pwned!, HF media blaster popped Options

[VaccaRabite]

I freely admit that I am not above shopping at Harbor Freight, but they got me good this weekend.

Friday, I noticed tat they had thier 40pound pressure blasters on sale. I was having a heck of a time finding a local company to blast my engine tin, and as I had Friday off, I figured I'd get one and do it myself.

I need to say at this point, tht I have not had a HF tool break before I was done with what I had bought it to do - and the only tool of theirs that had failed me was a super cheap heat gun.

Well, I built the pressure blaster, loaded it with 25lbs of crushed walnut shells, and figured that I would pressurize it in stages, starting with 60psi (its working load is 120 psi.)

At 60 psi, I opened the valve to let air into the device, and fixed a couple leaks. I increased pressure to 70 psi, and the ring that hold the water trap on the blaster failed, sending the trap globe rocketing to the ground (and scaring me quite a bit.)

No problem, I have a pretty good water filter on my supply line - I'll just use that. Re-plumb everything, and pressurize it up to 100.

The media won't flow.its clogging in the gun. Okay. more pressure (110) still clogging. more pressure (120) still media only come out in spurts. That is, until the hose burst, sending walnut shells eveywhere until I could shut the valve off.

So, I am taking it back today.

Lesson - steer clear of the HF pressure blasters. I may have just gotten a bad one, but it failed explosivly twice at or under normal operating pressures.
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Zach