What is a good sandblaster for home use? Is there such a thing? I see some guys have small sandblasters in their shop, are they practical? What do you people that have them recommend, I have never priced a sandblaster, nor have I inquired about getting the blasting done at a shop. Thanks
I'm watching this one. I've never owned a sandblaster or even seen one operating. Have seen them in home and pro garages. I've always wanted and needed a sandblaster since the first rusty car part I laid hands on. I believe one would be very useful and not real expensive from those I've seen advertised. Standing by with rwilly, rusty parts in hand. :confused:
I'd suggest ou take your question to The Garage Journal forum. This is a link to their 'general tool' section: http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=4 Lots of information there on anything specifically related to your garage - tools, construction, electrical, etc.... (Not saying you won't get the answer here, just trying to help....)
I had a small sandblaster that was simple to use and worked great. Had a feed tube that dropped into a bucket of sand and another line from the compressor, I did have to build a little collection style table to blast things on, but the used sand would go right back into the sand bucket it drew out of. Was great for getting parts super clean and only required about 50 to 60 psi to work quick and easy.
After looking at what's out there, it seems most of the home shop models are pretty small, around 3' max width, that would probably suffice for most items. What if you wanted to blast a bumper? I am thinking it wouldn't be all that hard to build a table for bigger items. I haven't talked to any of the sandblasters in my area for prices yet, so I don't know if it is cost effective to make something for myself or not. I did talk to my dad today, and I think he said he had some wheels blasted for $20.00 apiece. Or, would it make sense to just section off an area of the garage like a paint booth and blast away. Def need a dust mask of some sort. Food for thought.
Unless you have a powerful air compressor, you will only be able to use a very small sand blaster. Blasters use a huge volume of air, and if the compressor can't keep up with it, you will spend more time waiting for air recovery than you will be blasting parts clean. I have a 80 gallon tank, with a 2 stage dual piston compressor hooked up to a 5 HP motor, and I can pull that down when using my small blaster. A sand blaster is like having an air hose without anything at the end to stop the air from escaping. Figure a minimum of $750 for the bare essential compressor, and abut $1000 for a decent sized blaster. I suggest that you visit http://www.tptools.com/ to learn more. They are the leader in home blaster cabinets..
I wasn't aware that blasters take that much air. My small compressor wouldn't make it. Thanks for the info.
