sandblasting setup

jspake

Well-Known Member
hi folks, i'm in need of some guidance.

i'm looking to get set up for sandblasting at home. i've been doing it at work during lunch hour, etc... but i'm getting tired of not being able to do it myself. SO i'm looking for some advice.

i don't know how many of you use sandblasting in your shop, but i'm planning to use it for descaling forged blades, and basic clean/prep stuff. if anyone can help guide me toward products, or better yet, recourses for info on home shop sandblasting info on a scale that is knife makers are accustomed to... well, i'd appreciate it.

i'm not looking to spend thousands of dollars, but cost is not my biggest priority. since i am in a neighborhood and would like to be courteous to neighbors, i am looking for a compressor on the quieter side. also, i would like to buy a nice compressor, but my space is at a premium, so i size in an important limitation. i'd love to get a 2 stage 100 gallon compressor, but i'd also love to find a smaller option if i can get away with less. any opinions on this point? finally, the blast box... to be honest this seems like something where they would all be the same, more or less, but then again i don't know much about it. does anyone have a blast box that's just great? again, small is good here.

thanks for the help, guys. i appreciate anything you've got here.
 
Hi Jeremy!

First thing you're going to have to decide....is how much blasting you will be doing, and how effective you want it to be. Personally, I have a 5 hp, single stage Ingersoll/Rand compressor, with an 80 gallon tank.....and wish I had a larger one. It just can't keep up with the air demand for my blast cabinet.

I've gone through several blast cabinets..... starting out with a tiny Harbor Freight version (benchtop), that was worth a hoot, through 3-4 others, to my currect one: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-919045/overview/

Based on my experience, I would recommend researching the blast cabinet you need/want, paying special attention to it's air requirements, then purchase a compressor that will EXCEED the requirement. Once you have "air" avaialble in your shop, you will find a wide variety of uses besides running a blast cabinet.

You mentioned blasting scale from blades? I assume you're talking forge scale? If so, thats one of the toughest things you'll try to do with a blast cabinet. In my experience, glass bead blasting media simply isn't up to the task..... I use a 70 grit silicon carbide media for removing scale....its the best I've found for a combination of effectiveness and economy.

Of course much depends on your pocketbook, and how much you have to spend, but in my opinion you're likely going to spend $2K+ to put together an effective blasting setup..... by the time you get a decent cabinet, a compressor, the plumbing, and the media. You can certainly go much cheaper, but trying to put together a blast cabinet setup on the cheap is just a lot of frustration, and just like buying a "cheap" belt grinder, you'll find yourself wishing you had purchased something "better".

Thats just a general outline....if you have any specfic questions, just post them up and I'm sure there's many more folks then me who can be of help! :)
 
If you want to stay on the cheap side money wise, build it yourself. Here' are some pics of one I built 15 years ago and still use all the time. Started out as a free 55 barrel and a free forklift batter charger as the base. Made the hopper on the inside out of scrap sheet metal from a dead clothes dryer. Bought the gloves from Eastwoods and a cheap siphon sandblaster setup at Sears. I use a black abrasive, can't recall the name, but they sell it at Ace Hardware stores. I load little parts through the glass window and big ones through the end/lid of the drum.

I use mine on every Lancer survival knife I make. Air compressor, you need a bunch of air! I've got a small 5hp 30gal Craftsman and it will work ok, but it runs non-stop. I'd say that would be minimum on size for siphon feed blaster. You also need a dust collector or large shop vac to keep dust out so you can see what you're doing. You could even make the whole thing out of plywood probably. This way is a lot of work, but not much money, hope it gives you some ideas. Good luck.
wide shot sand blaster.jpg shop vac.jpg hopper.jpg look inside.jpg
 
man... i have the worst luck with losing almost finished posts on this forum. anyway, here goes AGAIN

-anthony, stanley: thanks for the link on the barrel blaster, and for the similar home made setup. this is a bit larger than i hope to get by with. again, my space is limited, and i actually have more money than time (as in, my "shop time" is very limited, and i want to spend as much of that time making knives as i can!) and i'd rather spend a bit more on an excellent, yet small cabinet if i can find one. very clever design with the barrel, though. i also assumed that the dust collection component was part of the recycling of the media used in the cabinet, but again, i don't know much about these things. thanks for the info.

-ed: good advice, as usual. sounds like 80 gallon compressor is as small as i'm likely to get away with and not have it run all the time... although it makes me wonder, if i got a smaller, yet VERY QUIET compressor, would it really matter if it was having to recharge all the time? if i can manage the cost of a somewhat larger compressor (maybe horizontal) i have a few places i might be able to cram a larger unit. sound/volume control will remain a huge issue though. as i stated in the original post, i am the most ignorant about the cabinets, and i can see how building the rest of the system based on the cabinet choice makes a heck of a lot of sense. good tip.

yes, i'm planning to use this mainly for removing forge scale, and cleaning up parts before gluing. i was prepared to spend somewhere around 2k for a good compressor (also used for general shop air) and the other accoutrements you mentioned. i just want to keep it as close to that as i can without it taking up half my shop.

thanks again you guys, for the excellent tips and advice. we'll see how it all turns out.

cheers!
 
Buy once...cry once. Get a large 80 gal 2 stage compressor....QUINCY is THE one to have period. IR would be my second choice. Plan on spending a minimum of $2K to get started that is.....if you want frustration free blasting :)
 
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