I just wanted to get some opinions in regards to a Tumbler vs a blast cabinet. The tumbler I am looking at is the following: http://www.eastwood.com/ew-hd-vibratory-tumbler-w-media-pushbutton.html I haven't really looked at any blast cabinets and would appreciate some suggestions if you think that is the better way to go. Besides the cabinet though, what else do I need to get that whole thing going. I have a large compressor but as you can probably tell from this post I really have no idea what is needed other than the blast cabinet The blast cabinet is appealing just cause I could do some larger parts with it so what are everyone's thoughts???? Steve
Apples and oranges. You can put small parts in the tumbler, flip the switch, and forget about them other than to check occasionally to tell when done. The blast cabinet is good for surface removal of rust, paint, bondo, cleaning spark plugs, and quick cleaning of what will fit in it. Glass beads in a cabinet blaster give a great finish. Bodies, frames, and other large parts need a pressure fed media blaster to get them done. The media can be sand, walnut shells, alumina, or even baking soda if you have the optional water injector nozzle. We use all three on every project we do.
Yabutt! Seriously, for the price of a tumbler, isn't it more cost effective to use a wire wheel on a bench grinder to knock off 50+ years of rust, grease and grime on nuts, bolts, and other small items. You may get a good polished shine with a tumbler, but 6 months down the road, evil Mr. Rust will turn those suckers brown again!
The suggestion I like best is Tumbler and Blast Cabinet!!! The suggestion I like best is Tumbler and Blast Cabinet!!! Why not....you only live once and my Dad always said that you want to have the right tools for the right job. I have justified a many a tool purchases with that line. Steve
What about this blast cabinet So I don't want to get kicked out of the forum for suggesting such a tool, but does anyone see anything wrong with the following blast cabinet: http://www.harborfreight.com/40-lb-capacity-floor-blast-cabinet-93608.html I know it is Harbor Freight and all but we are just talking a metal cabinet to blast inside of right??? There is also this one from Eastwood which might be better cause it is made on the USA: http://www.eastwood.com/top-and-side-door-opening-blast-cabinet-24x36x24.html The Harbor Freight one I can get immediately whereas I will have to wait 2 to 3 weeks for the Eastwood one and I am sure have to pay quite a bit more for shipping. What are everyone's thoughts??? C'mon all you closet Harbor Freight tool users, it is time to come out of the closet and let me know whether this is a good buy or not. Steve
Out Of The H.F. Closet I didn't know it was a closet....(where's the mop ?) Anyways , that's WAAAYYY too small! . Your best bet is to buy a used one , once they've broken the glass or whatever , the price drops to $100 or so and repairs are cheap & easy . Look in the Sunday paper for business auctions too ~ you'll be pleased by what pops up . If you're handy with tools , make your own ~ it'll be bigger and better too , use plywood and only put a metal sheathing on the back wall to prevent blow - through , use light colored fibreglas roofing on the top to allow in more light , blah , blah blah...... Take your time & choose wisely , you'll be glad you did as once you have one of these , you'll be chucking in brake drums , fenders , exhaust manifolds (but never , EVER an intake manifold .) at the drop of a hat..... Strain & save the used media as when it wears , it's better for delicate work or alloy items , so on and so forth .
Blast! Be warned.....you need a big mofo compressor to keep up with a blasting cabinet!!! You need to add this to your budget, a small compressor and tank just won't cut it, waste of time, big air tank and big compressor, only way, if the manufacturer says you need 20cfm for the blaster then get 25 or 30, they always give a bare minimum to make guys buy them for their home workshop and compressor manufacturers always exaggerate their figures too!
Bigger IS Better ! So keep a lookout for shop / Sheriff's / Tax / Lien Sale auctions and buy a BIG old air tank too , allowing it to fill up wile you're taking a rest or having coffee etc. , makes the job go much easier & better . Be _sure_ to add a drain valve and leave it open every single night as more water than you can possibly imagine , WILL collect in there .
