Thread: Followed Me Home II

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I have a couple of blaster pots but they sure make a mess. I used to sand blast every day with one when I worked at the body shop. Character building is what the boss always said.

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I've been looking at HF & Northern Tool and was about to pull the trigger on one of the pressure pot units at HF and happened to think that a neighbor friend does some metal projects, so I messaged him to see if maybe.... He responded that he's got one that hasn't been used for years, and I can use it any time!
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We're in the middle of a nasty line of thunderstorms this afternoon, torrential rains and no need to get soaked so I'll get it tomorrow, and then pick up some abrasive & a couple more tarps to catch as much as I can.

I had one like that I bought brand new at the Daytona Turkey Run when I was building my Model-A coupe. I got it to use on the rear end housing, front axle, etc. I could blast a spot about 3 x 4 inches and it would clog. I would have to shut it down, take off the air hose to relieve the pressure, then disassemble the sand hose and valve on the bottom, clear the clog, clear out the sand hose and reassemble everything. Start up again, blast another spot, and it would clog again so I got the pleasure of doing the whole process over again, and again, and again. I was sifting the sand when I put it in, but it didn't help. I tried two other nozzles; that didn't help either. It did that to me abut 12 or 15 times. Blasting the rear end housing should have been a 45 minute job, but it took about 4 hours. When I was finally finished, I carried the blaster out to the street for the next day's trash pickup.

When I needed to blast my roadster frame I remembered all the difficulties the old blaster gave me, so I went and got the $15 cheapie. We had one like it when I worked in a local body shop and it never gave us problems, so I found one like it. Good luck with that one, Roger. If it works that's great, if not take a look at this... https://www.amazon.com/Jewboer-Blast...%2C183&sr=8-29

LOL I'll only pick up one bag of abrasive, Jim, to see how it works! Thanks for the tips.

Jim, my sand blaster is exactly the same as yours.
Every now and then the local quarry gets an excess of fines which they sell off as fill for $3 a cubic metre, so I go get myself a trailer load, transfer some of it to fish bins which I then store in my shed. (The rest gets dumped, usually as fill.)
Whenever I think of it I tip the sand from one fish bin into another, so that over a period of months it dries completely.
Then when it's totally dry I too use a cheap sieve to remove the larger pieces.

And when I need to blast something I've got any amount of dry clean sand to do it.

(I'm most probably preaching to the converted, but don't use river sand for blasting. River sand is rounded whereas quarry sand is crushed and is therefore multifaceted which is far more abrasive, whereas the rounded river sand can heat and distort light steel panels.)

I use the white silica sand. It is often sold as "play sand" for kids' sandboxes. it's coarse and the grains have sharp edges. I've been told it's actually crushed granite..?

I have a plastic garbage can with a lid that I keep my sand in and the can is in my storage shed so it doesn't see any rain. It stays really dry in there. If the sand somehow gets damp while I'm using it, I just throw it back in there and leave the lid off for a few days and it dries out.

Blasting sheet metal is always a risky proposition. Any media that generates heat can distort sheet metal.

OK, you guys have convinced me that simpler is better! How can I argue with two success stories, especially when one's from the US and the other from NZ! I'm still not sure about the play sand, but outside with a respirator mask may be OK. I may spring for some plastic beads, or aluminum oxide.

I've ordered the Jewboer siphon blaster and will leave my friend's old pressure unit with him for now! Heck, he might've picked it up from the curb in Florida for all I know! He did say he's had it forever, so I expect it's several iterations back on the "new & improved" changes .

i use starblast or acrylic . no silica in my shop. remember heat is not what causes the warping . it is the peening of the surface . peening stretches the surface causing it to warp. stay at a 45 degree angle so no peening occurs .

I have blasted lots of stuff with that same unit, it works well. I like the black diamond fine grit from Tractor supply. You have to have clean dry consistent grit or your going to clog right up. I got a sand sifter from a prospecting supply to clean and reuse the sand, it works great and I've cleaned it several times ( I have a huge tarp from harbor freight ). Silica sand is very hazardous to your lungs I don't use it anymore. Even with the black diamond I use a supplied air set up.

Originally Posted by v8nutz

I got a sand sifter from a prospecting supply to clean and reuse the sand, it works great and I've cleaned it several times ( I have a huge tarp from harbor freight ). Silica sand is very hazardous to your lungs I don't use it anymore. Even with the black diamond I use a supplied air set up.

v8nutz I'm aware of the silicosis danger and it's serious, no cure. I checked a YouTube video on cleaning media, and they used a 16gage screen. Is that about right for the Tractor Supply black diamond abrasive?

I'm heading to HF today, and tarps are on my list! I'd looked at Tractor Supply for abrasive, too.

the trick to pressure blasters is the pressure must be the same in the tank and the hose . my big one is sensitive. too much in the hose and the media wont enter the stream , too much in the tank and it will fill the hose .

I visited Harbor Freight today and picked up a little 6" palm grip pneumatic random orbit sander (one recommended by Jim Robinson) and a bunch of stick on abrasives that were cheap in bulk. I figure since it's raining too much to move things outside, and since I can flip the frame any way I need to for access I'll attack the flat surfaces with the sander, and if it does OK then the round tube is a lot less intimidating. I may blast it, or I may just go after it with the sander too! I've got time, regardless since I'm working for myself.

Shine, that's an interesting observation on the pressure blaster. So once you trigger the flow you get a pressure drop from tank to hose, so you may need to adjust the tank pressure a bit but then as you work the tank pressure drops some..... Sounds like an ongoing balancing act, and having a big enough compressor feeding the tank is mandatory! Thanks for the insight!

Originally Posted by rspears

regardless since I'm working for myself.

Last time I worked for myself, my boss was a real A$$. Worked me like a dog, even followed me home (I think he was sleeping with my wife too).

Originally Posted by 36 sedan

Last time I worked for myself, my boss was a real A$$. Worked me like a dog, even followed me home (I think he was sleeping with my wife too).

Been a long time since I've heard that one. Thanks for bringing that laugh back.

Just something to watch for but here in our area if you ask for play sand you get a mixture of sands and rocks. No Bueno for media blasting. I like the black media from TSC. They were all oos here and had no idea when more would be in. Thanks covid.