Thread: Sandblasting kits

Originally Posted by CraigE

Anyone used the small sand blasting kits you can buy for $20-30? Are they any good? Also what media should you use with them? Garnet? Sand?
Thanks
CraigE

I used one of the gun and bucket of sand type guns from superheap.
I used garnet and a large metal box as a cabinet with x2 goggles and x2 masks.
It was OK but very slow going, it done the job though.

The probelm was more the compressor I think I borrowed on of those 2HP $99 jobs and had to keep stopping while the tank refilled, like I said it done the job but not overly impressed.

Do not Ever use sand in sandblasting - it is an open invitation to get silicosis, which is something you and your neighbours definitely don't want to get.

The problems with these small sandblasting kits are:-

1. They are small - unless we are talking about small jobs they will take forever to do the job.

2. Even though they are small, they take a lot of air, and you will need either a lot of patience or a compressor about as big as you can run on single phase.

3. Unless you live in a rural area, you are likely to create a nuisance that will bring down on you the wrath of your neighbours and probably the council, quite apart from your wife and other members of the family.

Despite the drawbacks, it may be useful for cleaning up rusted chassis and bulkheads etc, although for doing a full chassis or bulkhead I think a commercial sandblasting outfit would be more practical. Mainly because of my small compressor, I have found an angle grinder and wire brush or flap wheel is more practical.

(I don't have one of these sandblasters, but my next door neighbour has - he is 4km away and I can borrow it when needed, although my compressor is not really up to it. I get grit from the hire place in town that hires out sandblasters of this type)

John

Hi Craig
Look on the back page of the Quokka motoring extra.I just bought one of those $50 today as they looked pretty good.
I have a bag of glass beads I got off the linemarker guys a couple of years ago to use(the stuff that makes the lines reflect).
My new trailer wont be finished for our xmas trip,but got a garden trailer traded in on our tandem.It has 13" rims and stuffed tyres.A mate gave me a set of 14" alloys that are pretty grotty,I hope to have a go blasting them tommorow as well as new wheel bearings and getting the lights up to scratch.Will let you know how the blaster works.
Andrew

I have one of the blasters that have the hose into the bucket, it is slow & painful. But for $25.00 what do you expect.

The better ones have a compartment on top like a paintball gun.

I stripped an engine bay in an old GT Ford about 20 years ago with one, I used slag in it which is fairly enviromentally friendly at that time, mind you it took hours and hours but it did the required job, doing a chassis would take you ages , but it might do the right job, dont know what you use today probably a sand of some type.

I waas looking at getting the one that fits to the karcher . As i need to strip the trailer back. Have one of the cheap supercheap ones. But that will cause all sorts of mess. Whereas the water one would not . Least thats my thinking

Originally Posted by JDNSW

Do not Ever use sand in sandblasting - it is an open invitation to get silicosis, which is something you and your neighbours definitely don't want to get.

The problems with these small sandblasting kits are:-

1. They are small - unless we are talking about small jobs they will take forever to do the job.

2. Even though they are small, they take a lot of air, and you will need either a lot of patience or a compressor about as big as you can run on single phase.

3. Unless you live in a rural area, you are likely to create a nuisance that will bring down on you the wrath of your neighbours and probably the council, quite apart from your wife and other members of the family.

Despite the drawbacks, it may be useful for cleaning up rusted chassis and bulkheads etc, although for doing a full chassis or bulkhead I think a commercial sandblasting outfit would be more practical. Mainly because of my small compressor, I have found an angle grinder and wire brush or flap wheel is more practical.

(I don't have one of these sandblasters, but my next door neighbour has - he is 4km away and I can borrow it when needed, although my compressor is not really up to it. I get grit from the hire place in town that hires out sandblasters of this type)

John

John,
Not expecting much but have a 12cfm compressor to provide air. Mainly looking at small jobs and maybe a trailer. Can not justify a full unit.
Thanks
Craig

Originally Posted by CraigE

John,
Not expecting much but have a 12cfm compressor to provide air. Mainly looking at small jobs and maybe a trailer. Can not justify a full unit.
Thanks
Craig

Just to clarify (seem to be doing a bit of this lately) - I meant send the bits out to get sandblasted, not get the equipment used commercially, which is hardly practical for occasional use. I have had the bottom of my boat sandblasted several times, and on one occasion I was there when it was done. Very effective, but the equipment used took a six tonne truck to carry it plus a trailer mounted 100hp diesel compressor, and the operator used a full suit with a breathing air supply. And despite being done wet everywhere within about ten metres ended up covered in grit and flakes of paint.

John