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Anyone used this blaster before?

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=95014

I want to use it for media blasting the fenders, hood & trunk lid. I figured it would be cheaper to buy this and the media, rather then spending the $400 to get all the parts done at the local blaster.

I'll just throw down a big tarp so I can try to recycle as much of the media as possible.

i bought one similar from northern tool. took it back because it wouldn't hold pressure and thus sucked bad. it wasn't what i really needed anyways.

i think you may need a heck of a compressor to really keep up. the one at the place that blasted my frame was HUGE!

it only cost me 350 to do the whole frame on all four sides....so i doubt it would be that much for me to do the fenders etc.....must be the difference between CA and TX i suppose.

i say it wouldn't hurt to try first...if it doesn't work out take it back.

later,

Hank

FWIW, I use the 'big tarp' method and a simple siphon setup which works fine for me. The only drawback I can think of is that you will coat everything in a surprisingly large area with a fine abrasive dust. My nearest neighbor isn't anywhere in range so it doesn't matter, but it may be something you want to consider.

Edit: and yes, I do have to let the compressor 'catch up' occasionally.

Well this one claims it only needs 6 cfm at 125, so I can manage that. 2 fenders, a hood and a trunk lid inside and out it a lot of square footage of area. Plus I don't want them manhandling the fenders as they are flipping them around to get all the inside rust from the inside of them. There's lot of surface rust and paint to remove plus all the sound deadening from the underside of the trunk lid.

If your was leaking then I can see where it was never developing enough pressure.

JD wrote:
"... you will coat everything in a surprisingly large area with a fine abrasive dust. "

HEED JD's warning!. The problem is that the sand riccoches from the work piece in global directions.
On a different note, I tend to avoid Harbour freight products.

Kev,
I don't have first hand experience, but friends have told of their experience. I don't think they have talked to JD in KC but they also echo his comment:
Quote:
Instead of the "big tarp" method, my friend used "a big driveway in the country" in front of his shop. Unfortunately, for us city dwellers we get zoning ordinances on noise, overspray, HazMat, etc.
Got any friends/ relatives that needs additional abrasive dust in their driveway?
DanL

PS: do you still like your little blast cabinet. I was looking at one this week after following your blog.

Quote:

A steady 6cfm at 125 is a fairly large compressor. More than a 2hp machine can manage.

My suggestion is to give up on the idea of a syphon feed and find a pressure pot blaster.

I am not particularly recommending this unit, this is just to make sure we are on the same page:

[urlhttp://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=95014[/url]

I note this one has a "dead man" valve at the operating end. Many of the cheaper ones simply have a gate valve.

The advantage of this, if you have a small compressor, is that you can stop occaisionally and let the pressure rebuild.

One problem with these is the moisture build up in the tank. Make sure you empty it before storing, particularly if you are using a media that absorbs water (i.e. baking soda). Even with sand, wet sand doesn't flow very well.

Don't use expensive media, a lot will be lost. Many people will recommend beach sand from Home Depot. I won't. It has a tendancy to clog.

Quote:

Paint remover

One last suggestion. If you need 6cfm at 125, set the machine tank pressure at 140-150 and the outlet at 125. If both are at 125, the machine will run constantly.

Also, spend some time playing with the media outlet valve on the bottom of the tank, you want the right mixture of air and media. This will become obvious.

The blaster I referenced is a pressure pot style blaster.

Yes, the existing Cabinet I have works just great. Just not big enough to handle the sheet metal. But it works great for the smaller parts.