Sand Blaster Recommendations
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 425
Likes: 3
From: Jefferson City Missouri
Sand Blaster Recommendations
I'm looking for a good sand blaster. I'm not looking to do high volume heavy duty work, just something that works well at home in the garage that doesn't eat up too much room. I have plenty of air volume, 80 gal 220vac.
Do most of you blast in the open and let the sand go, or do you have a recovery type set up?
Do most of you blast in the open and let the sand go, or do you have a recovery type set up?
Pro
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 572
Likes: 61
Depending on what size the parts are that you are blasting you can buy a small blast cabinet from places like Harbor Freight for not a lot of money. They also carry stand alone blasters but that can be quite a mess. Do a search online and you can see what others have done. Some people use tarps or plastic in their garage and make a sort of home made blasting booth.
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 4,458
Likes: 331
From: Indy Indiana
I got a hand blaster.. kind of looks like a paint gun that I use for small jobs.. less than a minute or 2 that I just take outside.. if you are using special media where you want re-usability of the media such as glass beads or walnut shells, then you want a closed in cabinet so you can recover media and reuse.
my sandblasting cabinet has a big footprint in the garage and takes up a lot of space for a tool I have not used in 2 years.. and about 5 years before that.
my sandblasting cabinet has a big footprint in the garage and takes up a lot of space for a tool I have not used in 2 years.. and about 5 years before that.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 912
Likes: 47
From: Kansas City MO
Got my "Skat Blast" cabinet from tptools in Ohio. Absolutely love it. Ended up purchasing an extension that mounted to the left side of the cabinet so I could get some larger crossmembers, etc. in it. They are a little bit on the pricey side, but well worth it. Check them out on the web...
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 237
Likes: 0
From: Indianapolis Indiana
diy option. Step one, find an oven rack that you like. Step two, build to suite. Not as fancy as the ones above but it works. The blaster is an old gravity one by I think Speedaire. Bucket sits on top and abrasive hose runs into cabinet along with air. You can't see it but there's an old fan in the wall of the cabinet that then goes out of the barn via tubing and out into the grass. Gravity systems can get frustrating thought if 1. your air isn't dry and 2. if it's humid out.
Sorry, can't find a better picture of the blaster. Basically a tub of sand with an outlet at the bottom, tube, and a gun.
Pretty jank, but it's what I've been using.
Mike
Sorry, can't find a better picture of the blaster. Basically a tub of sand with an outlet at the bottom, tube, and a gun.
Pretty jank, but it's what I've been using.
Mike
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Racer
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 337
Likes: 1
From: Clyde Ohio
I have one from Tractor Supply and it works nice, need the vac system though. I use glass bead for that and used silica in a pressure tank outside. Interesting fact, can't buy the silica sand anymore in this part of Ohio. We have a local sand blasting Co. that had to switch to glass bead also, they have a mountain of the stuff outside, take a 5 gal. bucket or pickup out there and you can have all their leftovers for free.
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,832
Likes: 38
From: Cedar,BC
We have a place locally called Blast-it!.Cabinets are set up with media of your choice,bring a bucket of parts and blast away by the hour,they also have a Jet-Wash machine for greasy stuff.No worries about damp air,compressors that can't keep up,filling up your shop with toxic airbourne abrasives or that big box that sits idle for in its huge footprint for most of the year.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 997
Likes: 210
From: Schaumburg IL
We have a place locally called Blast-it!.Cabinets are set up with media of your choice,bring a bucket of parts and blast away by the hour,they also have a Jet-Wash machine for greasy stuff.No worries about damp air,compressors that can't keep up,filling up your shop with toxic airbourne abrasives or that big box that sits idle for in its huge footprint for most of the year.
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 4,458
Likes: 331
From: Indy Indiana
We have a place locally called Blast-it!.Cabinets are set up with media of your choice,bring a bucket of parts and blast away by the hour,they also have a Jet-Wash machine for greasy stuff.No worries about damp air,compressors that can't keep up,filling up your shop with toxic airbourne abrasives or that big box that sits idle for in its huge footprint for most of the year.
things like this just don't happen in America any more. At least not for long. I guess you try to make as much money as you can before you get sued, then go out of business.
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 103
Likes: 2
From: Eastern Shore MD
I would suggest the Eastwood-Master Blaster. I purchased on about 15 months ago. Blasted my whole frame during my current restoration. Blasted the whole body since it has the capability of soda blasting too. Pretty nice setup for the $.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 802
Likes: 1
1) Plastic window gets etched pretty fast and is difficult to see through. You can replace the window with the stick on windows that help. But what I ended up doing is going to Micheals crafts and buying a roll of plastic film used for wrapping flowers. I modified the top door hinge so I mounted the roll behind the cabinet, then feed the plastic film under the door towards the front, then over the front edge of the door and then on top of the door. As this film gets etched, I just pull out more film from the roll and discard the used film.
2) Threw out the HB gun and bought a better gun.
3) Removed the grate inside the cabinet. I bought a small sieve from a kitchen store in case I lost a part in the sand.
4) Added 2 trouble shooting LED lights. One gives too many shadows.
5) Drilled out a 4 inch hole in the side and replaced with a plastic gate used in sawdust removal systems. If I need to do a long part, I open the gate, stick the part through, plug up the rest of the hole with rags and do one side of the part at a time.
Steve L
73 coupe since new
2026 Loser of the Year
Joined: Sep 2013
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From: New Or-leens Loo-z-anna
This $120 unit sits on your work bench....good for trailing arms/contol arms/differentials/smaller parts....but you will need to buy the gravity-feed-kit and a light kit.....
Their better stand-alone cabinet cost $110 more.
Larger cabinets with included accessories save you time and trouble from having to locate/buy everything that you will need.
Their better stand-alone cabinet cost $110 more.
Larger cabinets with included accessories save you time and trouble from having to locate/buy everything that you will need.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 5,381
Likes: 416
From: N J
I have the unit DG is showing above and it works great for what I need it for. Use one of their 20% off tickets and you just cant go wrong for the $$$..
I took the tray out, to be able to bury the pickup tube every now and then. Also I have a supply of clear plastic, one side adhesive sheets from Michael's crafts stores. Pop the glass, and stick on new sheets when needed, plug in the shop vac and you are good to go.
I use the glass beads, not sand. They work well.
Edit:
Put one of these in too, ya be surprised how much water it traps.
I took the tray out, to be able to bury the pickup tube every now and then. Also I have a supply of clear plastic, one side adhesive sheets from Michael's crafts stores. Pop the glass, and stick on new sheets when needed, plug in the shop vac and you are good to go.
I use the glass beads, not sand. They work well.
Edit:
Put one of these in too, ya be surprised how much water it traps.
Last edited by John 65; May 13, 2014 at 06:00 PM.