Looking for a blast cabinet

[Studebaker1965]

After cleaning a lot of parts by hand or using a friend's blaster to fix up my 65 Studebaker, I've decided to look for a decent blast cabinet for the garage. I am wondering if anybody on the east coast or near Pennsylvania has a decent blaster they are looking to sell. I

[truckguy]

For cleaning up small parts, I use a bench grinder with a wire wheel. For some larger parts, I put a 5 or 6 inch wire wheel on a hand drill. Should you get a blasting cabinet, remember that a lot of air goes into the cabinet and it has to come out. When it comes out, it is saturated with silica. You don't want to breathe that stuff. You can make a cabinet out of wood and line it with sheet metal. A framed plexiglass top can be made for it. Finally, you can get a sand canister sand blaster. There are ways to save and reuse the sand but if you don't catch it, sand is cheap!

[PackardV8]

It's unfortunate you're on the wrong coast, as we've got the one you need.



It's a $20,000 machine and we'd take $2500. You'd need a large air compressor to get the most out of it.

jack vines

[rowan]

I’m mostly pleased with the Harbor Freight red $169 (on sale) one. Seems like 1000 screws and small bolts and I caulked the seams due to website ratings. Hooked a HEPA vac to the vacuum port and it does a decent job. Need a 5hp compressor with good volume.

[TWChamp]

I built a large cabinet from heavy sheet metal, but my friend built his from plywood, and it works great. I don't use silica sand. I only use Black Beauty from Menards. This is ground up coal clinkers and much faster and cleaner than silica sand, besides being much safer for your lungs. I use a squirrel cage fan to suck out the air and dust. I also see nothing wrong with the Harbor Freight cabinet for under $200.

The best thing you can do is buy a carbide tip, so you don't waste air on the worn out cheap ones, plus the time to be changing them so often.

[sweetolbob]

I built a large cabinet from heavy sheet metal, but my friend built his from plywood, and it works great. I don't use silica sand. I only use Black Beauty from Menards. This is ground up coal clinkers and much faster and cleaner than silica sand, besides being much safer for your lungs. I use a squirrel cage fan to suck out the air and dust. I also see nothing wrong with the Harbor Freight cabinet for under $200.

The best thing you can do is buy a carbide tip, so you don't waste air on the worn out cheap ones, plus the time to be changing them so often.

I agree totally with this recommendation. Highlight the carbide tip and media choice. I use Black Diamond which is the same type of media.

Two more comments, put a light in the cabinet if it doesn't have one and my shop has a large vent system hooked to a blower so I just pulled the vented air into a plastic 55 gallon drum before the fan. But some form of venting is needed.

As a last thought, use storm window or other clear plastic film to cover the glass/plastic view window from the inside of the cabinet. The media will abrade and fog the window if it's not protected. Then just change the cheap clear plastic sheet when visibility suffers.

[Mike Sal]

The size of the compressor is a bigger deal than the cabinet.

[DEEPNHOCK]

(Funny anecdote)

My blast cabinet is an older model, scrounged from a previous customer.
Rebuilt and made whole again. Great? No... But it works.

So.. The gloves, long past their prime, gave up the ghost.
What to do? Went to Harbor Freight and bought a new pair.
They look great. They are flexible. They went into the machine fine.
But they are sized for a nine year old. I can get my hands in them, but it is snug.

[TWChamp]

I also bought my gloves from Harbor Freight for about $6, and the are large and long. On my large cabinet I have an 8" x 48" Plexiglas window then lay a 2 tube 48" fluorescent on top of it, so the bulbs are protected from media and it doesn't take up cabinet space. If you get static sparks inside the cabinet, make sure you run a ground wire to the blasting gun and part being blasted. Those static sparks create ozone, and that turned my first pair of gloves to a gooey mess after a few months.

[BILT4ME]

I agree totally with this recommendation. Highlight the carbide tip and media choice. I use Black Diamond which is the same type of media.

Two more comments, put a light in the cabinet if it doesn't have one and my shop has a large vent system hooked to a blower so I just pulled the vented air into a plastic 55 gallon drum before the fan. But some form of venting is needed.

As a last thought, use storm window or other clear plastic film to cover the glass/plastic view window from the inside of the cabinet. The media will abrade and fog the window if it's not protected. Then just change the cheap clear plastic sheet when visibility suffers.

You can use motorcycle helmet tear-off sheets on the lens of the cabinet. Stick them to the inside and when the one gets fogged, pull a tear-off and it's clear again.

[Studebaker1965]

Thanks for the replies so far. Air is not a problem as we have a large compressor with moisture traps. I do want one with a good vacuum system on it. Jack, that's an amazing machine! Looks like you could put a fiat 500 in that thing and blast it! If I build my own, would a hepa vac be good enough for vacuum? I'm only 33, so I'd like to get something decent that I'll have for a long time!

[sweetolbob]

Thanks for the replies so far. Air is not a problem as we have a large compressor with moisture traps. I do want one with a good vacuum system on it. Jack, that's an amazing machine! Looks like you could put a fiat 500 in that thing and blast it! If I build my own, would a hepa vac be good enough for vacuum? I'm only 33, so I'd like to get something decent that I'll have for a long time!

Don't confuse higher price with years of longevity. I have a TIP cabinet that I've used for 30+ years and probably paid under $200 for it.

Blasting, as has been said above, doesn't consume the cabinet just the expendables.

Figure out the size you need first then how much you want to spend. Then go from there. Jack's cabinet would be a great deal but do you need that much cabinet or want to spend that much money.

The vacuum system and cabinet from Harbor Freight will set you back about $400 and will last you forever for normal hobbyist use. If you need bigger then see what's out there for what you can afford.

It's like my golf game. At 75 I hit the ball 220 on a good day and shoot about 85-95 with golf balls that cost about $0.60/ea. My clubs are an iteration or two from the latest technology but if I bought Titleist Pro V1 balls for four bucks each and spent $500 a year for the newest driver I'd still hit the ball 220 and shot 85-95. How much do you really need to spend to achieve your end.

Bob