Do you guys have sandblasters????
Seems to be a good way to clean stuff up...???
IF SO...
What size air compressor do you use?
Does anyone know what "SCGM" and or "SCFP" means with regards to compressors?

As always thanks in advance...

 

I have a buddy here in Murfreesboro that blasts stuff for me. He lives out in the Blackman area of the county.

 

I have a #80 harbor freight sandblaster and it takes all my 60 gallon single stage 6.5 ha-ha HP can can do to keep up on large panels and frames. I agree though, they are nice to have especially with this hobby.

SCFM is the term most compressors show on their data tags. Usually listed at 40 psi and again at a higher reference number such as 90PSI. The higher the better as a sandblaster uses a lot of air.

 

I had my cab blasted by a local shop for 200 dollars.

 

I have done my 53 and 56 frames, it was handier but the cost for the sand was as much as to have it done.
I found a supply for sand in the 4,000lb mini bulk bags, a bit less money than buying it in the small bags and a lot more convenient.

 

Walnut shells work the same and the clean up is easier not to mention you lesson the chance of silica exposure which can cause cancer.

 

What is the price of the walnut shells?

 

I get them local where I live and for 100 LBS is about 15-20.00. They also sell crushed sea shells. They work as well as sand and very little dust.

 

ssj7kids,
The "SCFM" stands for Standard Cubic Feet per Minute of airflow and is given at a specific pressure. The compressor and the sand blaster will both have a rating. I've got a 6 HP 60 gallon compressor that is supposed to put out about 11 1/2 SCFM @ 40 PSI and about 10 SCFM @ 90 PSI. I use a pressure blaster that requires around 10 CFM @90 PSI so my compressor never shuts off while I'm blasting. One thing I have found is that if the tip wears out and enlarges, it requires more air to blast. So I always keep a supply of new smaller tips on hand.
Good Luck!

 

i use a blast cabnet for smaller stuff. its just a box with a clear lid and you put your hands in it threw big rubber gloves.it works pretty good with a 150 gal air tank on a 7 hp comp. all big jobs get farmed out

 

I have rented compressors and sand blasted some engine compartments and parts. One thing I remember is trying to get all of the sand cleaned off. It is a real pain trying to get sand out of corners and hard to reach places. Sand gets everywhere so have a good area to blast away from buildings. There is a place in town here that I just send small parts for blasting and they also do power coating. Good luck.

 

use a regultor at about 50psi works as well as it does on line pressure.makes the air and sand go alot futher. i use coal slag,safe and fast.

 

DON'T blast with regular play sand! Unless you use a supplied air hood and stay downwind of anyone or anything. Silica dust is highly hazardous to you health, and not worth the few dollars saved. Blast over a clean tarp and you can recover a lot of your blasting media for reuse. You will need a LOT of air to do any serious blasting, a 110V compressor won't cut it. The rating plates on compressors are usually rated at the tank outlet with no restrictions. By the time you add a regulator and 50' of hose it is putting out ~ 1/2 that rating at the working end of the hose. Unless your compressor is rated for continuous use (most smaller compressors are not) you will shorten it's life considerably running it constantly.

 

There's sandblasting siphon attachments for pressure washers. No dust, and they're much more efficient since water doesn't compress. I don't know how safe they'd be on sheet metal... maybe you can rent one first.

If you're blasting smaller parts, there's my non-patented non-cabinet technique: get a big tough clear plastic bag, stick the target and the nozzle inside, hold the plastic bag loosely closed around the hose, and blast away.

I'm skeptical that walnut shells will work on real rust; I thought they were better for removing paint, especially on more delicate surfaces like aluminum or fiberglass.

And to address the original question, I've got a siphon-type blaster. Very cheap, and doesn't take up much space. OK for very small jobs. And a 40 pound Harbor Freight pressure-pot blaster.
The compressor is a 2-cylinder pump driven by a humongous General Electric TEFC industrial 220V single-phase 5 HP motor. Based on the pulley ratios and the pump spec it's about 6 to 8 CFM.

If you've got a lot of blasting to do and can get everything prepped to do it in one go, consider renting a big gas-powered compressor and pressure blaster. This would also mean you could work out in the middle of a field or vacant lot and not have to worry about how much the neighbors like listening to the hissing and thumping and spatter of sand landing on their cars' paint.