Help buying a media-blaster Options

[Literati914]

First of all, budget.. I'm thinking a HF model.. but which one?

I've come to the conclusion that with two project cars, I've got too many large-ish items that'll need to be media blasted. So, I'm thinking about purchasing a blaster, instead of paying someone to do it. I already have a small blasting cabinet (that I hate), that I can deal with for small stuff.. but I have various wheels, frt and rear control arms, cross members, sheet-metal, etc..

I do have a 25gal 5hp (8.2@40 - 5.6@90) direct drive compressor AND a separate 25gal tank (That I used to know how to run in tandem w/the compr. - but need to relearn). I also have an old 6-man camping tent that I plan on using for blasting (may be able to re-use some media, besides keeping the crap contained in general).

Not trying to blast the body, only medium large stuff. Anyone used an economical unit that they can recommend?


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[bbrock]

Well... I blasted my whole frick'n chassis on a rotisserie in an HF garage tent using an HF 40 lb. blaster on a 5HP 80 gal. compressor. Time consuming? Yes! Fun? Hell NO! Satisfying? yes. Would I do it again? Sure, but consider that I live in the sticks where it is a royal PITA to haul chassis or parts down to the valley and wait weeks for one of the few guys who can do blasting to get around to it.

I will continue to use the blaster for small parts/projects. Even with my compressor, I spend a lot of time waiting for my compressor to catch it's breath. It can keep up for a long time running full on, but I try to keep it to a 50% duty cycle or less and found the pace was nice to let you take frequent breaks to do something else. This is true for parts large and small so you will need to be patient with your two small compressors in tandem. To give some examples: I blasted my windshield trim for painting in about 1.5 hours. About 2.5 - 3 hours to do the rocker covers and front and rear valances.

+1 on Black Diamond. I bought a few bags form my project and it worked well. Unfortunately the nearest Tractor Supply Co. is a 300 mile round trip so I mostly used crushed glass from a local lumber yard. The glass was cheaper than HF prices but not as cheap as the Black Diamond. I thought the glass blasted better than the slag and also recycled better, but if I had Black Diamond easily available, I'd have gone with it.