hey guys, im finally sick of trying to manually take rust and paint off of sheetmetal and misc parts. ive been looking into getting a pressurized blaster for some time now, and ive found quite a few local compressors for good prices. any ways i have a few general questions. im going to be doing some decent sized stuff like fenders and things. where are you guys blasting at, and has anyone developed a way to contain the media for re use ? i hear a lot of guys just use a tarp and collect whatever sand they can afterwards but im thinking there must be a way to setup some type of temporary "room". also how long will say a 40lb pressurized blaster last before the tank runs out ? any info or tips you guys have are greatly appreciated. thanks - shane
have a very good air compressor thats best advice i can tell you before you even try to do this. i have used one of those portable canopys used at flea markets to enclose it and to sand blast in . eventually though that sand cant be recycled as it will turn to powder after a few times. make sure you have some kind of respirator as well this is dangerous to do especially enclosed area Jen
Your going to need a sizable compressor that can supply 15-20 CFM. The larger the CFM, the better, you can never have to much CFM. Smaller compressors can be used but they cycle a shit ton, and you will shorten the life span of the compressor. Next you need to make sure you have DRY air. If not the pot blaster will clog and not work. DRY AIR IS A MUST! A 40lbs pot blaster is small, and you will have to stop often and refill it. I would at least have a 90-100lb pot blaster. Thats what I use and it seems to be a good size.
Might want to clean up the small stuff before you tackle the fenders ... gotta have the right touch on sheet metal.
If your gonna use sand on sheet metal you gotta know what your doin. You'll wreck it before you know it. Its all about the angle you blast at, pressure, tip size, etc. These also factor in on how fast the media is gone through. As well as what media is used. So an enclosed space is essential. Also moisture is your enemy. So a plain jane air compressor won't be up to snuff when blasting large pieces they will build up moisture, thus affecting the media, and the bare metal you are spraying it at. Also the weather will affect all of the above. Humidity and rain causing the air to be damp. It more complicated then just getting a blaster and going at it. Not to discourage you. But your best bet is to find a reputable person that does media blasting for their business and pay them to do it. I currently have a guy I trust and use, but will someday hopefully do my own blasting. But I plan to have and indoor spray booth style room set up specifically for blasting and a separate air system and air drying unit. I do some small areas outside with a small gun and a mix of media, but it normally is more of a pain till I clean up my mess, re sift everything, and fight with the moisture in the air system. Just my thoughts and experience. Good luck
after all is said and done, you'll br better off finding a pro blaster to do the work. Everything about home sandblasting is a is a giant money pit. The nozzles, valves, lines, compressor, and sand all wear out. It's messy, hazardous, and won'yt make you many friends with your neighbors. I have a buddy who does this for a living. He can do a complete jeep frame, including axles and springs, down to clean metal in about an hour. He gets forty bucks an hour. Did a complete A sedan in about four hours. And he has to handle the cleanup and maintainance.
This is my experience with this issue: Like stated above you need a good air compressor. Mine is an 80 gallon Kobalt with a dryer( a must). The 40 lb. blaster from Tractor supply is what I use. However the 40 lbs. of sand lasts depending on whether its paint or rust, it never lasts as long as you want. I also use the play sand from Lowes to save alittle money. You have to sift the sand with a fairly fine screen from hardware store. As I sand blasted my truck cab, I layed down about a 20'x20' piece of plastic to catch the used sand. I usually catch about 60% of the sand. Alot turns to dust. Sift the sand before using everytime. It takes a while but I saved about $600 since I already had the compressor and blaster. Good luck. By the way get a leather blasting hood, you will need it.
Used a 40lb Harbor Fright pressure blaster and #30 sand (cheap and available) with 3 hp compressor. Bought several air tanks off Craigs List and totaled over 300 gal air. Did entire project (64 Chevy pu), frame, sheet metal, bed etc and set-up worked well. Suggestions; install air chiller between compressor and first tank, put water separators between each tank and don't worry about re-using sand. Too much hassle. Degrease everything before blasting. Run 1/2" hose from tank to blaster. Blast sheet metal at an angle and move quickly. Same day you blast, clean and prime everything. Use a 2 part primer. You can go back and do body work later. Have Fun!
