SandBlaster Needed

I am in the market for a sand blaster but have no clue where to start. I know I would like a larger one and already have a large air compressor for it.( it runs jackhammers so i know it will work). I would like it to hold around 100 pounds or more of sand. But I am not too sure what I need in the way of nozzles and all that good stuff. I know the last one that I used had a handle near the top for the adjustment to get the sand out of the bottom. meaning you don't have to kneal down to adjust it. and i am assuming it was considered a pressure tank because when you turn the air on a lid would close in the tank. thanks for any and all info. hope this isn't too confusing.

Badboyblasters.com They make some nice cabinets. I think they are a member on this site.

That is a very nice site. I have just sent them an email had think I have have made my decision. As long as I get the answers I am looking for then I think my search is over. Thanks again. I will let you know the outcome.

tptools has the parts to build your own.

If you don't mind getting a slightly smaller one, harbor freight has their 40lbs cabinet on sale for $199 ($100 off).

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93608

My friend has one of these (and I will have one shortly) and it's actually not a bad deal for light/medium duty blasting. We swapped the gun that comes with it for a better one (craftsman), but other than that it's been a good piece of equipment.

I've had the same Harbor Freight one for about a year. Doesn't work well without using a vacuum and the way the viewing screen is screwed in its hard to
replace the replaceable skins that go on the underside. Having said that, I've been able to clean up a lot of stuff with it and already got my $200.00 out of it.
Also the original light didn't last long. I replaced with a single lamd kichen light.
littlebob

Are we talking about cabinets or just stand alone blasters?

Here is one discussion we had that I thought was reasonably informative:

http://steelsoldiers.com/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=8435

If you look clost in the pic's you can see my pot. 350# Schmidt. Top load with a pop up ball when you enguage the deadman switch. I will put out some sand.

Hello,
Not sure if you are still in the market, but I have a friend who has a 300 lb clemco that he is looking to get rid of. Not sure on the price yet. I am supposed to go over and give it a good once over to make sure everything works. It has the deadman switch so you don't have to stand next to it all the time. Metering and exhaust. It also comes with 2 50 ft blast hoses. That way you can blast the whole truck without moving the blaster. Any way let me know if you are interested. Anyone who has an Idea what it is worth give me a shout please. Just lookiging for a good deal all around. Thanks

The harbor freight blast pots are a child's toy. It will take a week to blast a deuce. You want the Clemco or Schmidt 300 lb pot and a 175 CFM compressor. The sand weighs 100 lbs a sack, make sure you have a mechanical way of putting the sand in the pot or you will end up with herniated discs, ask me about that. A new pot set up will run you $4K. Used will run $1500, check with United Rentals, they retire these from the rental fleet every now and then.

I put about 3500 lbs of sand through a $99 harbor freight blaster(40 lb) to do a complete jeep from the frame up. The sand was $100 for a 3000 lb pallet from Southern Products in Hoffman,NC. The price of sand was up to about $120 last fall when I bought another pallet. I wore it out but it was cheap. I got a $129 blaster that holds about 90 lbs for my next project that has a funnel shaped tank to make it easier to fill. The first blaster you had to put a funnel in the fill hole. Nozzles don't last long for either machine but they are cheap. 10 nozzles for $15 or $16. When valves or hose wears out you can fix it for a few dollars at the hardware store. Its not as nice as the big machines but not pricey either. Get a good respirator and a sheet of plexiglass to replace the faceplate on the hood. It will fog after a few bags. I cut 7 or 8 lenses from scraps that the hardware gave me.I also plumbed 2 and sometimes 3 compressors to one tank to feed the blaster. I already had these but air supply is often the difference between easy work and slow work.

I found this site. http://www.texasblaster.com/ I know nothing about them but they have been in business for a while so they can't be too bad.

Floyd

get yourself a soda blaster, well worth the investment if your doing large items, and easier to clean up as well, I got an adapter kit for my HF unit from eastwood