Projects Visibility in Blast cabinet - any tricks ?

I’ve got a nice skat blast cabinet.

The issue Im having is the plastic protector shield lasts about 2 minutes and then you can’t see thru it any longer, it’s destroyed.
I’m using the nice ones from TP tools too.

My second issue is the barrel vacuum that came with it. I think an intermediate debris catch would help the filter maintain its effectiveness. Maybe it needs an upgrade vacuum? I’ve got a filter liner on it but it doesn’t seem to do much good.
Cleaning the filter out is just a pain, messy process especially difficult when it’s cold and raining outside.

I’m also thinking about routing the vac exhaust outside. Not crazy about poking a hole in the building.

I’ve had this thing for a few years now and don’t use it much because it’s a pain in the ass.
Can’t see what you’re doing,
blasting blind,
keep stopping removing the part to inspect and back in,
Keep stopping and cleaning filter,
Vac blows out enough exhaust dust to be an issue.
If I could figure out a way to correct those things in less time then it takes me to drive over and back to my blaster. ( One batch of parts takes 2 rounds trips and 4 hrs total) I’d be happy. He doesn’t like small parts anyway.

I’ve got a bunch of small stuff piled up that needs blasted, small parts that can’t get lost or mixed up.



Thanks for the help.

 

When you’re blasting you have to try and angle the part and the gun so the media bounces off it into the back wall. When youve got something that’s got multiple edges/shapes you need to move it around to maintain the angle of bounce rather than just running the gun from one end to the other.

 

Dust Deputy works wonders, I don’t know how I did without it now that I have it.
I also use removable plexiglass over the glass window .

 

I routed the blast cabinet exhaust outside with a flexible hose under the roll up door. That way I didn't have to make a hole in the building. I just put the hose out when blasting and pull it back in when I am done. If the weather is bad I lower the door down close to the hose.

 

I have a Skat Blast cabinet as well. When I put the plastic on the inside of the window, I put on 4 or 5 of them in decreasing sizes. Then, when the get fogged up, I reach in and tear one off thereby exposing the new one underneath. I also use Mylar sheets I bought from Amazon. It sounds dumb, but I use duct tape to hold the first one on the glass and then scotch tape on each other layer.

 

I have found the Kirby vacuum works best for me. I can use the bags or run the hose outside.
The media that I use seams to make the difference in how long the glass last.

 

I have safety glass in the cabinet and use acetate sheets to protect the glass. They are cheap and disposable.

 

The media you use can make a big difference in the amount of dust produced. I use Dupont Starblast and it isn't nearly as bad for dusting as some of the other media.

To protect the window I made a frame to mount a piece of window screen which sits on some standoffs that put it about 3/4" away from the inside of the window. You can see thru it just fine. It doesn't stop everything but basically anything that hits the window has to come thru perpendicular to the screen. Anything coming from an angle bounces off the screen and doesn't make it thru to the window. I used nylon screen at first but that didn't work well so I switched to galvanized screen and it holds up well. For the frame I just used a piece of 3/8 plywood and cut a hole a couple inches bigger than the window in each direction and then cut the outside so there was a frame of about 1" all the way around. That allows you to staple the screen to the frame as opposed to coming up with some way to attach the screen to a metal frame. Overall, I'd say the screen stops close to 90% of the flying abrasive from hitting the window.

 

how much blasting time are you guys getting out of a tear off sheets?
What’s supposed to be normal , 2 minutes, 20 minutes, 2 hours

 

Or maybe it's time to change out your blast media. Any chance that it's just pulverized into dust already?

 

That screen sounds like an easy move towards the right direction! Thanks

 

I built my own years ago,used it for a few years, and gave it to a friend who had more space. But, I had a hole in upper back corner of cabinet where my regular shop vac hose would fit, I attached the short wide nozzle to it, on inside of cabiet, facing upwards, so that it would draw the dusty air in, worked real good. I also used a 4 foot fluorescent fixture in side for light. The normal supplied diffuser kept errant blast particles from hitting the tubes.

 

In a thread here a few years back, the guy plumbed his exhaust into a 5 gallon bucket with water. I don’t recall how far the PVC pipe went into the water though. Then put his shop vac to the lid as well. Then he’d dump the water every so often.
Sorry, but I don’t recall all the details, but was supposed to work real well.

 

Usualy about 8 hours for me. Not sure whats normal. Got good extraction thought that tends to pull any dust down

 

I worked in a shop once that had a Snap On blast cabinet. It had a window screen inside the window to protect the glass. It seemed very effective.

Gary

 

I vented the vacuum out the wall behind the shop using a dryer type vent, I honestly believe it helps wiyj the dust, I also installed 2 flood lights inside the cabinet, as for the plastic covers for the glass, they don't last long. HRP

 

I bought a roll of Mylar film from McMaster Carr 30 years ago and still have some of it left. It cost $36. When I use the blaster the Mylar lasts about 8 to 10 hours. When my son-in-law uses it, its opaque in about an hour, so the blast angle does make a difference. I use Aluminum Oxide blast grit. I have a 2" tube through the wall for the exhaust with a screen clamped over the end to keep out bugs..

