Group

i'm in the mist of sandblasting my 69 crewcab frame with a
40lb pressurized sandblaster, I am using sized #1 silica sand,
but i keep getting the blaster clogged..What type of nozzle
should i be using? ANybody have any tips ??? Also
what about air pressure settings??? is 90 lbs good??

 

Response: You might need to try a water-getter-thingy-outar-to-make-it-dryer-hence-sand-blows-betterer. Ya know, a separator but equalizerer....rer. Damn hippies.


Do the water separator.

 

I agree with the water catch, get the one with the small glass bowl so you can see the water. We put one right on the unit (air to water catch to blaster). I've had to drain it after every tank of sand. The other thing we ended up doing is getting rid of the gun and putting the ceramic tip directly on the hose. Worked like a charm. Another thing to watch is the bottom where the sand feeds from. I've blown the hose out a few times and didn't know it.

Last, and most important, wear a painters mask with the changeable filters under the hood. Makes a big difference in being able to breath.

 

Water Catch is a must, I have 2 on it, One on the unit and one off the compressor, What i was wondering if theres different size
ceramic tips????I bought this unit from Harbor freight and they
only list 2 tips, And i am using #1 sand whic i hear is the coarses

 

>Group
>
>i'm in the mist of sandblasting my 69 crewcab frame with a
>40lb pressurized sandblaster, I am using sized #1 silica
>sand,
>but i keep getting the blaster clogged..What type of nozzle
>should i be using? ANybody have any tips ??? Also
>what about air pressure settings??? is 90 lbs good??

You didn't mention if your reusing the media?
If you are make sure you are screening it before reusing.

Rich
Ford Trucks Built Tough!
not with rocks
Watch out "X" Mayor of Truckville

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 15-Apr-02 AT 10:29 PM (EST)]I've got the same blaster as you. It works well but you have to run the fine sand. I tried the Black Bueaty-clogged every time. If you re-use sand (which I do all the time) you have to screen paint and rust out of it. I just use a blue tarp under the work then pour through an old window screen. If there is even a hint of moisture it will clog. Even with all of the above, I still have clogging probs but me thinks that it is related to my compressor falling off. The tips are an odd size-I bought replacements at a paint-body shop and they weren't cheap. The blaster will eat-up ball valves, too. Funny, sandblasting rust is like finally being able to scratch an old itch.

Your mileage may vary.

 

Roscoe,

So i cant use #1 sand...I had double O (OO) sand and it didnt take
the 30 yrs of rust off the frame...the #1 does but clogs the small
ball valve on the bottom. I do reuse media too and screen it well,
I thik that is the worst part of the job

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 17-Apr-02 AT 03:58 AM (EST)]I too have one of those harbor freight setups, I love it. It cost me $79 on sale and it works excellent. the water trap that they give with it was crap and I bought a good one from home depot for $25.

A few suggestions:

1. run 30# mesh sand from home depot for $3.95 per 50# bag

2. play with the air speed. I usually have the sand control 1/3 open and the air speed 2/3 to 5/6 open. Less sand, more air helps.

3. mine came with several tips, I think I ended up using the 3.2mm tip and it was good at not clogging but used more CFM and I had to wait for the compressor to catch up.

4. empty and clean the tank, I found some rust chips inside of mine and used some carb cleaner on it then ran compressed air thru it while it was upside down.

sand blasting takes a HUGE compressor to do full time, I had a 3hp 8.6cfm @ 40psi and it wasn't enough to work properly. I upgraded to a 5hp 220 volt motor and larger pully and it became much more usable.

I got the 5hp 220 from harbor freight and oversized pully from hardware store and it really made a difference. (cost: $110)

I found that using a 5 gal plastic bucket with large hole cut in the lid and window screen streached under lid works best for cleaning the sand. Also, dropping the sand in front of a fan helps to remove the dust. Dust cloggs up the blaster much more than new clean sand.

If you have a smaller compressor, you can get a propane tank and convert it to be inline as a expansion tank, it helps.

One side note, I also use my sand blaster as an expansion tank for when I paint. It helps keep water out of the air.

 

I was at the new local WalMart today and saw a siphon-feed sandblaster for about thirteen dollars, I think it was a Campbell-Housfield (or something like that). I know NOTHING about sandblasters, but I do know that you usually get what you pay for. However, all I want to do is blast some rust out of the crevices of a set of used steel wagon wheel rims before I paint them. Can't expect much from a thirteen dollar product, but do you guys think it would be worth it for this application?
Thanks for any input. --sean.

 

for small applications I'd say yes, it'll be slow but if you can live with that you'll be ok.

 

Regarding the $13 sandblaster, it'll be a billion times better than nothing; I have one, and it's great for cleaning those awkward spots that can't be reached with a wire brush. How big is your compressor? With a 1 horse compressor you may only get a few seconds of blasting before you have to wait for the tank to pump up again. Continuous blasting will need more like 5 Hp.

Here's a tip for blasting small parts in comfort: get a BIG clear strong plastic bag, put the gun and the target inside, and hold the bag closed around the hoses. The sand stays inside the bag, and out of your ears/eyes/hair and everything else for 20 feet around.

 

One thing with the siphon type blasters, keep an eye on the ceramic tip. Don't do like me and let it wear out. Funny thing, that sand will dig right through the metal in the gun, then you get to go buy another $13 gun .

We've never had a problem with them other than that. If you get good, dry, clean sand, they work just fine. We sandblasted some Ford 9N tractor wheels that were NASTY and it worked just fine.

Later...

Chris