Sand Blasting Question

EagleEye · Aug 28, 2003

Ok, I'm a bit frustrated... My dad gave me a sand blaster and I'm having trouble getting the thing to work. I have tried take the hose off the tank and ensuring that there wasn't any blockage. I have tried back blowing the hose to ensure no blockage and I have tried redoing the plumbers tape around the hose connection to the gun to ensure an air tight connection. All these things went well but the symptoms are the same. The nozzle (gun) blows plenty of air (tried different PSIs from 90 to 125... most testing done at 125 psi...the recommended max). The problem is...NO PARTICULATE (no sand) comes out of the darn gun!... Now, I did not purchase the particulate... My dad had it in the canistor (Campbell Hauser AT1210...an older model) already but I took the particulate out and put it back through the filter on top of the cannistor just to make sure there weren't any clumps... It is perfectly fine.

Earlier this year, I purchased a new stage (did my homework) 26 gallon 6.4 CFM stand up air compressor (175 max psi).

Questions are... What could be going wrong here? Is there a special particulate that I should be purchasing? My dad never used this blaster.
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EagleEye · Aug 28, 2003

BTW, when I tested the gun for it's draw (the suction), it had suction but I don't know what's enough (seemed like good suction)... Ideas???? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

bgott · Aug 28, 2003

I'm not familiar with that model of hopper, does it draw the sand from the top or the bottom? If it draws from the bottom you can always tap on the lower side of the hopper while blowing the air to see if you can get the sand moving.

bellweather · Aug 29, 2003

could be moisture in your sand. the sand must be very dry in order to feed properly.

DavidJ · Aug 29, 2003

As Bell said, it could be moisture. I know with mine if the aggregate gets damp it will stop siphoning. Remember that it also requires a good bit of vacuum to move the sand. The biggest problem I see with the unit we use at work is that the ceramic nozzle spacing gets fouled and it doesn't produce enough vacuum to move the sand.

Phred · Aug 31, 2003

Maybe put a small amount of the sand in the oven for 30 min or so. That will dry it out and maybe solve the problem.

Your wife will love this.....

Fred

gotrocks · Sep 1, 2003

I purchased a pressure blaster a few years ago. Got it assembled as per directions. Filled with clean screened dry sand.

It would start and blast great for a little while then sand would stop "feeding"
just air.

I could take the hose off the bottom of the tank and sand would run out like an hour glass, put the hose back on apply air pressure, same thing.

I called the company and ask them what to do....???? They did not know so I sent it back for a full refund.

Then I went back to my old siphon blaster. Slow but gets the job done.

I know this does not answer your question but I hope someone may tell both of us what you are doing (I did) wrong.

Egon · Sep 1, 2003

On my Elcheapo sandblaster there is an air hole where the suction hoze hooks to the sand tank. This hole allows air in with the sand which will make it a lighter mixture and keeps the flow going.

Egon

MF1455v · Sep 8, 2003

I bought a suction type blaster a few years ago. Got arround to using it this weekend and had the same problem. Turned out to be the ceramic tip insert on the gun. It was pushed to far back into the gun closing off the suction hole. Adjusted the insert forward and worked like a champ. Put 100 lbs of sand thru it in 2hrs cleaning an old cast iron bath tub.