the more i read, and just as you guys are saying moisture is definitely the p.i.t.a here. i will try to get ahold of something bigger than a 40lb blaster. also whats your guys different opinions on media. i hear walnut shells are pretty forgiving to thinner and softer material ? also, the sheetmetal i have only has minor minor surface rust so id imagine i could use a softer media that wouldnt damage the metal but it would still get paint and slight rust stripped ? all the heavier RUST issues i have are on thicker metal. two of the compressors i were looking at were 11.5 and 14 cfm @ 90 psi. these should run a blaster fine right ? obviously the more cfm the better but some of these are REALLY pricey when you get up near 20cfm @ 90
Gotta agree with the rest of the folks here. A bead blast cabinet for small parts is one of the handiest labor savers you can own, but its better to let someone who knows what they're doing handle any sheet metal that you care anything about. We've got a big pressure blaster and a 400 cfm compressor to run it with, and while its great for cleaning up frames or other structural type stuff, there's no way I'd go after anything like a car body that's worth anything. Even though I'm totally familiar with running our blaster, and have run it on heavy stuff more hours than I care to remember, I'd still give myself about a 90% likelihood of wrecking a nice hood or door beyond all hope.
also im in a 25x25 shop that i rent. so i dont really have to worry about neighbors or anything. ill check around locally for someone who will blast. i need to get a nice compressor anyway, but if i can find a local guy to do it for me for that cheap i might not mess with it. we will see. thanks for the quick replies guys
Speak o' the devil, I just came in from blasting and painting some rims. My cabinet is 3x4x6 and took a lot of planning to make it function properly. As many have stated, heavy steel is fine at home with a homebuilt setup. The problems arise when you start doin' anything that was previously made out of a sheet of steel. Your best bet for fenders or panels is to take it to a reputable blaster as it's something that can be very sensitive and unforgiving if part of the process is done wrong. Good luck and definately get you a setup for the little parts. I don't know what I would do without mine.BD
In my younger days I did a little sand blasting but then I was told about Silicosis. Silicosis kills http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicosis
I learned the hard way that there are some sheetmetal panels you never but never want get anywhere near a sandblaster. Like that big 'ol flat hood on my '60 Chevy, had a little light surface rust on the inside. No problem heh? read up on everything first, used the best media, low pressure, kept the nozzle at an angle and far back and swept a wide pattern....within a minute, even before all of the rust was gone it began to oil-can. Ended up metal working that sucker for days until I finally gave up in disgust and went out and bought another hood. This one had only a light dusting of rust speckles ....they say 'a fool never learns'..... Yep.... within about 20 seconds I had me another warped hood. Advice learned the hard way, if its a low crown panel and there are any inner reinfocements put that gun away! and break out the sand paper. You will save yourself a shitload of grief. .
for me sheet metal gets sent out to a 'pro'. I will blast some heavier gauge stuff and areas of sheet metal pieces that I am not worried about warping, so I can weld on it or pound on it, better seeing what I have. But in the end, I will send out my blasting work before I am done. The blaster I have (my son's DeeBlast mobile(?)) has a vacuum around the nozzle to suck back most of the media. I use it outside and have a small tarp to collect most of what does not get picked up by the vacuum. I am using Black Beauty media and the air use is about 15-17 cfm @ 90psi. ...but I am no pro and it takes me too long for too incomplete a job.
Sandblasting is worth every bit of the fifty bucks an hour the guy I use charges, I have a blast cabinet in my shop for little stuff and built a large sand blaster but don't like using it except for the jobs that only take twenty to thirty minutes.
I bought a $100 blast cabinet for the small stuff. I run it off my 30 gal compressor. It's still a pita. If you're going to do any serious blasting you need a gasoline powered compressor (the kind with wheels that you pull home from the tool rental behind your truck) and a good blaster...
A mid-sized blast cabinet will be the best $200 you've spent for tools in along time. Be aware, though, you can count having to reseal or reinforce the seals on most of the hobbyist type of cabinets. The media will find it's way through ANY little opening it can an you'll be sweeping up alot of lost media. Invest in a exhaust fan for the cabinet, too. It'll clear out the dust created by the blasting. If you're serious about learing to blast fenders and larger pieces, that's going to be tough in an enclosed rented space. Nonetheless, take some time and experiment with different media on different types of surfaces. "SAND'blasting is really a misnomer these days. Aluminized shot.....walnut shells.....Soda........are all good for various applications. Take some time and practice...have fun with it and learn. Get a good respirator, a decent body suit and head and face protection. HAVE FUN.
