Blast Cabinet

[Pete]

I'm looking at picking up a small blast cabinet to clean misc parts for my frame up build. As I have looked around and seen many models etc. Anyone have any experience with any particular model they care to share?

Pete

[thixon]

Pete,

Stay away from the harbour freight cabinets. I bought one, and ended up selling it. It clogged, the fittings stunk, and re-collection was terrrible. As attractive as the price looks, they're junk. Eastwood's are not much better (yeah, I know, a lot of you like eastwood stuff).

A buddy has one of these and its great. One of the best I've used.

http://www.tptools.com/dg/53_Abrasive-Blast-Cabinets.html

His is the "fast blast."

[jac04]

Now wait a second, the Harbor Freight blast cabinets aren't bad if you know how to 'tweak' them. As it arrives, it doesn't work well, but you get a good starting point for your money. Here is what I did to make it work well:
1) Make sure that you buy extra protectors for the viewing lens - this is critical.
2) Make sure to protect the inside flourescent light - do this by buying a 8' long flourescent light protector at Home Depot, cut it to length, slit it, and slide it over the inside light.
3) There is usually a plugged port on the back. Hook up your shop vac to this port. Mine just plugged right in. If you don't do this, you will never be able to see what you are doing.
4) Tweak the pick up tube for the blast gun. I found that running a piece of tygon tubing down the side of the pickup tube to the bottom allows for air to be drawn down and helps with sand pick-up.
5) Buy extra ceramic nozzles for the blast gun. They are super cheap and the gun works best when they are not worn out.

Now, if I had to do it all over again, I would have bought the retrofit kit made by Skat Blast - this is a kit made to upgrade the cheapo HF cabinets to a decent gun.

I have blasted a lot of parts with my HF cabinet and have been very happy with the performance of it having made the above changes. My only problem now is my particular model is NLA and I need more lens protectors.

[JackIIA]

Pete,

You could also build one. It won't be as convenient as the ones Travis and Jeff reference, but it's pretty cheap ($40??). Some plywood, acouple of studs, an old storm window, 2 toilet base collars, a couple of halogen lights, and a cutout with gasket for the vacume line. I do have to shovel out the blasting media since there is no funnel at the base. That would make things nice I have to say.

Jack

[kevkon]

I have a Trinco 36" which I bought used for about $350. I think they retail for around $2500. So definately look around for a high quality used unit. The major differences between the cheaper units and the pro models are quality, 2 stage collection, protected lights, heavier gloves, foot control, and a better blast gun. Whichever way you go, make sure you have a good air compressor with a water seperator.

[jac04]

... make sure you have a ... water seperator.
Yes, good point, this makes a huge difference. I used to think that you didn't need one with a blaster, but it keeps the gun from plugging.

[thixon]

Jac04,

I hear what you're saying, but the problem with a lot of HF stuff is that it requires "tweaking." If you look, you'll find posts on a lot of their items that detail the necessary "tweaks" to make them work properly (great examples are their english wheel and planishing hammer). Don't get me wrong, I shop there a lot. I'm just selective about what I buy. I consider their air tools as throw aways for what you pay. Sometimes the tweaks are worth the money. I'm seriously considering buying their english wheel at $200. I've read all about the tweaks that need to be made, and in that case, thinks its worth it. In the case of the blasting box, I don't. You just have to decide if you want to buy tools that require tweaking time, or spend that time working on your truck.

Based on what I know about Pete, he's a little more than just a garage hobbyist. He'll have to decide if his time would be better spent working on land rovers, as opposed to buying a tool he'll have to modify right off the bat to work properly. No offense meant, just trying to share my experiences.

BTW, I highly recommend buying the gun kit you mention. You'll find that the HF will die on you as it will have been blasted to death from the inside out. Also, I own a HF pot blaster. It takes a lot to get it working right, but for $40 on sale, I couldn't pass it up!

[thixon]

I have a Trinco 36" which I bought used for about $350. I think they retail for around $2500. So definately look around for a high quality used unit. The major differences between the cheaper units and the pro models are quality, 2 stage collection, protected lights, heavier gloves, foot control, and a better blast gun. Whichever way you go, make sure you have a good air compressor with a water seperator.

Man, I'm jealous! Nice purchase!:thumb-up:

[jac04]

No offense meant...
None taken. :)

... just trying to share my experiences.
Me too.

[kevkon]

Keep looking on EBay; http://cgi.ebay.com/DEE-BLAST-0-SAND-BLAST-CABINET-24-X-38-X-20_W0QQitemZ230427945348QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_Defa ultDomain_0?hash=item35a6936984