Sand-blasting cabinets?

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chasduster said:
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=141554-20097-9520111&lpage=none I am using this one from lowes...it is quiet....At the top you have a plastic plug that you blocked off the hole with....mine came with a vac hook up which I lost a few years ago...so I just cut a hole in the plastic and I put the male end of vac right in there it works good.....I can get you pics if needed....I would try to get a bigger vac, like more suction power...but this one works...for the 60 dollars
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Hey chasduster, thanks for the info. Did you hook it up to the hole on the side of the cabinet or the hole on the rear of the cabinet?

Thanks,
Robert
 
dustertogo said:
Hey chasduster, thanks for the info. Did you hook it up to the hole on the side of the cabinet or the hole on the rear of the cabinet?

Thanks,
Robert
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I used the only one available that mine had which was the rear.......Ihope all this info helps..I love mine....I have to eventually buy a new comp.cause mine is getting tired
 
I am currently building one from 2 sheets of 4x8 3/4 ply and some 2x4. Just stuff I have laying around.It's wonderfull the plans that you can find on the net for free! With just a bit of digging around I have managed to fill 2 binders with plans of various shop projects.Sandblasting cabinet,pressurized sand blaster(paid for that one),tubing bender,flow bench etc etc etc etc.

I usually have enough gas for an hour or two each day,so I always have a project I can drop whenever I want.Right now the pieces are all cut out except for the legs and cleats.I'll try to get some pics but we have a new cam (canon SD980 ELPH) and I dont have a clue how to use it,lol.
 
hemizach said:
Where did you get the dryers from? And how expensive are they? If they are too much I might as well throw out the idea of getting a cabinet, lol.
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I bought my dryers and plumbing from ebay. Just check around and I mounted my dryers as far away from the compressor, per the instructions.
 
Guys,I have most of the pieces cut and am starting assembly. I'll take a whack of pics when it's done.The dimensions are 48"x30"x24". It's big enough for a fender or door.A wheel and tire combo should fit too.

So far all I have into it is zero...
 
I bought one from Harbor freight and the dang thing sprayed sand everywhere the first time I used it. Apparently the sealer they used to seal the corners didn't hold very well. It was underneath so I didn't notice it was falling off when I set it up. So I had to unload all the sand and flip it over and reseal it with RTV. And clean up a huge mess of glass beads that it sprayed out the back and bottom, UGH!! Since I sealed it it's ok. I don't use it alot so I didn't buy a vacuum but it really needs one if you use it for over 5-10 minutes. May have to look into a cheap shop vac.
 
Time for the toolman to chime in. Mac has top of the line units from ALC Sandy Jet. They are quite expensive though. I found a couple on the net. One is from toolzunlimited. They are also a e-bay vendor and have one for auction often.
http://stores.toolzunlimited.com/It...le=60 Gallon Floor Standing Sandblast Cabinet
The other is from Summit Racing.
http://www.summitracing.com/search/?keyword=sand blast&dds=1
They both look like the same unit just different color. And Summit has inner windo wshields, replacement gloves, and gun tips and parts. Price is a couple hundred. It is even lighted. If it doesn't have a vacuum port I would imagine any home improvement store would have the stuff you need to put one in. I may have to get one myself LOL toolmanmike
 
So I've made some progress with my hand built blasting cabinet. Nowhere near done but I will get there.

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The cabinet is upside down in this pic.

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I used angle iron and carriage bolts to join the pieces.

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Cleats are used to join the bottom hopper to the cabinet. Tough to cut a 51 degree angle. I ended up putting the 2x4 on a level surface and using my angle finder. Marked the angles out and cut it on the table saw. Had to make a temp jig to support the piece.The angle turned out perfect!


Unfortunately I mounted the side cleats too high. I glued and screwed them on so I have to cut them down a bit to get the hopper to fit nice and flush.

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This is the hopper. Just need to true it up some and it will go on.

More pics and progress to come!
 
needsaresto Get it done! Here is my homemade cabinet. Wife made it for me 10 or so years ago. If you need more pics of the details I can get them for you.

