> Karl wrote:
> I've decided to take the space-eating plunge and buy a sandblast cabinet. For
> decades I've seen the TIP ads in Hemmings, and assumed they were fine. Upon
> investigating, I find that most of their competitors advertise much
> heavier-gauge construction, and after re-reading TIP's ads, it does sound like
> theirs is a little thin and maybe not as sturdy as I'd like, particularly the
> interior rack. They do seem to have a comprehensive line of accessories.
>What
> experiences do the listers have?
Hi, Karl,
I've had an Eastwood Bench Blast Cabinet for some years now. This is
made of galvanised steel sheet and has a wheeled stand to match. Here
are my experiences...
This cabinet uses window liners of a hard, plastic material. These go
opaque quite quickly so I fitted a single sheet of thin picture glass
instead. This lasts longer, is easier to keep clean and costs much less.
On the top of the mesh interior rack, I added a screen of fine metal
diamond gauze, on a fabricated frame. This traps big lumps of
paint/rust/dirt and keeps the blasting media much cleaner.
I also use an industrial vacuum to keep the dust down. Eastwood supplied
a filter liner for the vacuum, whose hose fits into the cabinet wall at
the top. Noisy, but it allows me to see what I'm blasting.
Ceramic blast gun tips last much longer than steel.
I use the finest Silicon Carbide grit I can find. With a 14cfm
compressor, blasting at 100psi, this stuff lasts well. old, worn media
can be kept for fine work.
The cabinet has a glass-protected fluorescent tube, shining through a
hole in the cabinet top. Lighting is essential.
Anything made of rubber or any rubber coating resists blasting. This is
useful for masking. For example, Tank tape (Duck tape in US, I believe)
is soft enough to resist blasting but sticky enough to stay put. I used
it to protect the shiny parts of my 2.5S alloy wheels and they stayed
shiny.
Next modification: the grit hopper returns the medium to a plastic
bucket underneath via a small hole, which means I have to persuade it
out with a flexible, metal rod. I intend to cut the tip out of the
hopper so it's about 4" square and fit a trapdoor arrangement for
emptying the grit. This is the dustiest part and I use a mask
for the job.
Hope this is of value. Contact me if you need any specific question
answered.
Dave Hill (UK)
|