Sand blaster for bead blasting?

G

Gossman Knives

Edged Toolmaker
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Apr 9, 2004
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Can you use one of the small sand blasting units they sell at places like Harbor Freight to bead blast a blade? If so what type of medium would you use? Thanks
Scott
 
Sure Scott. I have one I got at Lowes that I've been using for years. I think you'll find the beads expensive and just start using fine sifted sand,
 
Thanks Don, I've been meaning to ask that, just happen to be thinking of it today. I guess Home Depot would probably have them too?
Scott
 
peter nap said:
Sure Scott. I have one I got at Lowes that I've been using for years. I think you'll find the beads expensive and just start using fine sifted sand,
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Don: I had problems with the sand. One of the reasons my cellar is damp. It kept getting clogged.
 
Home Depot or Harbor Freight have them Scott.

I guess it depends on how long you keep it George. I go through a bag in a few weeks or less. My shop is pretty damp and I do have a problem once in a while but not often. Get the beach sand or sandbox sand. It tends to be dry in the bag while the builders sand seems to be damp to start with.
 
Don: I was using the sandbox. But it was sitting for a long time. Now I just use the glassbeads from MSC.
 
IG, what would the beads set me back as far as cost? I'm going to try the sand, since I tend to be cheap :D but was curious of the bead cost.
Scott
 
Razorback,I have been using 2 of the boxes that haborfreight sells for several years with hardly no problems at all.You can watch their sale catalogues and buy them as low as $69.00 or as high as $109.00 depending on the sale. They also sell the glass beads. I use real fine sand and then glass, the reason for the two boxes.Wholesale Tool Supply is where I buy my glass,but msc would probably be almost as cheap. Hope that this helps. Mike
 
If you get a bead blast cabinet I'd recommend you get one with a hopper bottom instead of a flat bottom. With the hopper it's easier to change the blast media and the beads will move to the bottom and keep the pickup covered up.
 
Thanks Mike, I get their catalogs once in a while. There is a store in Harrisburg, PA. that's within an hour from me. I'll check it out.
Scott
 
Razorback - Knives said:
IG, what would the beads set me back as far as cost? I'm going to try the sand, since I tend to be cheap :D but was curious of the bead cost.
Scott
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50# just under $40 + S&H.
 
Local brickyards often carry several types of blasting media for cleaning buildings. The local place here carries two grits of sand and Black Magnum or Black Beauty anthracite slag. The slag is VERY coarse and works well to strip rust.

Glass beads don't cut a lot on first pass, they haze and polish. If you use a recycle cabinet they will cut better after they shatter on the first impact. Mike's idea of cutting with sand then smoothing with glass leaves a nice finish.

I tried the finer ("powdered sugar") sand on S30V not long ago and didn't like it. The coarser blasting sand is still a lot finer than sandbox sand.

My $.02.
 
I have a question, do u use seperate media for blasting "Stainless" and high Carbon steel? I have seen the forming of little rustspeckels on SS blades by using the medium again after blasting high carbon steel, little HC steel particles are transported by the media and get almost inbedded into the surface of the SS by the sheer impact speed and start corroding very fast :eek:
 
Very true. For that fact alone a lot of makers used to use the media for only one pass then discard it. Whatever gets blasted off one knife gets "shared" with the next.
 
I bought my cabinet from Harbor Freight a couple of years ago and I haven't had any problems with it.
 
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