Any questions or comments would be appreciated.



Does anyone know how much pressure I should be running in this thing? So far I've run it at 60 psi, and I fell like I would like more power. My compressor is pretty big, so at 60psi it only kicked on every once in a while.

What should I run, 80 psi ? 100 psi ?

 

That looks like a great setup! I think we run around 100 PSI in the cabinet at work

 

I love it. If I blasted more Id have to build myself one. My question is where did you get the gloves?

 

Gloves were $18 on fleabay. THey're great though, cotton lined. They are just hose clamped on 2 giant PVC fittings.

 

How much more would it have cost to do it out of sheet metal?

 

I dunno, prob a lot more. There seems to be no probs with wood construction.

 

When I sandblasted in the past, I would crank up the compressor to 100-110 psi. It worked for me.

Looks great, up2L8!

 

Looks great. I'd cross brace the legs if there is any weight to it though.

 

It's not even close to that heavy. It's plenty sturdy the way it is. The box itself gives the legs plenty of strength.

 

I see what you're saying, but I'd be comfortable putting 300 lbs in it the way it is.

 

Looks good man. I've been kicking around doing a benchtop model at work from steel. Can you post up the ebay links for the gun and stuff?

 

NO prob:

THis is the seller for the gloves, various sizes are available. Look at his other listings.

Gloves

Gun is like this one, lots of sellers offer the same one for similar prices

blasting gun

 

Just a thought... Old grill + Dremel + plexiglass = cheaper blasting cabinet

 

When I was preparing to do this I saw pics of people's media blasters made out of all sorts of stuff. Steel 55gal drums was a common one. I did mine the way I did because I needed it to be a specific size and be able to move it around easily.

 

I'll have to keep this in mind. So the wood does hold up well? I would think at 100psi it would start deteriorating overtime from constant over spray.

 

actually, I've been using this a fair amount and the unprotected wood is not an issue at all. I can't even see wear from it.

I'm running 90psi, glass media.

Biggest issue is how fast the window wears out. I'm using plexiglass right now, but I might try real glass, because this shit gets cloudy kinda quick.


I love it though, I shoulda built this thing a long time ago.

 

Try putting a sheet of clear plastic over the plexiglass windoww on the inside. It's cheaper and easier to change it out than the plexiglass.

 

The thing that's been keeping one from showing up in our garage is the several hundred dollar air compressor that is also needed. My dad wants one to run some basic air tools off of, but I keep telling him to just do it right the first time and get a bigger unit. Then the problem becomes weight. We want to mount it in the rafters of the garage so we don't use up an precise floor space.

Once again, the Benjamin's just aren't growing fast enough... maybe I should plant another tree in the back yard.

Have you tried other media then the glass beads? I keep hearing great things about soda blasting but I think you need some extra equipment to use it so it doesn't clog the gun.

 

ah, that is key, I have a good size vertical standing compressor, and it works great, but any smaller would be bad news. A small one would be unusable. You def need a compressor though, I use the impact wrench all the time, my air grinder, etc.....

EDIT: haha, stop spending money on your damn car.

 

We have a roll of thicker plastic film we cut up and use peices of hear at work. It lasts quite a while, like 3-6 months between changes depending upon use.

 

ya? where would I find something like that? is it designed for blasting, or how would I find it?

 

what cfm compressor is needed for blasting??

 

This is what I have:

26 gal

4 cfm @ 90 psi

6 cfm @ 40 psi

1.5 running HP motor




It is fine for what I need, bigger is always better though. I give mine a break every 12 min or so to catch up and cool off. The pressure I run it at depends on what I'm blasting, but lately it's been at 90 psi. That's been great for most things.

 

what an awesome diy blasting cabinet . job well done

 

thanks man, I've been using it alot and it's holding up perfect. No wear problems or anything.

 

im glad to hear that .
to tell you the truth i though it was going to wear ...
i hope it will not , time will show

 

I've used it a TON, and it's fine. I dont think it's gonna be a problem.

 

perfect

now go sandblast something

 

I have wanted a blaster for a long time. ever since i was doing my appernticship as a auto sparky and had to blast all the casings and stuff i was repairing. loved how clean every thing casme out and looked like new.
i have a small 50ltr compressor and the gun, i had a bag of beads but my mum thought it was sand and used it in the garden. once the shed is built im hoping to get a much larger compressor of my mate. im hoping to make a cabnet that i can multi use as a small spray booth as well. but im de=reaming at the moment. i need to build the shed 1st.

but im glad to know the wood is holding up well. that knowledge makes it much cheaper and with in most peoples skill sets to make it out of wood.

some kind of film or thin plastic sheeting is in order i think. keep us postd on what you do about the window.

rep for trying it out and adding to the knowledge pool that is CF.

 

the plastic is starting to get pretty screwed up.


You can see what you're doing fine, but you can't see the surface texture anymore. I have a spare piece of plexi, but I just havn't used it yet.


You could use some film covering to make it last longer, but honestly, I'll prob just replace the glass every year or two. I can get a sheet of plexi for $18 that is big enough to make 2 windows out of.

 

What's the purpose of using the vacuum?

 

It helps clean the air inside. I need to modify my venting system, because right now it's too much suction and it's pulling on the window.


When running properly, it pulls all the dust and debris out of the air so you can see better. :rock:

 

Man, I want to make one... it's just that my compressor is one of the teeny pancake style ones.

 

I still give mine a break every 15 min roughly. a tiny one would be a waste of time. Save up for a bigger one dude, they aren't too bad.

 

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

what kind do you have? size/cfm@??psi?