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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[PatMc]

I rebuild brake calipers so I do a lot of blasting. I have a 5hp 2 stage 80 gallon ingersoll compressor that realistically is about 1/2 as big as you should have for any sort of continuous blasting. I have 2 different cabinets...one with aluminum oxide and one with glass bead, both run 1/4" nozzle guns, because that's really about all the abuse I want to put my compressor through.

What I've learned about blast cabinets:

The ones where the front/window opens to load parts are way better than the ones with the door on the side...you don't lose a bunch of media out the door when you open it from the top.

The Harbor Freight units are sort of OK....as an enclosure, but everything else is garbage.

The slope of the hopper is critical. Get something with the steepest hopper walls possible, otherwise all your media just piles up around the side and you suck air instead of media.

If you do buy a cheapo blast cabinet, throw most of the parts directly in the trash and go to TP tools and buy their retrofit gun/suction tube...Don't even try using it with the harbor freight parts, they're that bad.

Buy the largest cabinet you have space for....the farther the workpiece is from the glass, the longer the glass will last.

Glass is a double edged sword....you can use the protectors, which are softer than the glass, and waste a lot of time changing them often, or you can just run the glass, and change it as it gets fouled up. I typically have windows cut 10 at a time at the local glass shop...If a piece of glass last me more than 2 protectors, then it's worth the $5 or whatever it costs to skip the extra time to remove the glass and change the protector.

The media plays a big roll in glass life...aluminum oxide will kill glass in short order. Glass bead obviously won't.

I would try and buy a higher quality used unit than a crappy new harbor freight unit. I have a Kelco and a Trinco...both excellent, but I prefer the Trinco.