Blast media

[ineedanother 1,369]

I posted this earlier this evening in response to a search but it ended up in Tools and I doubt there's much traffic there and suspect that the experts are here anyway...

 

BLOT - My question is about blasting media for various applications

 

I've recently acquired one of the HF bench-top cabinets off CL and I have another syphon gun and a pressurized barrel of some sort that I used some time ago but I got these for certain tasks and really need to figure out the best way to use them for what's at hand.

 

I need to clean heavy angle (frame), cast (gear box, motor), and tins (hood and motor). I'll have a filter on my compressor this weekend knowing that moisture can be an issue and will be getting some media while I'm at it. I can push a fairly high CFM at 150 psi. I have couple grades of coal and some steel but know those won't be right for all of what I'm looking to do. Any advice on what to use where would be greatly appreciated. 

 

Thanks, my apologies with this being in another thread and I couldn't find it covered with a search but suspect it's been covered. I think a pinned, specific thread on this from the gurus might be useful to many of us.

 

 

[pacer 3,173]

OK, I just got my first cuppa ----  soooo

 

To cover your primary question ... Black Beauty blasting media in FINE (any coarser and you get clogging) I get it at TSC, $12-13 for 50lbs (fine is in plastic bag with RED labeling, It is coal slag.)

 

Now the bench top cabinet - unless they have changed it, its a bit of a pain - no, its a lot of pain! It was my first venture with blasting and I found these ... faults? No light and especially changing media is a REAL pain!! But otherwise it performs just like the bigger one -- which is WAAAY better. Next you HAVE to rig up some sort of dust recovery (vacuum) .... and LOTS of cfm!

 

I'm not too familiar with the stand alone, except it apparently wont perform very well "as is" There are dozens of videos on modifying it and from my impression I would think you would just about have to do them - serious problem with clogging.... and did I mention ... LOTS of cfm!

 

For large items I use a simple siphon gun with media in a 5 gal bucket, I've got a spot just outside my shop that has a hump in the ground from so many bags of media --- not really, but the dirt is certainly black!

 

Now, I must tell you that if you get as much use from blasting as I do .... well, youre probably gonna wanna get the big cabinet at HF. This unit is pretty well ready to go "as is" but, there are several fairly simple mods that can make it (you tube) that make it a really nice cabinet. ..... did I mention you have to have lots of cfm?

[ri702bill 8,327]

58 minutes ago, pacer said:

did I mention you have to have lots of cfm?

Oh yeah, those siphon guns consume a LOT of air. He have 2 - the big HF floor cabinet, we use the fine Black Beauty coal slag. Did a few of the video upgrades - the 2 most useful were to toss the supplied siphon gun and replace it with a domestic TPtools version. Did the shop vac dust extractor teamed up with the 5 gallon pail water trap filter inline in front of it.

Also have a TSC tabletop cabinet, basically the same as the HF version - we use glass bead in that for aluminum and light blasting.

Either one, you need to upgrade the lighting inside the cabinet - what is supplied is a joke.

Bill

Edited July 10, 2022 by ri702bill

[squonk 41,147]

If your serious about blasting, spend the extra cash and go to TP tools. No mods, better guns, better lights and better vacuums.

 

 

 

https://www.tptools.com/Abrasive-Blasting.html

[pacer 3,173]

4 minutes ago, ri702bill said:

 you need to upgrade the lighting inside the cabinet - what is supplied is a joke

 

Oh yes! I mentioned that but it dont hurt to stress that the lights are a joke. I went to big box and used one of the ... under cabinet lights, MUCH better! Even with a good vacuum system it can get pretty dim in there.

[rmaynard 15,509]

There are a lot of modification videos on YouTube for the large HF cabinet. Get a media metering valve to attach to the bottom, reverse the locations of the fresh air intake and vacuum hookup. Get a cyclone dust separator. It will save you lots of vacuum filters. Modify the viewing glass to be able to easily remove it. Get cheap glass cut to size and stop using the plexiglass that comes with it. Have glass on the outside and glass on the inside. Throw away the sticky edge plastic glass protectors. Abd most important, get better lighting. This may be a lot to absorb, but I'll get some pictures to show you how I did mine.

