Sandblast cabinet

deans · Oct 1, 2009

I am thinking of building a sandblast cabinet versus buying one. Has anyone built one, and if so was it practical to do so. The units I have looked at are simply sheet metal , screwed together and light duty at best. Any thoughts, suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks, Dean

Bird · Oct 1, 2009

Dean, maybe you can build one and save a little money, but I'm not too sure. How big a cabinet do you need? The one I used to have was a bit similar to this Northern Tool cabinet, made of some kind of plastic. You need the cabinet with some way to remove and/or change the medium used (I used glass beads), you need the clear plastic (or glass?) window and you need some clear plastic sheets to attach to the inside of that window or it'll soon be so pitted you can't see through it. then you need the gloves, the gun, and the hose. Mine, and others I've seen, also had a light bulb in them, so you need the wiring, switch, and socket. Then there was a small hole in one end just the right size for inserting the end of the hose for my shop vac to pull the dust out as I worked.

They're not cheap, but I don't see how I could have built a good one any cheaper, but maybe you can.

Bill_C · Oct 1, 2009

I got mine from Harbor Freight, I think I caught it on sale and then added the % off coupon on top of it. This was the large floor-standing sheet metal model and later I added their dust collector.

Frankly, I don't think I could've built one and saved much if any money, by the time you buy the gloves, glass, gun,light, nozzles, tearoffs, etc.

Having a sandblaster always seemed like a good idea, and now that I've had mine a couple years, I definately wish I had gotten it sooner.

Now I just need to drop another $1100 or so on a bigger air compressor....dontcha just love how Sears advertises a 2 hp motor as "develops 3.5 hp...."

Scooby074 · Oct 1, 2009

Princess auto has a cabinet that comes on sale every few months. I have one but its been modified quite a bit to make it work as it should. Basically i bought it because i couldnt buy the steel cheaper and build it myself. I added better nozzle, better viewing window and tearoffs, dust collection. Honestly i probably could have watched the surplus auctions and got a better industrial cabinet for less than i ended up putting into the PA one.

Its a screw together, which isnt that bad. Just a PITA to assemble. If you do go this route, make sure you caulk all the flanges when assembling otherwise you WILL have abrasive leaks and its virtually impossible to seal it up after the fact.

TP tools in the states has a nice kit that has a nozzle etc, to work with your own design cabinet.

Some advise. You need a large compressor to blast. Pick a big one, then go the next size bigger. Mines 18CFM delivered, and its too small. I want 28-30 CFM.

Another thing is you NEED dry air. Get a desiccant dryer that will flow what you need. Watts Regulator makes a good one.

Instead of using crushed glass or sand, use aluiminum oxide or steel shot. Youll have much better visibility in the cab, plus the abrasive will last much longer.

Sandblasting properly (without constant frustration) isnt cheap. Just a heads up on what ive learned.

Runner · Oct 1, 2009

I've been kicking around the idea of making a sandblast cabinet out of an old freezer. That should be big enough to load just about anything into. Just need to remove the insides, cut a view hole in the side and a couple of holes for the arms.

I have a small one and it is great, but would like to have something big enough to at least hold full sized wheels, etc.

sandman2234 · Oct 1, 2009

I visited a friends shop in north Georgia a couple months ago, and was impressed with his sandblast cabiinet. It was made from 3/4 plywood and he said he used it all the time, and it didn't seem to bother the wood. I guess if your aim isn't up to par with the gun, then your wood would suffer. Apparently second impact doesn't do much damage.
David from jax

JohnBarlow · Oct 2, 2009

I built my cabinet out of scrap steel sheet, plywood, house door hinges, some scrap square-hollow-section steel (3/4 inch for the legs), and some old gangway grating I picked up. I used laminated glass from the front of a really old TV set, some cheap long-cuff rubber coated cloth gloves and sewed them on to old jean legs. I used a cheapo sandblasting nozzle/trigger. I put a 150W reflector lightglobe in it and added a vacuum cleaner (preceeded by a cheapy cyclonic extractor), and had a baffled air-inlet.

It didn't cost me much because I used scrap I already had lying about. You can make your own, but you wouldn't if you had to buy all the bits. Mine has an upside-down pyramid at the bottom (collects the medium, easy to extract with a home-made sliding "gate" valve at the bottom), has legs (raised to a comfortable hieght - you will stand in front of it for hours), hinged doors at both ends, and was 3 ft by 3 ft by 4ft inside.

John Barlow.

CHRIS123 · Oct 2, 2009

I built a cheap and easy one using an old dishwasher. It already has a tapered bottom to collect the sand and it has an airtight door. The basic box is plastic so it is easy to cut with a jigsaw or sawzall. I mounted it on wood frame and cut a hole in the bottom and installed a 5 gallon bucket to collect the used sand to re-use. I just cut a hole in the rear and installed a piece of plexiglass for a window to see. For the armholes I just cut holes in the sides and mounted those roofing flanges with rubber centers that are used around toilet vent stacks. I just cut the hole in the rubber a little larger for my arms to go through and they seal very well. I use heavy chemical gloves found anywhere like harbor Freight. I intalled a simple bulb light inside to help see and found an old canister vaccuum to help with the dust. I just cut small holes in the plastic sides and mounted them. I put an old stocking over the end of the vaccuum to not collect too much dust.
It is not the best looking cabinet but was build with almost all scrap parts found roadside or at the dump. I probably only have about $15 into it and it works well.

ToadHill · Oct 2, 2009

I made one out of wood with metal inside for my wife to use when she did stained glass projects and wanted some etched glass in the piece. It worked "ok" but after a few years use we ended up buying a table top unit from HF and it operates a lot better.