Sand Blaster Guns

-
Car Nut

Car Nut

Mopar Master
Joined
Dec 28, 2018
Messages
11,922
Reaction score
58,776
Location
Earth
Has anybody used the sandblasting guns (gravity fed) and had good luck with them? I seen a good deal on one at Amazon. I figured I’d give it a try to blast small parts.

IMG_5849.jpeg
 
I was thinking of using it on the alt brackets, ps brackets, wp housing and the pulleys.
 
I have the small hand held one from HF. It works good, but it goes through media like a chicken head crack *****. I use mine for soda blasting the occasional carburetor.
 
Agree, it goes through media real fast.
Gets frustrating if you;re trying to do anything larger than a quarter sized spot.
...but can work well for that.
 
I think your needs are greater than these guns are capable of. These are meant for very small jobs. You can buy a cheap blasting cabinet for $125 and use sand.
 
Not a HF one.i made that mistake, and suffer with it daily. POS leaks more media out the cabinet corners than it consumes blasting
I brought that one to work, only use it for blasting brake caliper brackets where the pads ride and the anti rattle clips sit.....
 
^^Why can't you fix it?^^ I haven't looked at them, clean it out and RTV? Add patch sheet metal/ flashing to the outside?

The biggest problem I've found with most blasters is FEED. The medial is either humid or whatever, chokes up in the feed hose
 
I've got the 2nd largest HF cabinet.

Bought it used from a salvage yard.

Doesn't leak.
 
volaredon said:
Not a HF one.i made that mistake, and suffer with it daily. POS leaks more media out the cabinet corners than it consumes blasting
I brought that one to work, only use it for blasting brake caliper brackets where the pads ride and the anti rattle clips sit.....
Click to expand...
I use glass bead in my cabinet, with an upgraded blast gun. Way more efficient.
 
67Dart273 said:
^^Why can't you fix it?^^ I haven't looked at them, clean it out and RTV? Add patch sheet metal/ flashing to the outside?

The biggest problem I've found with most blasters is FEED. The medial is either humid or whatever, chokes up in the feed hose
Click to expand...
Glass bead, some guns plug up as the venturi/nozzle is too tight for media to pass through.
 
volaredon said:
Not a HF one.i made that mistake, and suffer with it daily. POS leaks more media out the cabinet corners than it consumes blasting
I brought that one to work, only use it for blasting brake caliper brackets where the pads ride and the anti rattle clips sit.....
Click to expand...
I think all cheap cabinets are barely usable without modifications because of constant plugging. I did the metering valve mod (see Youtube, etc.) and it was a massive improvement. I also only run about 1 1/2 cups of media in the cabinet which I dump through a drain plug after 15 minutes or so of blasting. It still leaks but that is what a shop vac and duct tape are for. :)

I still have a blasting pot and $20 siphone gun which I despise for items too large to put in the cabinet.
 
Never thought about that blast cabinet from Harbor freight.
 
I have used my HF blast cabinet for years, updated for better lighting, and changed the gun out for one from tractor supply, run about any type of media thru it. Best upgrade is to hook it up to vacuum.
My shop air runs thru 3 driers, so no moisture comes thru it.
 
volaredon said:
Not a HF one.i made that mistake, and suffer with it daily. POS leaks more media out the cabinet corners than it consumes blasting
I brought that one to work, only use it for blasting brake caliper brackets where the pads ride and the anti rattle clips sit.....
Click to expand...
Did you assemble it dry? If so, there's your mistake. I have a Summit brand cabinet and I sealed every single joint on the box with black RTV.
 
Mine is the next smaller, without the external sand outlet, and it needs to be table mounted.
Still can fit an intake manifold, though.

What I do when the siphon tube gets clogged with moist sand or debris, is simply pull the tube off the gun, and "back blast" the tube.
Works every time.

With that valve at the bottom, I'm a little concerned there's just more places for moist sand or debris to get stuck, and it would require a more powerful back blast to clear.

I agree the Tractor Supply gun, a better light, and a shop vac attachment make those cabinets WAY better, and still less than a non HF unit of the same size.
In fact, last time I checked, the saving was so great, you could buy two HF cabs and bolt them together to get a longer one you could fit an axle in for the same price.
 
Last edited:
sireland67 said:
I have used my HF blast cabinet for years, updated for better lighting, and changed the gun out for one from tractor supply, run about any type of media thru it. Best upgrade is to hook it up to vacuum.
My shop air runs thru 3 driers, so no moisture comes thru it.
Click to expand...
I use a vacuum with a cyclone dust remover on big jobs. I have it hooked up to a hole in the side to remove the dust from the cabinet. It helps with dust leakage too.
YY1 said:
Mine is the next smaller, without the external sand outlet, and it needs to be table mounted.
Still can fit an intake manifold, though.

What I do when the siphon tube gets clogged with moist sand or debris, is simply pull the tube off the gun, and "back blast" the tube.
Works every time.

With that valve at the bottom, I'm a little concerned there's just more places for moist sand or debris to get stuck, and it would require a more powerful back blast to clear.

I agree the Tractor Supply gun, a better light, and a shop vac attachment make those cabinets WAY better, and still less than a non HF unit of the same size.
In fact, last time I checked, the saving was so great, you could buy two HF cabs and both the together for the same price.
Click to expand...
The metering valve mod gets rid of the siphon tube which plugs as you mention. I only run a cup or two of media and I have never had a plug.
 
RustyRatRod said:
I have the small hand held one from HF. It works good, but it goes through media like a chicken head crack *****. I use mine for soda blasting the occasional carburetor.
Click to expand...
Chicken head crack *****? I have to admit, that is a new one on me. Blast cabinets? Seal them up with whatever works, use a vacuum, vent it outside, keep moisture out of the air, life is good.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top