Sandblasting Indoors

I did not make clear the use of a squirrel cage blower in my response to the question about blast cabinets. Blast cabinets are generally intended for indoor use, but they deal with the dust by running large industrial type vacuum cleaners with filters, which I found to be a complete nuisance. As a result, I ended up using a squirrel cage blower that moves about 100 cfm of air, and venting it outside via a dryer vent. That, of course, is not good for those that may live in tight quarters with their neighbors. I am located in the center of 5 acres of land with no neighbors to complain about the dust created, which can be substantial, depending on the abrasive being used and the item being blasted.

Yes, you can safely use a cabinet indoors, even with the vacuum units provided. As they run, they get better and better at filtering because they start getting clogged with accumulated dirt. That feature, however, eventually limits their ability to handle the amount of air necessary to keep the cabinet from leaking. That's exactly why I don't like them. Direct venting outdoors is the best scenario if you can do so.

Harold

My brief experience with the provided vacuum units is they are designed to "self clean" ... the bag agitates on startup and shutoff and vents a cloud of fine dust in your face.

Hi Harold, a cyclone even with no filter will make your dust invisible.

Bob

I'd certainly go that direction if it was a problem, Bob. Considering our location, and the proximity of the shop to our house, it's very easy to dump the dust to the atmosphere. I realize that most folks aren't afforded that luxury.

We have a central vacuum cleaner system (Vacuflo 960), large industrial model with two motors capable of servicing 18,000 square feet. It is equipped with a cyclonic separator, something that was mandatory before I'd make the purchase. I've seen more than enough of any other kind of filter system to last me a lifetime. That includes those that are supplied with blast cabinets. They generally have a weight attached to the center of the filter media which drops and cleans the filter to some degree when the machine is cycled off. When you're engaged in blasting with fine aluminum oxide and removing more than just a little crud, the filter tends to plug off rapidly so you find yourself screwing around with the filter instead of blasting. That, plus the generally dirty conditions of having the vacuum cleaner unit in the shop with me is what prompted my use of the squirrel cage blower and ducting directly outside. I've never regretted the decision.

Harold