[oliver2-44 9,758]

Is this the barrel blaster you have?  Those kits are made near me.  I've seen them but never used one.

https://www.barrelblaster.com/

 

I built a cabinet that is a copy of a TP Tools cabinet and goy a gun from them.  I use Red Garnet media. its more expensive than coal slag, but i get more reuses out of it being its used it a cabinet,  Maybe a little less bust too.

I've also used recycled crushed glass.  I get it from a commercial blaster near me, about the same price as black beauty/coal slag. It cuts paint and light fast, but isn't as good on very heavy rust scale pitted stuff. Again its plus is a little less dust,  It last about as long as black beauty, maybe 3,4 recycles.

[ineedanother 1,369]

2 hours ago, pacer said:

OK, I just got my first cuppa ----  soooo

 

To cover your primary question ... Black Beauty blasting media in FINE (any coarser and you get clogging) I get it at TSC, $12-13 for 50lbs (fine is in plastic bag with RED labeling, It is coal slag.)

 

Good deal. I have some of that. If I recall correctly, I could only get the fine to work without clogging. The medium just wasn't consistent enough. I considered sifting it to get some use from the bag that I have.

[ineedanother 1,369]

2 hours ago, ri702bill said:

Oh yeah, those siphon guns consume a LOT of air.

 

Yeah man, I don't think that can be understated. I was using a 4 or 5 gallon 150 psi compressor when I first got some equipment and had a couple concerns. The compressor ran almost constantly and I had to stop fairly often just to give it a break and let the tank cool down. I have a 29 gallon 2hp unit now and I can't remember the exact cfms but it's pretty high and the dbs are really low, I think around 8 which will be a lot more tolerable than the smaller one.

[ineedanother 1,369]

2 hours ago, pacer said:

For large items I use a simple siphon gun with media in a 5 gal bucket, I've got a spot just outside my shop that has a hump in the ground from so many bags of media --- not really, but the dirt is certainly black!

 

 

Yep. I can't even remember what I was working on but it was fairly large so I have an old patio table with some sort of expanded metal top that works well. A spot in the back yard got noticeably darker within a few days. 

[ineedanother 1,369]

2 hours ago, rmaynard said:

There are a lot of modification videos on YouTube for the large HF cabinet. Get a media metering valve to attach to the bottom, reverse the locations of the fresh air intake and vacuum hookup. Get a cyclone dust separator. It will save you lots of vacuum filters. Modify the viewing glass to be able to easily remove it. Get cheap glass cut to size and stop using the plexiglass that comes with it. Have glass on the outside and glass on the inside. Throw away the sticky edge plastic glass protectors. Abd most important, get better lighting. This may be a lot to absorb, but I'll get some pictures to show you how I did mine.

 

I've seen a lot of the youtube videos for mods and I'll definitely be doing a few of those once I get it brought into the shop. The cabinet is the smaller bench-top unit from HF. A guy not far from here had gotten it and ended up moving before he ever used it. I think I paid $50 bucks for it. I would like to have the larger one but my shop is small and I just can't afford to give up that much space.

[ineedanother 1,369]

1 hour ago, oliver2-44 said:

Is this the barrel blaster you have?  Those kits are made near me.  I've seen them but never used one.

https://www.barrelblaster.com/

 

I built a cabinet that is a copy of a TP Tools cabinet and goy a gun from them.  I use Red Garnet media. its more expensive than coal slag, but i get more reuses out of it being its used it a cabinet,  Maybe a little less bust too.

I've also used recycled crushed glass.  I get it from a commercial blaster near me, about the same price as black beauty/coal slag. It cuts paint and light fast, but isn't as good on very heavy rust scale pitted stuff. Again its plus is a little less dust,  It last about as long as black beauty, maybe 3,4 recycles.

 

No, the barrel I'm talking about is pretty small and pushes the medial out the bottom with pressure rather than a syphon. Fine steel was about the only thing I can remember working very well without clogging but that stuff was so abrasive (and expensive) that I had to be careful not to destroy what I was working on. That's really the crux of my question here, I want to be able to remove paint and light rust without causing too much pitting and need for high-build primers or filler when it's time to paint. It sounds like coal slag might work best in the yard for large items and that or crushed glass in the cabinet for smaller stuff.

[ineedanother 1,369]

2 hours ago, squonk said:

If your serious about blasting, spend the extra cash and go to TP tools. No mods, better guns, better lights and better vacuums.

