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George my air compressor motor gave out on me a couple years ago right before Chicago. I loaded up my cabinet and drove out to a family friends boat repair shop and borrowed an air hose. No clue on cfms but their setup is a 25hp motor and about a 500 gallon tank. You could watch the pressure gauge drop to 90psi and the motor would kick in for oh about 30 seconds and shoot back to 120, about like blowing up a balloon. This was with 3 or 4 guys running orbital sanders constantly, doing bottom jobs on sailboats.

Anyway, if it's an option for hutch you could drag a bench top cabinet out to that air compressor and just hook up an airline same as I did then.

Hutch, your friends compressor will do the trick.

Yeah. I think using your friends setup will work best for now. Sandblasting is a pretty intense operation and skimping on the compressor is frustrating.

Sasquatch wrote:The idea that you "need" a two-stage is not quite right imho.

I agree; most of this is just a question of how much time you're willing to spend on sandblasting. It is possible to blast with a 30 gallon compressor, but I'm not saying you're doing something wrong. I'd guess there's another factor with yours that makes it more difficult somehow - probably just the pressure. Regardless it can be done, but it takes way too long. The "standard" specs for our purposes are 2 stage, 80 gallon, 16-17 cfm and at least 150 psi (that's not really an issue though), but you can absolutely go below those parameters. Just be aware that doing so can leave you spending crazy amounts of time blasting.

wdteipen wrote:Unfortunately, with sandblasting it's go big or go home, IMHO.

Wayne is totally right. I think I spent $1300 on my compressor, and I wish I had gone up a few sizes. :/

Ratimus wrote: Question: given a pressure pot setup, a low cfm nozzle, and the beefiest 120V compressor I can find, am I going to be super frustrated?

It will work, but it could take time to blast a pipe. So, yes.

hutchpipes wrote:No chance I can afford a 2 stage. So what compressor do you use Sasquatch?

I got a factory-rebuilt Campbell Hausfeld. It was 700 bucks and represented a huge upgrade for me. Would I drive a blasting cabinet all day with it? Hell no. Does it provide more air than my cabinet is rated for? Hell yes. So it's a compromise of "this will do and didn't break the bank" against "this is the greatest setup ever". If I get a cabinet upgrade, I might have to get a compressor upgrade. But then maybe I can just buy a pump and put it on the 80 gal tank too in that case.

At any rate, use that Quincy if you can, that's the ticket right there.

Yeah guys, I've already found a spot in the building for my cabinet. It's at my work so when I get ready to blast, I'll just bring the briar to work and blast those puppies.

In the interest of capturing all of this here without starting a new thread. I need some assistance.

I recently acquired a larger sized cyclone cabinet with a gun that is supposed to be 14CFM @ 90-100psi. I was attempting to use a 20gallon 1 HP Sears 106.170511 air compressor from 1978 and it just doesn't work.

I have about $1000 to spend, but I can only get 120V 20Amps out to my shed via a longish extension cord. Any guidance would be awesome.

I was even considering buying a generator to get 220 @ 30Amps into my shed for a 2 stage compressor, but I don't think I can afford that kind of setup today.

clickklick wrote: 120V 20Amps out to my shed via a longish extension cord.

Beware of voltage drop from line loss (even fire danger) when pulling a lot of current through such cords. (The Net has many charts which address wire gauge vs. length scenarios)

You could get a compressor, run a circuit from your panel to the garage, and then run a hose from your compressor to the shed. You will spend a ton on a cord long enough to reach your shed that will work with a 220V compressor. Especially if you go 5HP. Hose is much cheaper. But really, a subpanel in the shop is ideal.

thanks, I'm trying not to run 220V out of the house, the electrician fees will hurt lots as it is a detached garage and has to go underground. I realize I could run the conduit and have an electrician do the rest, but it is not really a feasible thing to do when I have a 3 year old running around the yard most of the day. Nor do I really have the drive to do it. Although putting it in the garage . . . that would be much better than hauling down into the basement!

George - Yeah, I am not running anything more than the compressor I have on my extension cord. I just did the math and I'm barely scraping by.

I ran my own wires and subpanel. It's not hard to do. I didn't have to dig a trench to bury any wires, but everything else is pretty much the same. If you're a homeowner you usually don't have to have an electrician do it.

Thanks Jeremiah! My wife won't let me put it in the house. So stay tuned.

Feel free to PM me too if you need help setting it up. The users manual for my compressor was virtually non-existent. They apparently assume that you buy a compressor like that only if you already know what you're doing.

Lol! Sounds like fun. Planning on getting the belaire 218v. If I don't have to put a new roof on the house first... You know, priorities!

clickklick wrote:In the interest of capturing all of this here without starting a new thread. I need some assistance.

I recently acquired a larger sized cyclone cabinet with a gun that is supposed to be 14CFM @ 90-100psi. I was attempting to use a 20gallon 1 HP Sears 106.170511 air compressor from 1978 and it just doesn't work.

I have about $1000 to spend, but I can only get 120V 20Amps out to my shed via a longish extension cord. Any guidance would be awesome.

I was even considering buying a generator to get 220 @ 30Amps into my shed for a 2 stage compressor, but I don't think I can afford that kind of setup today.

If electricity is an issue, you could go with a fuel powered compressor instead. I have no idea about the specs or costs of fueled powered ones, but it could solve the problem.

If I cant get the 218v to work, I'll be looking into fuel power! Thanks for the suggestion Premal!

You won't be disappointed with the Belaire. It's a beast of a machine.

Put the compressor next to the power and run air line to your cabinet, air line is cheap and the extra storage will be useful.

Finally, a practical man!

PremalChheda wrote:

clickklick wrote:In the interest of capturing all of this here without starting a new thread. I need some assistance.

I recently acquired a larger sized cyclone cabinet with a gun that is supposed to be 14CFM @ 90-100psi. I was attempting to use a 20gallon 1 HP Sears 106.170511 air compressor from 1978 and it just doesn't work.

I have about $1000 to spend, but I can only get 120V 20Amps out to my shed via a longish extension cord. Any guidance would be awesome.

I was even considering buying a generator to get 220 @ 30Amps into my shed for a 2 stage compressor, but I don't think I can afford that kind of setup today.

If electricity is an issue, you could go with a fuel powered compressor instead. I have no idea about the specs or costs of fueled powered ones, but it could solve the problem.

If one were to purchase a gas-powered compressor, how much would the tank size matter at that point? I'm looking at one that is rated 13 CFM @ 90 PSI, but it only has a twenty gallon tank. Given that it is meant to run at 100% duty cycle, would the smaller tank be an issue, or would that really only affect folks who want to run it for a few minutes and then fill up some tires or something?