Bead Blasting Cabinet?????

Michael J. Spangler

Michael J. Spangler

Joined
Oct 8, 2003
Messages
2,181
so where is the best place to buy a cabinet? what specs should i look for?
i'm also going to need a compressor. I hear 5Hp is pretty minimum for running a bead blast cabinet, what are the other requirements? what is a good brand for compressors? i'm not looking for top of the line because i'm only using it now and then i just want something that works pretty good. one more ? where can i find the glass beads? i think the stuff i've used in the past is 280 grit equivalent. thanks everyone
 
GrassHoppa: I just got a flyer in from Northern and the have a nice standup one for $269. It's allot better than mine. Free shipping too.
 
The all metal Harbor Freight model is plenty good for up to 20 blades per week. You will need to set up a vacuum line to make it work well, but at a $100 you can't really beat it. I have two (one for sand one for glass) and they have done well for several years. You will lose some media out of them but any cab under $1000 will lose media like crazy. The only thing I have had to do was replace the gloves about 6 months ago and replace one gun (just today).

Don't be fooled into thinking that you need a higher end cab on a hobby or even pro level. I am just now looking to up grade to a $1k+ unit and that is only because I am blasting out several thousand blades per month, and those poor little HF cabs just can't hang.

On the other side. Your compressor. Get the best one you can afford. I started with a 30Gallon 5hp Craftsman and outgrew it in a few months. I now have a huge Delta 80gallon two stage monster and it can barely keep up with airflow demands. Keep in mind that there are only a couple factories that make all compressors. For example Delta, Jet, Porter Cable, Husky and several others are all the same machine. So as long as you know you are looking at the same pump/tank/motor combo, ignore the make and go for price/warrentee. I got my Delta from Sams Club for about $600 IIRC about a year ago.
 
By the time you get the tub, Plexy, fittings, pressure tank, hinges etal, it will end up costing more than a pre build cab. It also will not put out the volume of media that a knife maker needs. Good try though :)
 
I just recently got a Harbor Frieght blast cabnet and so far love it. I had been useing play sand, but finaly broke down and got a thing of beads, and now wonder what took so long. It'd be hard to build a cabnet like it out of plywood or sheet metal for the money if you had to buy materials.

I've got a 5 horse 30 gallon air tank Walmart special and it works for me. If I was doing more than a couple of blades/linners ect at a time I'd need more power.
 
Just wondering, what did you mean R.W. Clark by "You will need to set up a vacuum line to make it work well"?

Thanks
 
The way they come stock is just with a filter. So you get positive pressure building up inside. When that happens the media tends to blast out of the lid. It also makes a small sand storm inside so it is near impossible to see inside the cab. You can fix this by taking off the filter and running a line from your vacuum to the cab. I will run out to the shop and take a few photos to show what I mean.
 
I thought it looked okay, but you're right. I've got a desktop one, and a 3X5 ft one at work, so I didn't look into it real close... :(
Thanks for correcting me, R.W.

Howie
 
Here are a couple photos. You can see where I have attached the vacuum line. You can also see that since I have both cabs on the same line I have installed blast gates.

Just in case anyone doubted how many blades you can really turn out in these things I took a shot of this weeks work.
 

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Hey Grasshoppa, this is the one I got:

SandBlaster

...and this is the compressor I got:

compressor

They work fine together. Sometimes I wait until the compressor catches its breath, but a sandblaster eats up a lot of air anyway. I run air tools off that compressor also with no problem. By the way, you could fit a car rim into the cabinet - it's that big. It's well-lit with it's own internal light and it pretty durable. It'll take a whole bag of beads too.
 
indian george said:
Higgy: Is that a oilless compressor?? The one I had was a piece of crap.
Click to expand...

Yeah this one is a real p.o.s. too, but for now it works fine. I got a real bargain on it (yes, that was pronounced, "bah-gen"). A new compressor is on my list of things to get but first and formost has got to be a surface grinder (pronounced, "Grine-dah"). ;)
 
jhiggins said:
Yeah this one is a real p.o.s. too, but for now it works fine. I got a real bargain on it (yes, that was pronounced, "bah-gen"). A new compressor is on my list of things to get but first and formost has got to be a surface grinder (pronounced, "Grine-dah"). ;)
Click to expand...
Boy!!! You talk funny and look it too. HEHEHE!!!!!
 
Yeah, and wasn't it just last week you told me "I don't think I have an aaaaksent!" I heah ya, IG, loud and cleah!
 
Thanks R.W. I see what you mean, but mine didn't even come with a filter. it's got a 2" fitting on the back to hook one up I supose. The way I do it, blast two or three parts at a time and wait for the compressor to catch it's breath it doesn't get too cloudy. Maybe if I get more into production, but right now the only thing I'm using it for is the ocasional folder linners and maybe a few tacticle/field knives in the future so I don't need a high dollar set up right now.

My compressor is an oilless too, and it makes it easy to stand on it's end. I looked at it this afternoon and its a 23 gallon 5 horse oiless Wally World special and I got a good deal on it too or it wouldn't be there! ;)
 
If thats all your doing then you are good to go. I just wish that I had popped for the larger oil compressor off the bat. The Craftsman was half the price of the Delta but burned up in a few months, so it ended up costing me more in the long run. But I grew I heck of a lot faster than I ever thought.

Right now the Delta is running about a 50% duty cycle with a worker at the blasting cab finishing up those OTF blades (120psi) and I just came in from the mill using a air cooler at 50 psi. Its been running like that none stop all day. It can kill your pump/motor fast. Lots of oil changes!

Well, back out to cut a few hundred more spring pockets before bed time :barf:.
 
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