to burn it....attack it with a gas blow lamp and get it to the point where it is boiling and beginning  to char and it will blast off much more easily. 

 

I take large items to the professionals. A local company have an oven set up to burn (and not over heat the metal) and then blast the remainder off. Professionals obviously get an excellent finish for no effort from me and it is not too expensive over here. I think I paid £125 for my 518H bonnet, fender and rear wheels. (I did the front wheels myself). I made a new 36" deck shell (not Wheelhorse sorry!) and that cost £90 to blast and powder coat......and I think it was worth it.

 

I also have a blast pot for external blasting (purchased for cleaning brickwork in fact) but you really do need serious protective clothing and breathing apparatus. It is impossible to stay out of the rebound zone as the media sprays in all directions. If you have proper protective clothing ie heavy overalls with a built-in/sealed hood then be prepared for long sweaty hours...it is a very unpleasant environment. Large plastic sheets laid down will collect the mess. I purchased a cheap plastic sheet gazebo which was nominally successful at containing the mess, but I didn't have proper protective clothing....so this project did not last long!

 

So, in summary: large items to the professionals, do small items yourself (pulleys, pedals, brackets etc), blasting is essential and I would add that powder coating is excellent too if you store your machine inside. I have just restored the axle mount dual pulley for the Quiet Collector on my 520LXI in about an hour....blasting took around 30mins, zinc loaded undercoat powder 15mins, top coat 15mins (done hot). Ok so it takes another 30mins to cool down, but I went and had dinner and it was cool enough to fit the bearings and reassemble in that time.  The only real issue with powder coat is the availability of the correct colours.....

 

I thoroughly recommend blasting, but you need to set it up properly..

I talk to 2 people yesterday and one wanted 150$\hr and the other wanted 130$\hr. How am I to know that it takes 40 mins or 3 hours??  At that rate at least! 

[Damien Walker 246]

20 minutes ago, mower said:

I talk to 2 people yesterday and one wanted 150$\hr and the other wanted 130$\hr. How am I to know that it takes 40 mins or 3 hours??  At that rate at least! 

I have been lucky that the pros that I have used, quote for the job and not their hourly rate. One company definitely has a minimum charge too (£40) so it's not economic to get small things done professionally. All I can suggest is that you try asking them to quote for the job and see what they say. Good luck!