Sand/bead blasting

[Moviefreak]

Hey everyone,

I hope someone can help with an answer to my questio:
WHat do I need to sand blast?

I know I need a cabinet, air gun and compressor, but what specs do I need on them? What size, psi, amps, etc...

Also, I heard if you do not ground the thing properly, you will get jolted. What is the best way to ground this?

Any advice on what equiptment to buy would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[fuelish]

You can get a cabinet/blast kit from Northern tool or Harbor freight. Just see what the spec is for the size cab you want to get a big enough compressor. You should be able to get (big enough)compressor that will run off 120. Just to be safe you should also get a respirator mask. Some of the blasting compounds are really hard on your lungs and it gets everywhere.

And, depending on what you are doing you might be able to use a two pound gun like this:

I have one of these and it is great for small jobs. I am going to build a recovery "tank" out of a plastic 60g barrel so I can catch and resue the media(The good stuff is $30-40 per 25 pounds)

 

[Zombie Killer]

Just so you know, there is no mask or filter that will filter out silica not even NBC gas masks.(don't ask how i know about the NBC masks...cough,cough) You either have to get an enclosed cabinet or a force air respirator. Do not play with sand in this instance as there is no way to remove it from your lungs and your body cannot expel it. It will mess you up.

The answer to your question, it depends. What are you blasting, how long will you be blasting for, your location (ie ambient temp, humidity) ? For example a small hand held jobber and a small sears compressor will work for a small piece for a little while but the more you use it the hotter the compressor gets the hotter the air gets which introduces moisture in the line which makes the sand clog and the fighting begins. I tried this way for car restoration and after a day of blasting/fighting in the NC heat i gave up. Every 5 min of blasting you have to wait at least that long for the compressor to build up pressure again and every 2min messing with clogged tips. I ended up getting an 80gal compressor and a pressurized blaster with a large array of tubing going all over my garage wall to cool the air and remove and moisture. Now i can blast that same days work in 1hr. and can blast non stop all day. This is probably overkill for you. I bought this for auto body/painting but it gives you something to ponder.

 

[BedlamX]

The grounding part is simple. Make sure you have a grounded receptacle (one with two flat holes and one more rounded hole) and that the gun has a grounded plug (again...3-pronged). Of course this is for a 110-120 VAC system. Your house "should" be wired for grounded receptacles, so it should not be a problem. If you are really worried about it, you can always clamp the main body (or any metal pices of the body) to a cold water line (which, again, should be grounded) or, if you can get to one, your house's ground rod (usually located outside and under the service disconnect/meter base).

 

[Moviefreak]

Thanks... this is all very helpful.

 

[Moviefreak]

I am maily doing small metal peices. Nothing larger than a toaster.

I do live in the Floria humidity, so I will have to factor that in.

What is the smalles gallon compressor I should consider?