[sparx]

I need to get a sand blaster and wanted to know if the units at Harbor Freight are any good?

One I am interested in is the cabinet model selling at $129.00 right now. Or are the pressure tank models better?

I have a 5 hp 80 gallon compressor that delivers about 9 cfm per minute.

TIA
Sparx

[nigel]

I have the red one from Harbor Freight and I love. I've done intakes, valve covers, just say everything under the hood except for the block. Even made enough money from friends and neighbors to pay for it a couple of times.

[sparx]

Originally Posted by nigel

I have the red one from Harbor Freight and I love. I've done intakes, valve covers, just say everything under the hood except for the block. Even made enough money from friends and neighbors to pay for it a couple of times.

LOL
I think they are all RED!

jim

[nigel]

They had some blue ones with bigger cabinets.

[sparx]

Originally Posted by nigel

They had some blue ones with bigger cabinets.

Ok
Is yours the cabinet model or the pressure res model?
TY
Jim

[1966er]

Keep in mine that a blasting cabinet or tank is only as good as your compressor. They use a lot of CFM. I've had friends buy blasters, then complain they are no good, when in fact their compressor can't keep up with the high demand of pressure needed for these things.

I have a Scat Blast Cabinet I bought many years ago. Using a 50 gal air compressor putting out 15 CFM, the compressor constantly runs just keeping up with the pressure I need.

I few years back, I bought a portable one from Harbor Freight for sand blasting. Worked good, but demanded even more CFM than my cabinet & took forever to blast a small area. I ended up taken it back.

[Sick467]

I do alot of blasting and the compressor is the key. Also keep in mind that the replacement nozzles can be quite expensive. I buy a 20$ gun from Buchiets and before I wear the gun out I probably spend 100$ in nozzles (over a several years). Make sure your replacement wear parts are readily available and not too expensive. My nozzles are about 2 or 3$ a piece and each lasts about 3 or for hours. My compressor is 80 gallon and it can maintian 140psi with the largest gun insert. That is also very important. My gun comes with three sizes the largest having a 3/32 orifice and the smaller two inserts are too slow for my liking. The smaller ones will help if your compressor is smaller. 9 CFM might like the smaller nozzles. It would be slower, but fully functional and you compressor could keep up. These parts don't wear out near like the nozzles do. I have never had to replace one. I can't comment on the cabinet, I made mine from junk from the barn.

Just a few things to think about.

[sparx]

What blasting material is best for cleaning crud off off a timing cover, my first job in line?
sparx

[1966er]

Most of my parts I do with glass beads. You really should use a blast cabinet with that media as it is a little on the pricey side. Having a cabinet reuses that media.

If you are going to use a regular sand blasting hopper, you'll need body protection. That stuff goes everywhere.....

Don't just throw in oily, greasy parts to be cleaned. It will dirty the media fast and clogged the tips. I use Easy Off (Yellow Cap), oven cleaner to pre-clean the parts before blasting.

[sparx]

Originally Posted by 1966er

Most of my parts I do with glass beads. You really should use a blast cabinet with that media as it is a little on the pricey side. Having a cabinet reuses that media.

If you are going to use a regular sand blasting hopper, you'll need body protection. That stuff goes everywhere.....

Don't just throw in oily, greasy parts to be cleaned. It will dirty the media fast and clogged the tips. I use Easy Off (Yellow Cap), oven cleaner to pre-clean the parts before blasting.

Yes I scrubbed that cruddy thing yestday with TSP and then used some GUNK on it as well. I need to clean it better, those crevices are tough to get into.

I's rather save the good parts instead of replacing with un-original parts when possible.
OK
So cabinet and glass beads.
One more.
What to use on rust- moderate not heavy, going to paint over with por-15 -- this is the frame I am referring to.
Hey... can't fit the frame inside the blasting box!

[Jay H 237]

I have a 20 gallon presurrized, a hand held siphon feed and a cabinet siphon feed.

The 20 gallon is a Clarke unit from TSC, it is the quickest and easiest on my compressor..............but it is the messiest. I used it twice in '05 when I did my inner fender replacement and rebuilt my heater box.

The hand held siphon feed is the "Speed Blaster" that I won in an Ebay auction for $19 for a new one. Snap On and others sell the exact same unit for $50 under thier name. This is supposed to be great for small areas but I have never used it yet in the years I've owned it.

The cabinet I have is the cheap $90 unit from Harbor Freight, the gray metal one. I have "upgraded" it some by spending and additional $40 on it.........replaced the door seals with better ones, added a cheap flourescent light, and replaced the cheezy hoses with better stuff from the hardware store, plus had to caulk the window as the rubber seal didn't seal good. I bought the router speed control that HF sells and use it to slow my 5 gallon Shop-Vac down when I use it with the cabinet. The Shop-Vac has the upgraded filter that I also wrap the cheap supplied paper filter around when using it with the blast cabinet. The 5 gallon unit is cheap enough to sacrifice although it has held up so far, I run it at 70% with the blast cabinet. I use this the most of all the media blasters I have.


I have never used actual sand, I use aluminum oxide for rusted steel and glass bead for the other general clean up. I have several of the 50 lb pails of the stuff from TSC since they are close enough to drive to so I don't pay shipping on that weight.

You can see pics of my 20 gallon presurrized unit on my website if you scroll down this page, inner_fender_replacement5 and here, heater_core_replacement

[1966er]

Originally Posted by sparx

Yes I scrubbed that cruddy thing yestday with TSP and then used some GUNK on it as well. I need to clean it better, those crevices are tough to get into.

I's rather save the good parts instead of replacing with un-original parts when possible.
OK
So cabinet and glass beads.
One more.
What to use on rust- moderate not heavy, going to paint over with por-15 -- this is the frame I am referring to.
Hey... can't fit the frame inside the blasting box!

I used this stuff from Eastwood on my last project. Rust Encapsulator

[Cobra6]

This is the best cabibet for the money

780-TL Top Load Abrasive Blast Cabinet - TP Tools & Equipment

I had a friend who bought a cheaper HF blast cabinet - he saved a little money up front, but then he had to caulk the cabinet because it leaked badly, had to replace the gun and nozzles, and then the gloves when they wore out in a year or so.
After all that, he said he would have been better off buying a TP cabinet for a little more to start with.