What is the best place to buy a bead blaster?

[Vref]

What is the best place to buy a bead blaster? and what brand name would you recommend?

 

[Ken]

Have you checked out Eastwood Company yet?

 

[Vref]

Nope. I will now, any other recommendations?

 

[Mac]

Have you checked out Harbor Freight Tools?

-Mac

 

[ChuckG]

TIP in Ohio. Chuck

 

[IH2LOSE]

TIP in Ohio. Chuck

http://www.tptools.com/prod_list_display.asp?dept%5Fid=L1%7E53&dept%5Fname%5Fp=Abrasive+Blasting+Cabinets&mscssid=FF9F01DVKD5K9GHML4SP5XW7FK7G0WT5


Couple things I know about a blasting cabinet,


If you do any mecanical work on anything,once you get one you will wonder how you ever lived with out it,


Most importantly you need a high CFM compressor to actually use the blast cabinet effectively.

Next is cabinet size,When you hold a small part in you hand,you will think ,this will fit in the small bench blaster.But the problem is that the blaster gun is at least 4" long and you have to keep it at least an inch from you part ,Also if you are able to fit your part in,and have enough for the blaster gun to be away from your part, you find that the media bounces off of the part and hits the plexiglass window scrathing the finish so you cant see thru it ..

Some of you know I am working on the 62,one of the first things I was gong to upgrade to the bigger blast cabinet (pictured at the top of the tptools page)

But with my really cramped garage I decided to stick with my medium sized cabinet for now and send out all of my parts to a local sand blaster.He charges about $ 20.00 a milk crate for parts.So keep that in mind as an option.

For sure Gauranteed,Once I get a bigger garage the first thing I will purchase is that Bigger Blast cabinet

 

[JonM]

Here is a cabinet for 199.99 ...I am assuming you want to do small parts.

http://www.cumminstools.com/browse.cfm/4,1102.html

 

[ChuckG]

I have a TP cabinet. The cabinet I have isn't listed on TIP aka TP's site. I've had it for years. It's about the size of the benchtop, but looks like the bigger models. I can easily get parts for it from them via catalog or at Carlisle.

Get the biggest that will fit. For example: I use mine a lot. I can physically fit a wheel in it, BUT it's really too small to maneuver around to get the job done.

Also...you need LOTS of air. A little "putt putt" compressor won't do it, no matter what anyone says. I have an 80 gallon 2 stage upright Industrial Air that provides plenty of air. You need LOTS of CFM (cubic feet per minute) at a high pressure (80-100PSI) to blast effectively. Chuck

 

[John Mcgraw]

I also have a cabinet from TP tools and have owned it for over 6 years. I am very pleased with its performance and the way it has held up. It is the model 960 and is lagre enough to get almost any part I need to do inside it. It is really nice to be able to put large parts like wheels in it to clean. It has the recovery unit with it that is equiped with a HEPA filter. If you do not have such a recovery system on the unit you select. then be sure to vent the exhaust of the vac outside. The products of the glass beads breaking down is very bad to inhale. Silica will go right through most filters and the exhaust should not be directed into a closed garage. I agree on the compressor size comments. The compressor size requirements are pretty much the same regardless of cabinet size since all the guns are the same size. A full 5 hp compressor that is capable of around 15 cfm @ 90 psi should be considered pretty much the minimum. You can nozzel the guns down to work with less volume, but the progress will be so slow that you will get frustrated!


Regards, John McGraw

 

[Vref]

I want to do a fan shroud, radiator support, fan, bolts, and whatever else I can get into it?


Thinking about this one; but I just don't know.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=2497284863&category=43986

I am looking for all the pitfalls and advice on the buying one of these puppies. I got the size thing, Do they put out alot of dust, or are they clean? What is the vacuum attachment for? Why are the $800 ones better than the $250 ones.

I've got a 5.5hp 30 gallon compressor I think that should be sufficent.

