how do you sandblast cheaply ?
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 789
Likes: 0
From: East Providence RI
how do you sandblast cheaply ?
I'm talking like... frames, engine bays, floor pans, metal stuff...
I tried to use playground sand, but it just clogs way too much...
and the silica sand is just too expensive for me right now...
I'm not a cheap person, I just don't have the money as it is...
any ideas ?
Thanks
I tried to use playground sand, but it just clogs way too much...
and the silica sand is just too expensive for me right now...
I'm not a cheap person, I just don't have the money as it is...
any ideas ?
Thanks
Intermediate
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 37
Likes: 0
From: Schaumburg IL
Re: how do you sandblast cheaply ? (Anar76)
Anar,
Did you make sure your sand is dry? If there is moisture in it, it will clog any sandblast gun. I just got through sandblasting my grandsons minibike frame and the only concern I had was overworking the air compressor. I bought play sand and spread it out on a concrete driveway and let it dry in the sun. I then swept it up and put it in a bucket with my pickup hose and I was ready to go. I also bought a clear plastic drop cloth, put it over the frame and sandblast gun with a couple bricks to keep the edges down and held the gun through the plastic. That way I was able to see what I was blasting through the plastic and not get the sand all over me. Its a little awkward to use but after all, how often do you need to sandblast?
Good Luck,
Mike
Did you make sure your sand is dry? If there is moisture in it, it will clog any sandblast gun. I just got through sandblasting my grandsons minibike frame and the only concern I had was overworking the air compressor. I bought play sand and spread it out on a concrete driveway and let it dry in the sun. I then swept it up and put it in a bucket with my pickup hose and I was ready to go. I also bought a clear plastic drop cloth, put it over the frame and sandblast gun with a couple bricks to keep the edges down and held the gun through the plastic. That way I was able to see what I was blasting through the plastic and not get the sand all over me. Its a little awkward to use but after all, how often do you need to sandblast?
Good Luck,
Mike
Racer
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 267
Likes: 0
From: Seattle, WA USA
Re: how do you sandblast cheaply ? (Anar76)
Use what machine shops use - boring bar shavings. Try to make sure they are mostly cast iron though; aluminum shavings don't cut as well and they tend to coat whatever you're blasting with aluminum dust. If nobody near you has a shop with a boring bar, try looking for a place that turns brake drums.
You might want to consider using baking soda if you're prepping for paint. It does a great job and won't harm base metal. (do NOT get it on your lawn though...it will turn brown for months. :))
You might want to consider using baking soda if you're prepping for paint. It does a great job and won't harm base metal. (do NOT get it on your lawn though...it will turn brown for months. :))
Race Director
Joined: Apr 1999
Posts: 10,866
Likes: 717
From: Beverly Hills/Pine Ridge Florida
Re: how do you sandblast cheaply ? (soundguy)
Playground sand is too wet, and the "particles" of not of uniform size. Blasting sand comes in different "grits" and is bone dry, which prevents the clogging you describe. You could make up a temporary blasting booth using 2x4's and some plastic drop cloths. That way you could re-cycle some if not most of the sand. A pressure blaster works WAY better than a syphon blaster. Either way, it's a hot, miserable job. You'll have sand in every orifice for days, even if you wear a hood, etc. Chuck
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 9,206
Likes: 17
From: Sewell NJ
Re: how do you sandblast cheaply ? (NK77)
Remember also that your air has to be dry. If you're not using a good moisture trap you will get clogs as water is passed through the air line. A good site to reference when setting up a sandblaster is TIP tools. They have a good piping diagram on this page: http://www.tptools.com/statictext/te...G64EFQ7SV00E1F
If you have a water trap on the discharge port of your compressor it's not going to be able to do it's job because the moisture won't have time to settle and be removed. Check out the site, it's got good info.
If you have a water trap on the discharge port of your compressor it's not going to be able to do it's job because the moisture won't have time to settle and be removed. Check out the site, it's got good info.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 1,188
Likes: 1
From: Saskatoon Saskatchewan Canada
Re: how do you sandblast cheaply ? (vettfixr)
Vettfixr your bang on with the dryer air. I installed a "Air Dryer " and what a difference when blasting, both the cabinet blaster and the pressure blaster both work way better with "DRY" air. :)
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Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 4,077
Likes: 27
From: Northeast South Dakota
Re: how do you sandblast cheaply ? (paso)
I get my sands at Menards for not much cash. They're like 3 bucks for a 50 pound bag. They have a product called "Black Blast", which is very aggressive and works great for heavily rusted pieces. For a more gentle effect I use silica sand.