I had the Scat Blast vacuum system on it but the vacuum motors would fail in about a years and were over $100 to replace. Now I use Craigslist shop vacs with the bottom cut out of the bucket on the Scat Blast filter drum to replace the vacuum motor and they last several years before failing. $25 gets a replacement.

 

First, you need to use quality media, not sandblasting media. This will cut your dust load but also you need to use reduced pressure. I use about 60 psi for most. If you use high pressure, it will shatter your media and create dust, while also using up more media and bouncing media off your screen protector with more force. I use Skatblast Aluminum oxide media now.

https://skatblast.com/product/aluminum-oxide-abrasive/

 

When I first got my blast cabinet I killed the glass in no time , Then I got a new glass and covered it with duct tape in strips, you can tape off 1/2 1/4 or any amount you want, I taped off just enough to see through . when that small window is to bad I take off more tap. I just put in new glass the last one lasted twenty years

 

I go to hobby lobby and buy a sheet of acetate, cut it to fit the inside of the glass and change it about twice a year. much cheaper than the replacement plastic protection and lasts longer. I also use old garage sale shop vacuums with drywall bags to pull the dust out they last a long time and can usually be had for 20 or 25 bucks.

 

I am with @Mike Miller and use acetate that I get from Hobby Lobby. I did pick up some plastic sheeting at a garage sale and that hasn't been as good (but it was cheap. I tried the screen in front of the plastic and didn't see enough improvement to warrant continuing use. Just my opinion. For what it is worth I use some sort of black slag product I get at Menards (a midwest Home Depot type store). After it degrades I use it in a pot blaster outside when I need to do bigger projects and that's how it's life ends.

 

I, too, just use garage sale, auction, shop vacs. I have never paid more than $ 10.00 for any of them, I have 3 of them so I always have a spare.

 

I have a glass window in my snap on cabinet. I use a clear plastic "cling" sheet on the inside that I can peel off and replace as needed. I also installed two LED high watt bulbs inside, those coily looking ones, for extra light. I added a paint gun regulator on the air input so I could dial down the pressure if there is a dust storm going on.

I also routed my air for the blast cabinet after my air drier but prior to the regulator so the cabinet receives maximum output from my compressor rather than the 80 or so I send my tools. .

 

I switched to coal slag media and it made all the difference in the world in mine. Not cheap, bout well worth the money.

 

I agree with the importance of using clean, dustless media in the confined space of a blast cabinet. Not allowing dust to get in between the layers of tear aways will keep it clear much longer. Good lighting is a must. Here is a few pics of a crude filter I built with a 5 gal bucket and stuff I had on hand. It works fairly well removing dust from the cabinet. Just fill half full with water and connect to your shop vac.

 

I've done a couple things to make the visibility better.

Inside the cabinet I put a pair of 24 inch long 5000K LED tubes with plastic protectors over them to really light up the inside. One in the upper back side and one upper front, The tubes are 'Directional" meaning the light output is only from about 180 degrees of the circumference. Position them so the light does not illuminate the view window, but rather illuminates more downward.

In order to keep any shop lighting from reflecting off the blast cabinet window I turn off the lights in the shop when I'm blasting. An alternative is to just throw a large towel or small tarp over yourself and the blast cabinet to block any light from getting to the window. If I did a lot of sandblasting I'd be tempted to build a small closet to have the cabinet in so that I could easily block any external light. When you can limit the light source to just the one in the cabinet it makes a huge difference.

I have a friend in the HVAC business, and he does a lot of furnace replacements. He saves the draft inducer fans for me, and I have one mounted on the side of the blast cabinet directly over the dust vent hole in the side of the cabinet. The ones from high efficiency furnaces have plastic impellers so they can suck the dust directly from the cabinet without having to go through any filter that can plug. I run the output of the draft blower through a shop vac hose under the shop door.

 

As far as glass, I use glass. Been a few years since I had it done, but went to the local ACE and they had a broken piece of window pane. Asked the guy if he could cut some up for me, think it about 3 bucks a piece.
But I don’t spend 15 hours a week, or even a month at my cabinet. But it’s working for me.

 

I get a roll of cover sheet from the art store, saw it into sections the height of my window and secure it with cheap masking tape. Hard to judge how long it lasts; but I get much better life than the OP is reporting.

I also added a dust deputy cyclone between the cabinet and vacuum; makes a world of difference on the time before the filter needs cleaning.

A good gun makes a difference on blasting; I have found that TIP guns work the best for me and don't neglect to replace the wear parts as needed; always work quicker with nozzles that are not worn excessively.

 

Here's a trick I discovered that works fantastic.

1. Start with new glass.
2. Lay a ring of strip caulk 1" in from the edge all the way around the glass.
3. Stretch a piece of the shrink plastic they sell for home window insulation over the caulked side.
4. use a heat gun to shrink plastic.
5. install glass with plastic to the inside.

The sand particles bounce off of the stretchy plastic without ever leaving a mark and will last for months.
It's important that the plastic is not right up against the glass or the particles will cut instead of bouncing off.

 

After you put the acetate on your glass, cut a piece of nylon widow screen and place over the acetate and tape it around the perimeter. It’ll make the acetate last much longer.