 

[Ron Miller]

I want to do a fan shroud, radiator support, fan, bolts, and whatever else I can get into it?


Thinking about this one; but I just don't know.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=2497284863&category=43986

I am looking for all the pitfalls and advice on the buying one of these puppies. I got the size thing, Do they put out alot of dust, or are they clean? What is the vacuum attachment for? Why are the $800 ones better than the $250 ones.

I've got a 5.5hp 30 gallon compressor I think that should be sufficent.

Based on my experience, you'll have problems doing a fan shroud or radiator support in that one. You may be able to physically get it into the cabinet, but you'll have no room to work, got to be able to get the nozzle back away from and to get around the piece you're working on. Also, should be able to turn the piece your're working on. That one will be hard pressed to conveniently do anything much larger than an item about a foot to 18 inches square, in my opinion.

The vacuum attachment is to remove the dust from the cabinet that is created as you blast. Larger more expensive cabinets often have built-in fans or attachments for this.


My $0.02

 

[John Mcgraw]

Yea, They put out a lot of dust inside the cabinet. That is what the vac is for it pulls out the dust while pulling in fresh air so you can see what you are doing. Without a Vac unit, it gets so dusty inside that you can not see what you are doing. Lighting is also important, You want a unit that has a good flood light inside. I have used ones with florescent lights, and they are hard to see in. You just can't beat the power of a halogen flood for cutting through the fog! The vac will also keep the dust from everything you blast off plus the broken down glassbeads from accumulating in the cabinet. They are light enough that the vac will pull them away, making your beads last longer.

Your 30 gallon unit may be too small without putting a smaller nozzel in the gun. There are a lot of compressor makers that just flat out lie about the hp of their units. They talk in terms of peak horsepower, which really means nothing. The truth of the matter is, you cannot run a motor larger than 2 hp on 110 V power, but I see compressors all over the place claiming 6 hp, and yet the still have a 110 V cord on them. 1 hp = 746 watts, and 1600- 1700 watts is about all you can run on a 20 amp 110 Volt circut without tripping the circut. The best indication of a compressor's ability is its SCFM rating and at what pressure. A blast cabinet will really need close to 15 SCFM @90 psi to really work well. There are a lot of compressors that have a pretty high SCFM number, but it is @40 psi or so. This type of compressor is a single stage compressor, and flows well at low pressures, but falls on its face at high pressures. This kind of compressor is fine for running paint guns and other low pressure tools, but is not a good choice for high pressure tools like the blast cabinet or a grinder. A 2 stage compressor will make almost the same volume at high pessure that it does at low pressure, is therefore a better candidate. Unfortunately, thear are alot of snake oil salesmen out there when it comes to compressors, but if you compare using the SCFM and @ psi , you cant go too wrong. This type of compressor will usually require a 220 V circut of 20- 30 amps.

Regards, John McGraw

 

[ChuckG]

That cabinet is 33 1/2 x 22 x 18. IMHO, too small to even fit a fan shroud and radiator support, let alone be able to blast it. It's bigger than the one I have. Wish I had room for a huge one.

Also, listen the the other "voices of wisdom" about compressors. You just cannot run a sand blaster or glass bead cabinet on a 110V single stage 5HP compressor. The smaller compressors will provide 90+ PSI, but not enough "air" (cubic feet per minute) at that pressure.

You also must have a vacuum source to remove the dust from the cabinet. Otherwise you cannot see. Some of the cheaper cabinets tell you to hook your "Shop Vac" up to it. Others, like my TP have a huge cylindrical vaccum. Chuck

 

[Vref]

OK sound good. I think I will have these parts blasted with someone who has the industrial size bead blaster and continue the hunt for a small parts bead blaster, since I am running 110v.


Thanks

 

[Mikey1]

That's the way we do it as well....small parts is our business.....as you will not be able to pay for the time that bead blasting some screws will cost....

...all the rest of the bigger parts goes to professionals.

Biggest part to do on my own was actually the exhaust manifolds.