This is the compressor I have.... I have this one that I bought from Home Depot a few years ago: http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100083906/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053 It has a 60 gallon tank and puts out 10.2 scfm @90 psi. Will that be big enough and push out enough air to do any blasting? It seems to run the air tools just fine. I think I will end up buying the tumbler that I mentioned earlier and I found a guy to do some blasting in the valley and he charges $85/hour. Does that seem right? Seems a little high especially when he tells me that a fender takes about 45 minutes or about $60. I live in CA and everything here is expensive but is that average price? By the time I get all my fenders, running boards, inner fenders, bed sides, etc done by this guy it will cost me a fortune. On the other hand if I wanted to do these myself I imagine I would need some sort of booth or something because I would think this would make a huge mess otherwise. Any thoughts/opinions on the matter? Also living in CA I don't know how feasible it is to just start blasting in the backyard. Back when I lived in UT no one would have cared or thought anything of it but here it is different. Somehow if I did it I'm sure my neighbors would figure a way to connect me blasting to the deaths of baby seals that are clubbed to death in Alaska...... Steve
Test Easiest way to test is to put an air line connector with no tool on it and set your pressure to around 60psi and see how long your air lasts and how long to recover, I think most blast cabinets/ guns need 15 cfm minimum but check the one your looking to buy, nothings worse than a blaster that won't blast for more than 1 min then you have to wait 3 to start again, been there done that thrown it in the trash
Mess You really have to know what your doing if your going to build a booth, not as easy as it sounds, you could end up with a shack surrounded outside by a mess of grit and some hacked off neighbours, and your local EPA laws may stop you from doing it. You cannot believe how much mess using a blast gun makes, even a small one, it gets damn near everywhere!!!!!! It's like talcum powder, so fine and you need a serious bit of kit inside a booth, aspirators etc, you will need a huge compressor for a booth because you need air for the gun plus an air supply to breathe. Think very carefully before attempting a booth.
It sounds like a booth is not the way to go..... brit 50, Based on what you are telling me, I probably would be better off to pay the $85/hour and pay a shop to do what they do professionally. If I want to attempt any sort of blasting it sounds like I would be better off to find the next best deal on Craigslist for a cabinet that someone is trying to sell. That way I could keep it all contained and my current compressor would be able to keep up. I think for right now I will just buy the Tumbler from Eastwood - turns out that they sell most of their stuff on flea-bay so I can get it for less there then on their website and just leave the blasting to the experts. $85/hour will just be painful. I plan on using Eastwood's after blast once they have done that. Any experience with that product that they offer? Seems like a good solution since I will not be painting everything right away. Steve
Shop around I think the $85 an hour sounds expensive. I would shop around see if you can get a better deal, try and go for media blasting rather than grit, soda or nut shells are best, grit can damage panels warping them and the grits a nightmare to get out of all the crevices, it will encourage rust too if you don't get it all out, if you lived out in the sticks where no one would be bothered, then I would say have a go at a booth, but you will see what's involved when you take your panels in to be done, everything's oversized, blast gun, compressors, respirators and suits, it's a whole different game, a blast cabinet gun would take you a couple of hours to do a front fender properly because of the tight blast pattern, a booth gun has a 2" wide pattern. I'm not trying to put you off but it's easy to blow hundreds of bucks and still not get what you want because things won't work together,
My .02 When I was cleaning my frame, I built a makeshift booth out of plastig sheeting inside my garage. I have the same compressor you do - 60 gal. 3 hp. using a harbor freight 40 lb pressurized blaster. The compressor got quite a workout, but it made it through. 4 years later, I'm still finding abrasive around the garage It did a nice job on the frame, but I was too scared to use it on the thin stuff. If I was to do it again, I think I would shop around and pay someone. It made a huge mess.
Thanks Sidewynder... I appreciate the .02. I'm sure I would have tried something similar (much to my wife's dismay and disgust). Knowing that you have regrets for giving it a go that way renews my efforts to make some phone calls in the morning and talk to a few other shops to see what they would charge to do the work for me. Steve
blasting thin panels I have always been warned about blasting thin panels as heat can buildup and warp panels. As for putting up the plastic and keeping the blast medium undercontrol I think you need those guys that seal up houses to remove Asbestos, need to tape eachand every seam closed and a zipper where you go in and out. Bill
