Need recomendation for a sandblasting cabinet

Look here

have a 780 in my shop that I use with glass beads and a larger Cleco cabinent to use with alox

too expensive

Went to their web site. And found this warning - "We do not recommend the use of silica or any type of sand in our abrasive blaster cabinets."

That's kind of strange warning for a sandblast cabinet or I am missing something here.

too expensive

Suspect tit has to do with silicosis(sp?) that comes from inhaling silica dust. I quit using sand 20 years ago. Aluminum oxide does a much better job and last a lot longer than sand. The other thing about sand is there are often larger particals in with it that will cause clogging problems. If you don't need alox there are other media like "Black Beauty" or "Black Star" that will work OK for blasting un- hardened steel. What do you need to blast?

too expensive

The Liability Lawyers insist they put the warning there, because silicosis from abrasive dusts is bad. And silica sand is not the best choice for media in a cabinet blasting or production uses - the one thing it's good for is in a water blaster where high pressure water is the carrier and the sand is one-use through the gun.

Great for graffiti removal where you'll hose away and/or sweep up and throw away the sand, and you need cheap media. And everyone working with it still wears a respirator just in case.

For really delicate work you want baking soda, CO2 dry ice crystals (special equipment) or ground walnut shell media.

For paint removal and light rust cleaning you want glass beads. That's all I have at home, and it cleans up rust and loose paint on metal nicely without removing lots of metal - gives a nice burnished finish for painting.

For more aggressive cleaning and derusting you use "Black Beauty" coal slag, crushed glass, or aluminum oxide.

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While it provides a nice finish, it is not the best surface for painting. Glass bead peens the surface, closing grain and smoothing the surface such that you don't develop good "tooth".

I make it a practice to use AO for surfaces that will be painted. It cuts (cleans) faster, and yields a much better surface for painting.

One must be wary of silicosis with glass bead, too. As it abrades, it's constantly shedding minute particles of silica. It eventually experiences a total collapse and self destructs, becoming nothing more than fine dust, assuming you use it long enough. My cabinet has some that meets that description as we speak.

Harold

of you're reasonably handy, you can make one yourself. with some modification, i used these plans

to make mine. i know people using a cardboard or large tupperware storage bin for years without problems.

you can also use silicon carbide for a blasting grit. as it wears down, it fractures and presents new cutting surfaces, unlike AlO2 which just rounds off and becomes a much softer blast as it ages.

regards, charlie

too expensive

This one looks good to me. It even has a gasket kit.

guess it should not leak like others.