Problem with Harbour Freight blast cabinet
Thread Starter
|
Tuned
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 423
Likes: 8
Problem with Harbour Freight blast cabinet
I bought this cabinet on sale for $200. Been wanting one forever...
Got walnut shells originally, because i'm doing some brass hardware that'd been painted for 100 years.
Could not get it to siphon the media at all...
Kept clogging up, I guess...
So I exchanged the walnut shells for glass beads.
Worked for a couple small parts, (10 minutes) then clogged up again.
I've tried each nozzle, pulled the hoses out, blew them out, removed the pipe thing that goes down into the media, but it still won't work.
The employees at the store are clueless.
The !-800 tech support is closed.
Anyone else have trouble with this thing? or something similar?
Got walnut shells originally, because i'm doing some brass hardware that'd been painted for 100 years.
Could not get it to siphon the media at all...
Kept clogging up, I guess...
So I exchanged the walnut shells for glass beads.
Worked for a couple small parts, (10 minutes) then clogged up again.
I've tried each nozzle, pulled the hoses out, blew them out, removed the pipe thing that goes down into the media, but it still won't work.
The employees at the store are clueless.
The !-800 tech support is closed.
Anyone else have trouble with this thing? or something similar?
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 18,488
Likes: 22
From: The Big, Oregon
Moisture is a big enemy here, and if the paint comes off in flakes it will also plug. Air pressure and nozzle size need to be adjusted for different media, you will probably need a larger nozzle for walnut shells/glass beads than for sand.
Thread Starter
|
Tuned
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 423
Likes: 8
Daniel... I'll try that...
I used a blaster at my dads shop all the time when I worked there... Never had this problem.
My garage is unheated though, and it's been in the 30's here...
It's pretty frutrating, because winter is when I tear stuff apart to repaint and rebuild...
I used a blaster at my dads shop all the time when I worked there... Never had this problem.
My garage is unheated though, and it's been in the 30's here...
It's pretty frutrating, because winter is when I tear stuff apart to repaint and rebuild...
Senior User
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 171
Likes: 0
Winter work
I do work on my vehicles in winter too. During the summer I would much rather play with my boat.
I used to work at a factory that had several "sand" blasters, with basically an unlimited air supply. Big industrial ones. Even one that you had to put on a full body suit, and you went in the sandblaster.
They used aluminium oxide for blasting media.
My little harbor freight sandblaster is wimpy, compared to those.
I used to work at a factory that had several "sand" blasters, with basically an unlimited air supply. Big industrial ones. Even one that you had to put on a full body suit, and you went in the sandblaster.
They used aluminium oxide for blasting media.
My little harbor freight sandblaster is wimpy, compared to those.
New User
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
I bought one too. Same problem. You can't use a larger nozzle unless you have enough air. The trick with any media is getting the air/media mix correct. The gun is garbage. I ended up spending 200.00 on a professional gun and tungstencarbide nozzle. Now I can blast until I run out or air and it never plugs. My shop is unheated and I have never had a moisture issue. I blast with sand, Copperslag, walnut and glass bead. Same nozzle for all.
I hate to tell ya to spend some coin, but you will be happy with the results.
MIke
I hate to tell ya to spend some coin, but you will be happy with the results.
MIke
Trending Topics
Lead Driver
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 6,305
Likes: 18
From: Boulder Creek, Ca
Part time hobbiest, purchased HF blasting cabinet 2-3 years ago and use it on regular basis, winter or no winter. Use alum. oxide, or glass bead, appears as a fine powder, found the heavier media tended to clog the nozzle. Don't have much of a moisture separation system to speck of, drain tank and separater on compressor. Using metal structure temporarily, hopefully can afford to get the garage built in next year or so, so much for metal structures. Using a compressor putting out about 6.7 cfm max, not sure anything with less cfm would work. Throw the desecant pads that came with the media in the hopper. Upgraded the siphon gun thru TP tools. TP tools also carries number of other items for the cabinet. The light in the cabinet went out within short period of time. Purchase the HP magnetic light that rotates and swivels and rigged it up to work off cabinet switch, works okay. Needed to blast chassis and body parts so picked up a cheap ebay pressure blaster. Drilled an extra hole in the blasting cabinet and now use this set up majority of the time. Anyhow, had an urge to chime in and add my $.02.
dave
dave
FTE Stories
Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts
10 Ugly Ford Trucks That We Still Kinda Love
Joe Kucinski
10 Things Every Truck Owner NEEDS (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalyptic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Most Expensive Ford Trucks Ever Sold on Bring a Trailer
Joe Kucinski
2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)
Brett Foote
Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies
Joe Kucinski
AEV FXL Super Duty - the Super Duty Raptor Ford Doesn't Make
Brett Foote
Lobo Vs Lobo: Proof the F-150 Lobo Should Be Even Lower!
Michael S. Palmer
Ford's 2001 Explorer Sportsman Concept Looks For a New Home
Verdad Gallardo
Thread Starter
|
Tuned
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 423
Likes: 8
Thanks for the input guys...
A guy at worl had the same issues, and ended up getting a different gun with Carbide tips...
I'm going to fight with Harbour Freight to see about getting at least a partial refund... We'll see.
In the meantime, I'll be getting a different gun.
A guy at worl had the same issues, and ended up getting a different gun with Carbide tips...
I'm going to fight with Harbour Freight to see about getting at least a partial refund... We'll see.
In the meantime, I'll be getting a different gun.
Elder User
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 540
Likes: 0
From: Northern MD
On one forum I go to, several of the people have replaced the siphon guns with an external pressure pot. They say that the bulkier hose is outweighed by the higher efficiency of the pressure pot.
Thread Starter
|
Tuned
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 423
Likes: 8
I've tried it at different PSI... I think it works better at a lower psi, and more scfm... I'm still trying to find time to run up to the store my coworker recommended for a new gun.
I'm also looking for a bigger tank.
I'm also looking for a bigger tank.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
jrockdiddy
1948 - 1956 F1, F100 & Larger F-Series Trucks
15
Nov 20, 2014 07:13 PM
FortyNiner
1948 - 1956 F1, F100 & Larger F-Series Trucks
15
Aug 25, 2014 07:32 PM