I have done it, my advise is take the big stuff to an experienced blaster and pay to have it done, and get a blast cabinet for your smaller stuff. It has been about 25 years since I blasted my 39 inside and out, every last inch.... Never again, that was a miserable job even when I was young, now that I am old, forget it.... There is a shop about a mile from mine that will do it for a respectable price....
I have a big stand-up Ingersol Rand air compressor and a second tank. It still isn't enough air. Moisture is a big problem here in Maryland. I'm on a well and run cold water over the second tank to condense moisture before it gets to the blast tank. Sand is bad news for lungs and metal. I use the black slag grit some call Black Beauty. I get it at Tractor Supply. I gave up on the shut off nozzles. I just stick a ceramic tip in the end of a piece of hose with a hose clamp. You almost need one of those big trailer compressors to be efficient. The more air the better. You also need a big pot. A forty pounder might give you five minutes of blast time doing fenders. Soda doesn't do much on rust. A buddy of mine here in MD had a big pot for sale reasonable a while back. PM me if you want his number.
I use a HF 90lb pressure blaster. My air source is an I/R 80gal 5hp single stage that puts out 18 cfm. I use a water trap a couple of feet upstream of the compressor then run the hose to the backyard which connects to another water trap which connects to this........... then a short hose to the water trap built onto the blaster. The I/R provides plenty of air and with the above filtration system, the air is bone dry. I setup a 10' square blasting area behind my toolshed. Bisquene stapled to 1-1/2" strapping which is attached to the fence and toolshed. A HF blue tarp on the ground to collect the sand. I scoop it up with a dustpan and strain it through a cheap WalMart strainer. It works great however, if you plan to do a complete car body........take everyones advice and farm it out. My setup would take forever to do an entire car! It's good for large suspension pieces and such. I also have a cheap HF blast cabinet but I've been thinking about stepping up to a barrel blaster for the smaller stuff. http://www.barrelblaster.com/
Great thread, Subcribed i been thinking about doing this too i hate paying this guy to blast my stiff he never has it when he says he will...
thanks for the help guys, hey CLIK do you know any1 around locally that blasts for a decent price ? and EVINTHO im very interested in your whole setup. seems like a good concept. the more i think about it, the only sheet metal i really need to do is doors. the bed sides and tailgate are a good bit thicker. also as far as cabinets go, has any1 built there own. my shop is not that big so i would like to build my own cabinet for space reasons, just to use on small stuff. but i agree, 95% of the stuff i do will be smaller parts, im just looking for a temporary way to do large parts when the time comes. anyone who has a built there own cabinet for smaller parts, shoot up some pics. im sure many people will be interested. i saw one in the tech forum on building one out of a 55 gallon drum that was almost identical to the barrel blaster that is linked above, i think i would like something a little larger tho, maybe a square cabinet of that size just to get a little extra space, we will see
I do media blasting for a living. And the best way to blast sheet metal is to use soda to remove the paint and filler or lead then go back and dust the rust with extra-fine crushed glass. I blasted a truck bed for a customer this morning and when he picked it up he said.... You didnt have to prime-it too thats how good the finish looks and you dont have any oil-canning at all !!!
are those medias available for personal use at a decent price or would i be better off letting someone else do the larger stuff ? i would really like to try it myself but if its way to much a hassle to get these medias to use on a DIY level i may go to a shop and just stick to small stuff myself
An air compressor alone is great to have, if you don't have one already. I wouldn't work on cars anymore without one. A pressurized tank will empty faster than you can believe. But it can also cut through the crude fast. I don't do it that often and just do it in the driveway in the alley. Blast, sweep up the sand, sift it back in, blast, sweep up the sand.... But what else is there to do on sunday? I also have a small paintgun sized blaster that is good for small items. And a proper respirator is a must. Lungs are more important than a car. Along with protective clothing. I have a full face respirator, and a hard hat with face shield to cover my hair and protect the respirator from the sand. If I ever had a frame or something I would send it out. Their sandblasters are so much quicker.
yeah i could really use a compressor, which is really where the whole sandblasting idea came through. it would be a lot easier then jacking with a sander for hours on end. and thanks clik ill give them a look. any experience with em ? how are they price wise ?
I don't know what their prices are but they seem to stay busy and do a lot of rods in the area. Seem to run a clean operation and don't have any crackhead looking employees. They have a shop next to mine, so, I see them come and go everyday.
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