Sand blaster recommendation

[Raspy]

Do any of you have a recommendation for a good sand blaster? There seems to be a lot of brands. I've looked at Tractor Supply and Harbor Freight and a couple of other places.

I have a 5 HP compressor and I am doing occasional steel fabrication. I also have two heating oil tanks that must be re-painted.

Wanted one for a long time an now is the time.

What Kind of media should I get for cleaning up heavy steel with rust and old paint?

Thanks.

 

[MotorSeven]

I recently bought the larger pressure tank one from TSC and the Black Diamond media. For th elife of me I could not get it to work without clogging. I had two dryers in line, then even ran 50' of hose through a tub full of ice water but still had condensation in the air. I eventually gave up and wire brushed an entire clawfoot tub(not fun). I wish I had tried one of the cheaper suction feed systems fist but I still need to get my air dry.

Mine:
JobSmart® Portable Abrasive Blaster, 20 gal. Capacity - 399969899 | Tractor Supply Company

Northern Tool:
Suction Blasting Gun Kit | Guns Valves| Northern Tool + Equipment

 

[ray66v]

A good sand blaster will tax a 10 hp commercial compressor, and that means you will make a ton of water.

If your 5 hp compressor does not have a magnetic starter switch, it is not really even a true 5 hp compressor. Most of the ones they sell today are really between 2-4 hp. based on current draw, instead of bogus market driven tests, (they lie a lot). Which makes steady high volume air delivery even more of an issue.

Not addressing the moisture issue, means your wetting down the freshly cleaned metal with condensate, which for steel, is less than ideal. And if it is a pressure pot, like motor seven uses, your wetting down your media.

You can blast smaller items, but the cost of having high volumes of dry air for sand blasting large items, is prohibitive for most small operations. Which means you can save a lot of money by having it professionally done.

Water traps, and filters will not remove the water vapor that has not condensed, and that is the problem. This requires a dryer, and it's going to have to be large to handle the volume.

I suggest you stay with a cup blaster, I use one for small jobs, similar to this: http://www.harborfreight.com/21-oz-hopper-gravity-feed-spot-blaster-gun-95793.html, and farm out what you can't easily do with that.

You can also use the small suction blasters that draw from a bucket, as long as your mindful not to run for long periods of time.

As far as media goes, nothing beat #2 silica for cost effective rust removal, especially where recycling is not possible. Since you can't get that any more, I have never found a replacement that was as good or cost effective. I currently use very expensive carbide media.

 

[rswyan]

I have a small(er) plastic Craftsman suction feed blaster that I bought from Sears maybe 20 years ago .... it holds maybe 30 or 40 lbs of media .... works great .... no problems clogging ....

Only issue - like with any blaster - is having enough air to keep up with it.

 

[Raspy]

It sounds like maybe the suction style is the way to go.

My 5HP compressor (true 5 HP motor) is 18 1/2 CFM at 90 PSI and I can tee in my other one, which I think is about 7 CFM at 90, for a total of about 25 CFM. That will have to do it and should be enough.

 

[ray66v]

It sounds like maybe the suction style is the way to go.

My 5HP compressor (true 5 HP motor) is 18 1/2 CFM at 90 PSI and I can tee in my other one, which I think is about 7 CFM at 90, for a total of about 25 CFM. That will have to do it and should be enough.

It will be enough to run it. The problem starts, when the pump gets real hot from prolonged use.

Keep your pump as cool as possible. Use a big fan to blow air on the compressor. Ventilate the area it is in as best you can. And doing sandblasting projects when air temperatures are cooler, will all help extend your working time.

Perhaps it is dry enough where you are, you won't have a lot of trouble.

 

[Code54]

The problem with the HF or tractor supply pressure blasters is they will clog with the med to large black beauty or Diamond brand sands. Shoot FINE sand only and your problems will drop to near zero. I had to get some of the med Diamond the other day (out of fine) and have about 10 -15 clogs per bag. Went and got some black beauty fine and shoot 200 lbs without 1 problem. (Using a HF pressure blaster) and a 24cfm at 90psi IR compressor.
Also have a Skat Blast cabinet and never clog with fine diamond brand in it (it is gravity feed)

 

[AGRIMAN]

We do a lot of blasting with our PC shop so I have been through the learning curve. Moisture is your biggest issue, but the problem with the hobby style pot blasters is that the metering system is just a basic ball valve, which will make you pull your hair out even with the best conditions.

With that said, if you get it set it will to a good job, but they are for smaller jobs where you have plenty of time. They also blow thru a lot of sand. I have two of these (small one and a large one) that I have
basically junked for these reasons.

Blasting is more about the CFM than the HP of your compressor. Matching your tip size to the CFM of your compressor will help. It will also help to keep you from burning it up, but if your compressor is under sized you need to give it frequent breaks. Now, if you are not in a hurry and have the time this may not seem bad, but if you got to get it done.... It's a pain.

We are now using a 350 lbs commercial blaster pulled by a 200 CFM diesel compressor. We run 50' of hose between the compressor and a 150 gal catch tank and another 50' of hose to the blast pot. We also have three inline water separators. This system allows us to blast continuously all day.

In my opinion, if you have very much to blast, save yourself so time and money by getting a local commercial blaster to do it for you or rent a commercial size set up.

 

[rswyan]

It sounds like maybe the suction style is the way to go.

Maybe ....

This is a picture I found on the 'net of what mine looks like, although the gun on mine is a little different:

​

My 5HP compressor (true 5 HP motor) is 18 1/2 CFM at 90 PSI and I can tee in my other one, which I think is about 7 CFM at 90, for a total of about 25 CFM. That will have to do it and should be enough.

Biggest problem I ever had was a lack of air .... but I was using a small (30 gallon) single-stage Coleman 5 HP compressor.

Speaking of air, I'd strongly advise you to get a good fresh air system, including a hood - preferably one that has cheap (and easy to find) replacement lenses ....

At a very minimum, you'd need a decent respirator to keep from eating and breathing the dust ....

 

[Blast Chamber]

It sounds like maybe the suction style is the way to go. My 5HP compressor (true 5 HP motor) is 18 1/2 CFM at 90 PSI and I can tee in my other one, which I think is about 7 CFM at 90, for a total of about 25 CFM. That will have to do it and should be enough.

Like you, I do some occasional metal fabrication and need to blast rusty steel. I bought a Texas Blaster a couple of years ago and have been very happy with it.

It took a while to learn the proper setting of the ball valves for air/media flow, but once I got it dialed in it has worked great. I use two older compressors plumbed together, which probably put out about the same CFM as your big compressor and it is adequate. I use a Coalescing Air Filter to keep the moisture under control, and the local equivalent of Black Beauty for the media (and reclaim as much as possible for reuse). Works well for me.



Texas Blaster

1/2'' Coalescing Air Filter - TP Tools & Equipment