Joe, if you have a pressure washer, consider a sandblasting attachment for it, instead of a dry sand blaster. Some of the problems just mentioned are eliminated. Namely, you don't need a huge air compressor to get the job done, and it is a lot less messy, since the water eliminates the dust. I guess it isn't really less messy, since you have sandy water everywhere, but it is a different kind of mess and one you don't have to breathe. I think it is signficantly faster, too, as the water pressure works on the rust and crud as well as the sand. I bought one last year and used it to strip all the parts on an old Jacobsen fairway mower. It did a remarkable job. I went through a bunch of sand, but I am guessing no more or less than if I had used an open air dry blaster.