 

 

 

https://www.tptools.com/Abrasive-Blasting.html

Looks like a good source. I suspect I'll be upgrading certain pieces of what I have so I have this bookmarked 

[pacer 3,173]

5 minutes ago, ineedanother said:

compressor ran almost constantly and I had to stop fairly often just to give it a break

Yep, this is where CFM (cubic feet minute) come in - not only with the blasting but any of the many air tools need lots of CFM. Those smaller compressors are of course very nice for many things - spray paint and nailers come to mind. 

 

I have an 80 gal tank with a 5hp motor driving a two stage compressor putting out around 16 to 18 CFM. Running my cabinet or outside with the trigger being held at around 80-90 psi for many minutes at a time my compressor will run constantly, if I'm doing something where I am able to release the trigger often the compressor will cycle. I think you need around 12-13 CFM at a minimum to get good results, and, you can only get this with a two stage compressor.

 

I have done MANY a hood off a horse and that is probably the most likely to be affected by blasting and I have never seen any indication of that.....

[adsm08 2,067]

7 hours ago, pacer said:

Yep, this is where CFM (cubic feet minute) come in - not only with the blasting but any of the many air tools need lots of CFM. Those smaller compressors are of course very nice for many things - spray paint and nailers come to mind. 

 

I have an 80 gal tank with a 5hp motor driving a two stage compressor putting out around 16 to 18 CFM. Running my cabinet or outside with the trigger being held at around 80-90 psi for many minutes at a time my compressor will run constantly, if I'm doing something where I am able to release the trigger often the compressor will cycle. I think you need around 12-13 CFM at a minimum to get good results, and, you can only get this with a two stage compressor.

 

I have done MANY a hood off a horse and that is probably the most likely to be affected by blasting and I have never seen any indication of that.....

 

The spec sheet for my compressor says that it can flow about 12-13 CFM at 90 PSI, and I have found a few tools that will out run it, but I think I only have a 60 gallon tank.

 

The two that come to mind are an orbital sander and a die grinder. Doing my truck a few years back I was able to run so much air through my system with those two tools the air coming out was hot.

[pacer 3,173]

4 minutes ago, adsm08 said:

can flow about 12-13 CFM at 90 PSI, and I have found a few tools that will out run it,

Yeah, I think 12-13cfm is right on the 'ragged edge' of too little, probably 18-20 and up cfm would be more likely needed to run all the many variations and them perform to full usage.  But, we're talking about getting into some serious $$ there and most of the guys here are not likely to spring for that. I'm lucky there and got mine back when I had a side business that allowed me the $$ to spring for my big one.

 

You mentioned the sander and boy you arent kidding about that thing liking a LOT of air, mine will suck enough to not let the compressor cycle -- but geez that is one handy tool!

[adsm08 2,067]

1 hour ago, pacer said:

Yeah, I think 12-13cfm is right on the 'ragged edge' of too little, probably 18-20 and up cfm would be more likely needed to run all the many variations and them perform to full usage.  But, we're talking about getting into some serious $$ there and most of the guys here are not likely to spring for that. I'm lucky there and got mine back when I had a side business that allowed me the $$ to spring for my big one.

 

You mentioned the sander and boy you arent kidding about that thing liking a LOT of air, mine will suck enough to not let the compressor cycle -- but geez that is one handy tool!

 

Yeah. My shop-air setup was in it's infancy then. I don't think I even had a regulator on it.

 

And actually, I still don't. My high-pressure shut off is at 155. I have four hard-plumbed air drops. Three reels that are all run straight off the tank with a big water separator just before the first one. The fourth line runs to the hydro/pneumatic ram on my press and was regulated to 90 PSI, which is also the line I use for painting, since I can turn it down to 50 for the gun. That regulator broke recently and is now stuck wide open. Replacing it is going to be a pain because I didn't use any servicable unions on the line when I installed it, I got the last elbow about 1/2 turn from being good with the pipe flexed away from the wall, then installed the last horizontal run with the regulator and quick connect collar while it pointed away from the wall and then turned it in until it was where I wanted it.

 

Apparently at 2AM I stop thinking like a mechanic and start thinking like an engineer. "Eh, let's just get this together, it won't ever break and I'll never have to take it apart again." The rest of my hard lines contain a total of 10 shut-offs so if the iron pipe ever fails I can make repairs while disabling the smallest possible section of the system, but I didn't put any thought into the need to ever replace, or upgrade, an adjustable air regulator.

Edited July 11, 2022 by adsm08