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DIY, Homemade Media Blasting Cabinet

163K views 136 replies 32 participants last post by  JaCkHoLe 
#1 ·
After many delays, my sandblaster is finally done, and it works great. :rock:


The structure of mine is elusively wood; I didn't use any metal to cover the inside.

I'm not gonna tell you how to actually build the box, if you need help with that part then you shouldn't be working on a motorcycle. :D

I didn't draw out a plan of any kind, I just started cutting plywood, and designed it as I went.

Early phase, basically just a box:





Here I enclosed the bottom:



Once the bottom was enclosed, I made pieces for the inside that made it taper in both directions, as you see here:





Found some fittings to run the air hose through the plywood wall. I think they are plumbing fittings though.





I installed the hoses for air and the sand pickup. I bought a super cheap blasting gun off fleabay, it works great, and came with the pickup hose, pickup pipe, and some spare nozzles.



Added a light so I can see:



At this point it started to get kinda heavy, so I added some wheels. Do not underestimate the value of this feature. :D



Then I put my door on. I used regular home door hinges, very sturdy, and cheap. Home depot sold acrylic sheets in 30"x30" for like $17, so I bought one and cut it in half, that way I have a spare for when the glass gets shitty. I cut the hole a little smaller than the glass, and made little wood retainers on three sides to hold the glass in, then I just used some race tape around the edges, and viola! :rock:



I put foam weather stripping around the edges to seal it, and used these style of latches, I dont remember what they're called but you get the idea.



I put a pvc fitting in the side near the light so I could hook my shopvac up to it. The vacuum fits in great, but I need to add some vents on the other side, it sucks to hard right now that you can't move your hands with the vacuum on.



Completed, ready for operation:



My local place didn't have any alum oxide, so I got impatient and went with glass beads. A little softer, but works great.



Overall this was a great idea and saved me a ton of money.

I spent about $90 on wood, $20 on the gun, $20 on the media, $20 on hardware, $17 on hose & fittings, $15 on glue and screws. I'm not sure how much I spent total, maybe $250, but I think to buy a unit this large would be $1000 or more.

It should be large enough to do my frame if need be. It will def fit, but I'm not sure if I'll have the mobility to actually do a good job.
 
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#86 ·
lol FUCK!!

33" :thumbsup:
 
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#87 ·
up2l8 how much did the aluminum oxide cost you? Did you buy locally or online?

The local supplier wanted $95 for a 55 lb bag of Aluminum Oxide. That seemed outrageous to me.

I instead bought garnet at $30 for a 55 lb bag.


More pics.. finished up the bottom today.



 
#89 ·
Hell ya man, looking awesome, I'm really glad my build thread bump started you to build one!!!!
 
#91 ·
haha it's done minus gloves, light, and acrylic face shield!!! (all the holes are drilled though)

someone actually stopped while they were walking by my house "is that a sandblaster???"

he supposedly does a lot of woodworking and was really impressed that it was my first project :D
 
#92 ·
Oh, is there any kind of paint I can throw on this thing single coat no primer that will hold up OK inside?

I'm a lazy bum I just want to paint it one coat and be done.
 
#93 ·
I wouldn't think any paint will last on the inside of the blasting box. After all, you are blasting stuff in there with aggressive media. If you're concerned about the wood deteriorating then buy some steel/aluminum sheet and screw that to the inside walls. Old shelving would be great for this. Hit up the free section on Craigslist and you'll probably find something. Even free rusty steel sheet will work since it will get cleaned as soon as you start blasting.
 
#94 ·
WOOPS

I meant paint for the exterior to protect it while it is stored inside.

I am going to use a sacrificial piece of ply on the back wall and see how that works. :)
 
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#95 ·


 
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#97 ·
It's because of the way my top is set up. Compare it to up2l8s. His hinged portion is half the size. The window is 11"x26". From my normal standing position I can see all of the blasting area and then some.
 
#99 ·
fuck you guys about the window. I can see everything inside, why make it bigger? :(

plus it accepts half a home-depot sheet of acrylic perfectly.

also remember both of those holes are 8" in diameter.

the cabinet is huge, that's why the window looks small. 48" wide, 33" deep, 72" tall
 
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#100 ·
fuck you gays about the window. I can see everything inside, why make it bigger? :(

plus it accepts half a home-depot sheet of toilet paper perfectly.

also remember both of those holes are a penis size in diameter.

the cabinet is huge, that's why the window looks small. 48" wide, 33" deep, 72" tall
Nice Luke real nice !
 
#101 ·
#105 ·
Ummm, drain your compressor tank regularly and install a water trap/dessicant dryer/filter thingy?
 
#106 ·
i drain it regularly and im not familiar with the water trapping options so i was hoping for some sort of guidance :)
 
#109 ·
are they cheap? i dont even know what i'm looking for.

can I get one at sears or should i order one?

i'm just shooting in the dark here..
 
#110 ·
I'm not a fan of Sears for anything compressor-related*, here I'd say Princess Auto for compressor accessories so in your case I guess that would be Harbor Freight (maybe McMaster-Carr?) :) The cheapest easiest thing is an inline filter with silica beads to absorb the water. You can get reuseable ones, just take the beads out and dry them and it's good to go again. Things get progressively more elaborate and expensive from there. Unless you're painting you shouldn't need to get fancy.

*last time I was in Sears it seemed like their entire lineup of compressors had the same shitty useless motor, so even the one half the size of a damn fridge had the cfm rating of a wet fart.
 
#111 ·
actually... im going to try something today

i'm going to try cracking the water drain at the bottom of the tank so it's ever so slightly hissing... and see if that will expel some of the water before it gets to the gun
 
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