It's at Harbor Freight, about $39. Getting ready to start cleaning my Merc frame I picked up. Not looking for Show quality results, just a clean up. Any input would be appreciated.
I have an old siphon blaster like that, works real good for small jobs. For bigger projects a pressurized one works much better. If you do get one I can show some pictures of the harbor freight one that I did some mods to so it's more efficient. Have also found the black diamond coal slag is much better than sand.
I agree. In case you are not aware, there are basically two types of sandblasters : Siphon (like the one pictured) and Pressure Units. The former are OK with small jobs, but if you have anything substantial to do, you need a pressure unit. For example, when I used a siphon unit (must like the one shown) to do the wheels on my '51, it took almost 2 days to do 5 wheels. Part of the time was making sure I got every bit old paint off those wheels. I also spent a lot of time was also spent waiting for my compressor to "catch up". I have a 220 volt 5 HP 30 gallon unit, so it was no slouch. These things take a lot of air. Agree with the Black Magic". Be careful, as it can be pretty aggressive.
If I may, 2 things; make sure your air supply is dry, and make sure the media is dry. Moisture can cause it to clump, which leads to wasted time and much frustration. I have steel lines in my shop with vertical loops with drains at the bottom, then a water trap, followed by another 2” diameter vertical pipe, then another water trap. I have yet to get a drop out of the 2nd trap.
I'll add one more thing. only fill the media tank about a third full at a time. I've got a sears unit that works about the same and over 1/2 full the media wants to pack down a bit and now flow due to the weight.
I have the Craftsman version. I think I bought it in the very early 80s. Works better than the pressure blaster I bought fifteen years ago, although that may be user error. found a small Econoline brand, and later a larger Skat blaster that I mostly use now. The cabinet and dust control vacuum keep grit out of your lungs and hair. Not too useful for spot blasting a chassis though.
I have one of the old Craftsman siphon feed and it does do a good job. The only thing I can add is it makes life a lot easier if you have a hood over your head and not just googles and face mask. Also if you’re doing it the old fashioned way be sure to wear some earplugs because it’s a bitch trying to get the media out of ears…..
For a frame I would take it to a professional shop. It will take you days to do a bad job on a car frame.
I would spend some more money. I bought the pressure blaster that won't quite hold 50lbs. I changed out the 90 degree fitting that feeds the air line with a Y fitting and run 80 to 90 lbs in it. I have a 5hp. compressor with an 80 gallon tank that won't keep up with it. I can blast a frame in about 2 hours. Truck cab takes a little more than 2 hours. I use the black coal slag from Tractor Supply and get small or medium grit. I have done 7 projects in 15 years with this setup. I tried a hand held and it was close to useless. I have a full hood that uses welding helmet lenses. Not fun but rewarding in what the setup does.
They work well if you have an aircompressor that can keep up.It is important to have dry sand. I like to sand blast in a large cardboard box <refrigerator box> so I can collect the media for re use. Unless you have a absolute monster of a compressor you will be limited by the time spent waiting for the compressor to catch up.
This is a very important point, I have a large industrial compressor and still can only blast for maybe 5 minutes before having to stop and let the compressor catch up, check out a skat blast catalog for a lot of info on blasting.
Price out the media. Price out renting an air compressor trailer. Price out renting a pressure pot. Price out the PPE, a big tarp, broom and screen. That and the sweat is what doing the job well is going to cost. If you have blasted stuff even in a small cabinet, you know that every square inch has to be passed over a couple times to clean and even it all out. That unit against a Merc frame is like using a spaghetti drainer to clean the beach.
I have the HF pressure pot blaster with the follwoing mods: regulator before the water seperator Kennametal blast nozzle setup in lieu of the dead man switch: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RXNGQR7/?tag=atomicindus08-20 I run mine around 80 psi, and my 5 hp, 80 gallon compressor will keep up with it. The nozzle is the key as it does a better job of directing the media, making it much more efficient. Blasted a frame with coal slag, worked out well. (Don't buy media at HF, it's way too expensive. I buy coal slag at Northern Tool for way less money) I currently have 80 mesh garnet media in my cabinet and pressure pot because I stumbled on a pile of it for short money. I like the finish it gives better than the coal, but I wouldn't pay full price for it as it is not cheap.
I had one of these for years, it worked fine for small stuff, and frames and wheels. Eventually the plastic cracked, but it was 15 years old at that point.
As stated previously the HF sandblaster will work for small stuff, but moisture in the sand will clog the line often, but does a fair job on small pieces. HRP
Hi guys...any chance of showing photos of the modifications you made to your HF pressure sandblasters? TIA
That small sandblaster works OK for small jobs. It would take forever on a big job like a frame. Sandblasting is messy. Even in an open yard. Do yourself a favor and take the frame to a sandblasting shop. Not expensive and won't get sand all over the shop.
Just spent a few months in Las Vegas at my son's house where we built a couple of 20' long driveway gates. The last time we sandblasted, we used the red Harbor Feight unit and it seemed like it broke down or got plugged up every 10 minutes. We bought the new gray unit and it worked flawlessly. never plugged up. https://www.harborfreight.com/110-lb-pressurized-abrasive-blaster-59471.html
I have the little hand held spray gun, which works great for small parts and rims. It just doesn't hold very much media. This one is bigger, holds 50lbs of media at a time. They sell coarse 80grt and fine grit, crushed walnut shell, and glass bead. Gonna try out the coarse grit first. Like I said, i'm not looking for a complete, spotless result. Just enough to get all the dirt and grime and as much of the rust as possible. I'll take some before and after pics.
If I was doing something I wanted really nice, I would take it to the place by me. But i'm not Rollin Large!
you'll find lots of clogs w/ coarser than #60....and even then..... pressure blaster,poor as those h/f ones are,will still work better
I have a pressure pot blaster for things that don’t fit in the blast cabinet, works well but messy. For something like a frame I would save the aggravation and send it out.
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