Another resto project.

[Matto]

This tired and rusty sand blast cabinet came my way and I thought fixing this now would help move other projects along faster. I won't use the siphon, I'll just run the hose in from a 40LB pressure pot and use this box to collect the sand. That sand starts to get expensive after awhile. I've been using 70 grit black alum oxide. What do you folks find works best?

[Chasm]

That color green might look nice on that CJ in the background!  

[macrisel]

I really have the best luck using walnut shells with my Clarke media blaster.  I made a blasting cabinet out of a 55 gallon drum and just ran my hose from my pressure blaster inside.  It works great and keeps the dust and media contained.  When I'm done blasting, I scoop the shells out of the cabinet and filter them back into the blaster.  I use a large funnel with fabric screen wire across the top to filter the shells.

If you are using sand, you have to be very careful about the sand becoming embedded in the metal you are blasting.  This embedded sand can later become dislodged and wreck havoc on gears, seals, bearings etc., on internal parts.  Also, the dust from sand is much worse and can cause health problems.  Because of this, I only use sand on extremely large parts without internals (like frames) and even then, only because it is cheaper than shells.  I have used aluminum oxide in the past and had very good luck with it, but it seemed the shells held their "grit" better and could be reused more times than the oxide.  I typically can get 8-10 tanks out of the shells before they become "dull" and have to be replaced.

Hope this helps!

[Matto]

Thanks Mac, I will give walnut shells a try. I hope to have this up and runnung by the weekend.

[macrisel]

I think you will find a blast cabinet VERY nice.  All the mess and dust contained in one area instead of all over the shop.  One last piece of advice....I hooked up a shop vac to my cabinet to suck the dust out.  Without it, the dust gets thick enough you can't see inside!  An actual dust filtration system would be nice (and more neat) but my old shop vac was cheaper and within reach.  If you would like a picture, let me know and I'll post one.

[Matto]

In the back of this cabinet is a hole about 4" dia. with a baffle plate inside. There is a small copper tube with a 1/16" I.D. nozzle between the baffle and exauhst hole. I was told that running air through this will pull the dust out. I like the Idea of using a shop vac, sounds alot cleaner. I sewed some canvas sleaves to a pair of welding gloves and popped in a new pc of plexi. I need to find something disposable to use to protect the viewport. Some people use clear celophane. What do you use to protect the your glass?

[macrisel]

I use Saran wrap and it works great!

What I did was build a frame out of wood and recessed the inner edge for the plexiglass to sit it.  I wrap the Saran wrap on the plexiglass and sit it in.  Then I have another frame that screws on top of that to hold the plexiglass down.  Think of a picture frame.....

After two or three blast sessions the Saran wrap will be foggy from the media hitting it so I just replace it.  Much quicker and cheaper than replacing the plexiglass!

By the way, if you use a shop vac, you may have to cut some more breather hoses to relieve pressure inside the cabinet.  I found this out the hard way as the first time I hooked my shop vac up to the cabinet it sucked the plexiglass inside and scared the **** out of me!  For some reason, my mind told me the barrel was exploding...

[Matto]

Saran wrap it is! The kitchens on the way to the garage

[jamesr]

Kitchen is on the way to the garage?  Saran wrap, paper towels, oven cleaner, sandwich bags, freezer bags, plastic garbage sacks, dishwashing gloves, Dawn dish soap, kleenex, basting brush, turkey baster, meat thermometer (testing thermostates), What else am I missing?  Might be easier to take the willys to the kitchen, although probably not a gook idea.  Jim

[Matto]

Jim, haven't you ever snuck a part thru the dishwasher?