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T2R9 said:
needsaresto Get it done! Here is my homemade cabinet. Wife made it for me 10 or so years ago. If you need more pics of the details I can get them for you.
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Lol,I will in good time. It was fun doing this project.The plans I downloaded were simple ones with zero directions. Just measurements for the pieces. Was a bit of a puzzle..Next step is cutting the side cleats and trueing the hopper up. Then cut some legs and mount the cabinet. Then the lid and holes for arms. Then sleeves and gloves. I have a motor I saved from one of those self inflating air beds for dust removal and also saved the rubber air bed material.Makes for great gaskets etc and I can form some sleeves as well. A light is a good idea too.

So far I have $3.50 into it for carriage bolts.

I test fitted one of the fenders from my 70 Dart. It almost fit. Might with some patience...
 
So where do all you guys get your blasting grit from? The boxes of beads/grit sold at Harbor Freight are so expensive, ~$50 if I remember correctly, I just can't bring myself to cough up the coin for it. C'mon, sand is supposed to be cheap.

I've used good quality playground sand, as well as silica sand in my HarborFreight floor cabinet. (Yeah, I know the health hazards associated with silica dust). These work pretty good as long as I use a bit of window-screen in a frame to screen out the big chunks as I pour the sand into the hopper.
 
I get graded sand from an air compressor specialty store near us. About $4 for a 40 pound sack. I buy 2 or 3 at a time. Store it on a sheet of plywood, not directly on the concrete floor or it will absorb moisture from the floor.
C
 
I bought one just like the one Summit sells except for the color. Seems like it was about $180 shipped, maybe less. It was from one of those outfits that have semi trailers full of stuff & come to town for a day to have a sale. I didn't buy one when they were in town but later found it on their website on sale for less with free shipping. Can't remember the brand, but the cabinet is blue & yellow. Haven't set it up because I haven't got the heat straightened out in my shop yet. Priorities.
 
needsaresto said:
I am currently building one from 2 sheets of 4x8 3/4 ply and some 2x4. Just stuff I have laying around.It's wonderfull the plans that you can find on the net for free! With just a bit of digging around I have managed to fill 2 binders with plans of various shop projects.Sandblasting cabinet,pressurized sand blaster(paid for that one),tubing bender,flow bench etc etc etc etc.

I usually have enough gas for an hour or two each day,so I always have a project I can drop whenever I want.Right now the pieces are all cut out except for the legs and cleats.I'll try to get some pics but we have a new cam (canon SD980 ELPH) and I dont have a clue how to use it,lol.
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Thats awesome I didnt even think about building out of wood always thougth about metal.

Do you have the links to the plans. I think i will just pm you.

This is a great thread and one that I have in the past wanted but never bought.

That 60 gallon one from Toolz Unlimited that someone posted is really nice looking and not a bad price on it at all. I may have to look into that or when I get a welder build one just another way of using the welder lol.

Keep us posted on this and Im off to pm you about the plans. I like projects.
 
T2R9 said:
needsaresto Get it done! Here is my homemade cabinet. Wife made it for me 10 or so years ago. If you need more pics of the details I can get them for you.
Click to expand...

Is it really easier & cheaper to make one of these by the time you buy all the accessories & supplies? I would like some more details on how you made yours. Money is tighter than usual but parts still need to be cleaned. Any help would be appreciated.
 
phish1270 said:
Is it really easier & cheaper to make one of these by the time you buy all the accessories & supplies? I would like some more details on how you made yours. Money is tighter than usual but parts still need to be cleaned. Any help would be appreciated.
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The plywood I recycled from the floor of my old shed and the 2x4 is something that was picked up from my mother in law who happens to have a basement full of useable wood from her hunband who died 2 years ago. The angle iron came from an old bed frame I picked up for free. The hinges for the lid are recycled from an old door. Lexan I have,a buddy gave me a couple of pieces a while back in a trade. The glue I already had from installing my new shop door as is the silicon. I had 8 or so carriage bolts,so I bought a bag of 50 at the hardware store for $3.50. A siphon blaster I had,anyone can pick one up from Walmart for less than $15. I do have plans and material for building a pressurized blaster and only had to buy hose plus the nozzle. All the air line and fittings I need I will recycle from the galvanized plumbing I am slowly replacing in my house.Gloves are well used welding mits and the sleeves will be made from air bed rubber. The dust removal motor is the motor from the same air bed. I have a light fixture for a bulb kicking around and I'll use a rough service bulb in it so it will last. I even have used trunk seals from a big G.M I saved in case theres too much leakage around the lid.

