Bead blast cabinet

R

RARanney

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Apr 6, 2001
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Can anyone recommend a brand/model of bead blast cabinet they like? Thanks in advance.
 
Pretty happy with one from Northern Tool, although it took a whole evening to assemble. A floor model @$249.00. Made me find out right away just how small my compressor is, but it does work.

www.NorthernTool.com
 
I have one of the small bench top types. Mine is made by Cyclone and is a one piece molded plastic cabinet. I like it and use it often however my biggest complaint is that the plastic(plexiglass) lid scratched very quickly from the blast and now, is nearly impossible to see through it. It would be easy enough to fix and I keep planning on replacing it with glass, however I just haven't gotten around to it....so instead I opt to cuss and swear at it while I bob around looking for a clear area to see in.:mad: ...it gets frustrating.

If I were to purchase another....I would look into a more scratch resistant lid/looking glass.

My 2 cents about that.

Sincerely,
Rob
 
I have a bench top model that I got form Harbor Freight for around $60 which included shipping: Anything from Harbor Freight over $50 ships free. The cabinet is sheet metal and is made well (remember $60), but the gun that came with it was cheap (remember $60). I replaced the gun with a model that had a better uptake hose and ceramic nozzels. I had this on hand, but it only costs about $20-25 at Sears and other stores. I also added a cheap light which works just fine.

The whole unit with these modification works very well. If you have a little time and a few extras you will be set to go with minimal expense.
 
I have a top opening model from Cyclone. Model 3924 I think. MSC offers them. Been using it for almost 15 years. The dust collector that they offer is worth it. Easy to clean out and doesn't burn up like a Shop-Vac.
Be sure and get some Mylar shields for the inside glass. Way cheaper than changing the glass when it gets frosted over.
Invest in the Ceramic bead. You will love it.
 
You really have to know what you're going to use it for before you commit to one.

Take for instance Kit, he does a great deal of ceramic bead-blasted blades, so an upper end cabinet is not only desirable but required.

Then you have guys like myself that don't use one too much. I mostly use mine for cleaning up tangs before applying epoxy. For me, it would have been a big cost with little pay-off. So I went with the same one Andrew is talking about.

Mine is a side door, which makes for a much better seal on the Harbor Freight models available. I totally agree with what Andrew said on modifications. I would also add that you'd benefit from making the hopper deeper on these smaller ones, but that's a lot of work.

The lens protectors are cheap protection (as Rob can attest to! ;) ).

The small shop vacs you can get at Sears, Home Depot, etc. for $25-30 make a pretty good collector for a cheap unit. Again, this is all stuff to make a cheap one work pretty well for occasional use.

Now if you have about $250 to spend to split the difference here, TP tools sells an AWESOME smaller bench-top type that has their deep style hopper, high quality gun, and their high quality in general. It is a very nice unit that would do any knifemaking work, just a little pricier. But you wouldn't have to do a damn thing to it and it will work great.

If I can get ahold of some ceramic bead I think I will buy that cabinet.

Good luck,
Nick
 
I actually have three cabinets that I use for different things. Two are Econolines (one is pressure blast and the other is suction type), and one Trinco suction cabinet. I bought all three of them from surplus equipment dealers for a fraction of the cost of new units. If you're lucky enough to live near any of these guys I would suggest giving them a call. Industrial units are more stable and usually have better nozzles, better air flow control, better view windows, better media return flows, etc. I certainly couldn't justify paying new price for these but on the surplus market they're a steal.

Cecil
 
I have the same as Kit above,including peel off mylar shields.To make mine more efficient with my 3 1/2 hp compressor,I got a ceramic nozzle with a smaller orifice,works fine.
 
I have just fininshed my blast cabinet and my 2hp compressor is rated to run 4fpm at 115 psi 6 fpm at 90 psi but I cant get the compressor to blast.

Actually every time I start up my compressor it will fill up and then when it tries to run again it wont start up.

I spoke with a buddy and he thinks the bleeder valuve on the compressor is shot and I need to return the compressor.

What do you think, would a 2 hp unit be able to actually run a blast cabinet for knives if I can get the compressor to run.

Thanks for any help you can be,

Jim
 
Jim,my compressor is marginal(31/2hp)I wish I had gotten a 5-71/2hp,they are much more efficient.I sounds like you have other problems with your compressor,but I would say that it is too small for efficient blasting.:(
 
Jim, one solution to a small compressor is replacing the tank with a bigger one. Surplus Center has some 800-488-3407, free catalog. While it won't completely solve the problem, its a lot cheaper than more horsepower and honestly who wants to sandblast more than a couple of minutes before reloading the thing.
 
sounds like either the bleeder valve or the pressure switch. The bleeder valve if not working properly will hold compressed air against the pump causing the motor to try to start under load. The pressure switch may have a very low pressure restart setting. This could be a faulty switch or it may be made that way.
 
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