Sandblasting question

[Larry_Van_Horn]

I am a bit embarassed to ask this question, but here goes. I have never sandblasted anything before. I am getting an old rusty pickup truck blade ready for painting, and purchased a sanblaster. What sand / abrasive goes in it? Is it as simple as just getting a 50 lb bag from Home Depot /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[cdrkilr]

They actually do sell blasting sand. I have used playground sand and "sugar" sand for rough work. The difference, I think, in the blasting sand is that it is graded and consistent (and DRY.) For an old blade anything without rocks may work. You'll figure out in a hurry that sand bouncing back on even a thick shirt can hurt. If there are even the smallest rocks in the sand, it could shatter the ceramic nozzle and the bounce back onto you could really hurt.

There are also all kinds of abrasives you can use, glass beads etc - but they are expensive (relatively) and are therefore used in cabinets where they can be filtered and reused. I've blasted outdoors on a tarp and recycled the sand I could pick back up.

On sandblasting, even outdoors, remember safety. Wear protective clothing, faceshield, head protection and respirator. Silica dust is bad for your health. Watch where you point the nozzle.

Sandblasting is not on the top 10 list of fun things to do for me. Good luck.

 

[GaryM]

I've had a small sandblaster for years and find that it uses a lot of air and doesn't cut very fast. It's great for small jobs like blasting welds before painting and light rust removal.

For a big project I'd consider having it done by someone with the heavy duty unit. Places that make grave markers generally have large sandblasters. A friend had his boat trailer blasted last year. Cost him about $100 bucks and they did it in one day. Money well spent I figure.

 

[Junkman]

I have used a product called Black Beauty with good luck.... it is a black stone that is ground to a fine power..... might even be a granite.... don't know for sure..... but it is very aggressive..

 

[chim]

I bought one of those siphon tube sandblasters at Central Tractor several years ago. The first sand I used was from a sandblasting firm in a town near here. I only bought a couple bags of sand, but the guy cautioned me quite a bit about breathing in the dust. They had several grades of sand, and sold me the finer stuff when I told them what blaster I was using.

I also got lucky about two years ago when there was quite a bit of sand left over from sandblasting operations at our fab shop. The guy in charge just wanted it to go away. OK.

The setup I have is best suited to small projects. It works well, and with the larger granules of sand it is pretty aggressive. It is quite slow though. I did a 5' RFM a couple years ago, and the blaster was too slow to put up with. I ended up using a real stiff cup brush on an angle grinder and sanding discs for most of it, then blasting where these two didn't reach into.

One thing that helped the blaster work better was using a plastic jug for the sand that can be carried in one hand while holding the gun in the other, and trimming the hose to the pickup tube as short as practical. This made my puny gun feed better. Also, if this is like the one you got, drop the tube in the empty bucket, then add sand. It will help you avoid plugging the air passage in the pickup tube....................chim

 

[RichNJKubota]

I have a small siphon feed blaster. It's only good for small jobs. Anything larger I pay someone to blast. I would not want to do it even if I had the bigger pressure feed blaster.
Rich

 

[em14]

Check this site for information on Sand Blasting: http://www.tptools.com and this one for abrasives http://www.tptools.com/statictext/abrasives.asp.
To clean your truck blade you could use sand from Lowes or Home Depot or from almost any source. BUT ... it must be dry! I have used this type sand on ocasions by spreading the sand out in the sun, letting it dry and then putting it in the hopper. Lowes and Home Depot bagged sand is wet ... so you must first dry it or it will clogg up your operation and not feed properly!
Leo
Leo

 

[Larry_Van_Horn]

Leo,
Guess that is my problem then, seems stuff is all clogged up. I have called around to find a source for specific sandblasting abrasives and I am not having any luck. Could be of course that I am not asking for the right thing from the right person.
Larry

 

[Rch]

Larry, sandblasting is a real air hog.
Air compressor 101

 

[Junkman]

I have just read Air Compressor 101 and it is a well written article. I had an old commercial compressor that failed after about 50 years ( I bought it used) and replaced it back in the 1980's with a new 5 HP Quincy 2 stage compressor.... the wife asked why I need such an expensive compressor.... (about $2000) and I merely replied that I only wanted to buy one more in my lifetime and that this was it. I have never regretted the purchase... you get what you pay for.... In the end, spending more is sometimes less expensive than spending less more often....