It's all about reusing stuff you have or scrounging it up.My father in law was huge on stripping away and keeping useable stuff when doing reno's and Im much the same but tend to keep car parts more than house stuff,lol..

I plan on adding wheels from an old lawnmower so it's easy to move and clean up around it.

I did end up buying a new stapler as I misplaced my old one.

Im sure I'll have less than $20 tied into it when done. The blaster I'll need to spend about $100 but I'll end up with 2 tanks.
 
Guys, I need a little help. I bought the table top cabinet from Harbor Freight, it was on sale & I could not pass it up. It should be good for learning & seeing how much I use it. I have it all set up, over-caulked all the seams, added a light, hooked up my shop vac, ran the air line into the gun. I filled the bottom with aluminum oxide 80 grit for some suspension parts I need to blast. Filled up the compressor & got everything started. When I squeeze the trigger, nothing but air comes out. The tube that hooks up to the gun is fully submerged. When I take it out & just spray the gun air comes out of the suction tube instead of it sucking air in. It seems fairly straight forward. What am I doing wrong? Is my compressor not strong enough to create the suction? The cabinet said 100 psi working pressure. My compressor fills to 130, has 10.2 cfms @90. It should be strong enough. Is it the gun that is supplied with the cabinet? I really do not have $60 to buy a new gun especially if that is not the problem. If the compressor is not strong enough than the cabinet needs to be returned because I can not buy a new compressor right now. I am leaning towards returning everything, getting a refund & just paying someone to blast the parts for me. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks:banghead:
 
Could be somethng in the pickup tube."Burp" the blasting gun. Asuming it's a siphon feed gun you can place your finger over the nozzle while squeezing the trigger.THis will force all the air into the pickup tube and clear any clogs out. Do this until your sure the pickup tube is clear and try again. Also make suire there are no kinks in the pickup tube line and that it's not collaspsing.I ended up replacing my tubes line with heavier stuff as I was having problems,but now it works great!
 
Glenn, from your description it almost sounds like there's a hole in the uptake tube (the [presumably metal] one that gets buried in media) that's large enough to lose the vacuum suction. If the gun is spraying air, it doesn't sound like it's the problem. If your lines are not metal, you may be experiencing a tube collapse situation or the lines are plugged up.

Try pulling the trigger while holding your hand over the nozzle of the gun until you see a little cloud of media appear in the cabinet. This will dislodge any clogs in the lines.
 
There is a clear rubber hose that attaches near the end of the gun, then a 1' long metal tube that attaches to the end of the rubber hose & gets buried in the media. None of it is clogged. It is blowing air out of it. When I bury it & hit the trigger, the media starts to "bubble" up because air is coming out of the tube & the tip of the gun. If I put my hand over the end of the pickup tube it does not suck it in, it blows air out. There is absolutely no suction in the pickup tube. I will try to take some pics of the setup & post them tonight if they help with my explanation at all.
 
Yup,great minds,lol!!! I've had this problem with siphon blasters more than once,and Im guessing you've been there too..
 
Pics of the setup & the instructions. If I press the trigger I should get suction at the end of the feeder tube correct? When I press the trigger it blows air out of the feeder tube. No suction at all. I have air, I have everything together correctly, it would appear that the gun is not working properly if it is not creating suction. This is frustrating. Thanks for the help.

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If air is coming out of the siphon tube when the trigger is pressed it is the same as "burping" the gun by putting your finger over the tip. I suspect there is a clog in the gun tip or maybe the tip is defective.
 
'64 Cuda said:
If air is coming out of the siphon tube when the trigger is pressed it is the same as "burping" the gun by putting your finger over the tip. I suspect there is a clog in the gun tip or maybe the tip is defective.
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Air is coming out of the siphon tube & the gun tip.
 
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