Topic: Abrasive blasting cabinet vs. pressurized blaster

[Cvalero]

I am looking to buy either a benchtop blasting cabinet or a pressurized abrasive blaster to use for restoring parts on my CB550's.  Hand sanding is just so time consuming and the very low initial costs to purchase one of these items is just too tempting.  I have access to a compressor that will easily keep up with either system, so what I'm trying to figure out is should I spend my money on a cabinet or a pressurized blaster.  I hear so many negatives about siphon units that I'm currently leaning towards the pressurized system but I would like to hear the opinion of anyone that has experience with one of both.

[jneuf]

I own both, and they both have different uses.

Obviously, you can't fit big items (i.e. frame) into a cabinet, so that's where the other unit comes in handy. That being said, anything I can't fit into the cabinet I'd rather farm out to someone else. The mess that sandblasters make is unreal....Until you've used a sandblaster in an open space, you have no idea how miserable it is!

My preference is to blast everything I can in the cabinet.

[Ichiban 4]

Cabinets are fine..if you keep enough blasting media in them to let gravity push it back through the system.  They also recycle the media..until it's too broken down to work well anymore (relative to what you're blasting..pressure used and time used).

Pressurized systems are usually for outside work..where you can't contain the area that needs to be blasted.  They're also usually total loss in terms of media recovery (although some do it in rooms..et al..where they scoop it up again and put back into the hopper/system.  You also usually have to stop periodically to refill the pressurized hopper.

Have used cabinet systems for over 50 years..and wouldn't do otherwise unless it was really big job or unconfinable..as mentioned previously..

Ichi

BTW: pay attention to output capacity of compressor you're thinking of using.  Sandblast units are almost like venting to the outside atmosphere (i.e. very little restriction)..so they require a lot of compressor capacity.  My 1/4" nozzle @ 90 PSI requires minimum of 20 ACFM.  That's a 5-HP motor with two-stage compressor!

[Cvalero]

With the blast cabinets I'm looking at the actual blaster gun is I'm sure very basic. Would you recommend upgrading to a better quality after market gun to use with the cabinet? Would you have any setup pointers such as nozzle size, etc that would help me avoid some of the trial and error?

[gonzobrian]

As others have said each has its own purpose.  I have both and use both.  I will tell you this,  if you get a blast cabinet I would caulk our re-caulk all the seams before you ever put any type of media into the cabinet.  Also I have found Harbor Freight a cheap place to buy media, from walnut shells to glass beads.

[vaughnsmith]

Get the biggest cabinet you can afford.  When you start doing a lot of blasting work, you will not belive how expensive it can be for media.  I use glass beads in a cabinet for almost all my work.  It takes a very long time before I have to replace the media- but I add a little fresh media about every time I use it.

I also have a large pressure fed blaster.  I go thru media so fast with it that I now buy selicia sand at the big box home store in 50lbs. bags for like $5 a bag.  DON'T use "play sand"  you will have to sift it and dry it before using.  The "white sand" is twice as expensive but you can use it out of the bag

You might also want to try some soda blasting.  Eastwood has some neat like starter kits so you can try it cheap

http://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-small-job-blasting-systems.html

On a bile you have a lot of non steel parts and you DO NOT want to "sand" blast those

I love the look I get by glass bead blasting alum parts then powder coating them with clear.

[Cvalero]

I'm really glad I asked.  I was heavily leaning towards the pressure blaster.  After reading the answers here I have changed my mind.  One other question:  Is it difficult to switch between media with a cabinet?  It just seems like it would be hard to clean all the sand out to switch to glass beads, etc.  Is there one media that will work for both a kickstand and an engine case?

[gonzobrian]

On my blast cabinet it has a plug on the bottom, you just unscrew it and let the media drain out.  I use glass or plastic beads on most stuff but on the engine I ended up soda blasting it.  Soda just washes away but with glass beads it can be hard to remove them from all the nooks and crannies once done. 

[chickenman_26]

Soda just washes away but with glass beads it can be hard to remove them from all the nooks and crannies once done.

True. Soda blasting may not be aggressive enough for really thick crud, but you won't end up with glass beads or sand wrecking your fresh engine.

I bought a Harbor Freight soda blaster (pressure blaster). But if I had it to do over, I'd use the stuff in a blast cabinet. It works well, but I look like the Pillsbury Dough Boy when I'm finished, and the ground around me is covered with white soda. So each blasting episode is followed by a shower and hosing down the driveway, and the clothing goes into the washer.

Stu

[Really?]

I have the HF cabinet and that Husky compressor. That compressor is not enough for that cabinet. It drops from 150psi to 50psi quickly. It is not very good at 50psi. I have to let it build up pressure often.

[mcuozzo]

My .02...

As you surmised the cabinet is the way to go.   I've had my HF cabinet for 4+ years and not one problem.  Wait till it's on sale for $199 and than use the 20% off coupon (you just missed the 4th of July 25% off special).  You can hook up a standard shop vac (need the fine particulate filter) to it as a dust collector. 

You do need a pretty strong compressor.  You need to get around 10 cfm at 90 psi.  Also you should get a water/oil separator in your air line if you don't have it already. 

Switching between media is easy and takes maybe ten minutes.  I just use empty 5 gal buckets and put 'em under the drain.  Out with one media in with the other.  I've used soda, coal, alum oxide.  Maybe some others.  They all worked with no changes.

I prefer to use coal slag aka  "black beauty" to blast with.  An 80lb bag runs around $40.  It's lasts a long time, gets rust, paint and just about everything else off.  Can etch chrome pretty easily.  I get mine from Grainger but you need a corp. acct.  Tractor supply places usually carry it too.  When I soda blast I either get it from grainger or a local pool supply place. 

Coal slag, gives the surface a nice etch but not too rough of a surface.  Easy to paint or powdercoat over.  Anytime I used glass bead the surface was too rough, was harder to get a smooth surface.  I'm just a hack at this stuff so take that with a grain of salt.

Wear a respirator when you are doing the blasting, even though it's in a cabinet.  And not to be a safety nut but no sand is safe to use in a blaster.  They haven't used sand for blasting in some time. 

I tried switching to a 'better' siphon gun but it really did not work any better than the HF one.  Only problem is I can't find out where to get a new nozzle for the HF gun.  Haven't looked to hard, but they don't carry them at HF.  Maybe the manual (where is it???) gives you a way to order parts.  They always give you a parts diagram with part numbers, so...

I also have a pressure blaster but rarely use it.  It's such a pain in the ass.  Anything that doesn't fit in my blaster I bring to someone to have done.

Good luck, any other questions just ask.

[jneuf]

Just out of curiosity, what size compressor are you going to be using?

As was noted above, blasters move A LOT of air. I have a 40 gallon tank (for the life of my I can't remember the cfm #'s, which are the important ones), but it gets irritating waiting for it to catch up all the time!

[Cvalero]

I use the plant air at my workplace. It runs around 100 or 110 psi.  So compressor capability is not an issue.  I do most of my bike work there since I have access to a lot of tools and I nice big area to work.