Sandblaster Suggestions?

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taharris
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Sandblaster Suggestions?

Post by taharris »

What economic sand blaster would you guys recommend for the guy who wants to sandblast a dozen or so pipes per year?

Thanks,

Todd
e Markle
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Re: Sandblaster Suggestions?

Post by e Markle »

Is there anyone close by that you can connect with? A good but basic set up will run you around $2K...
NathanA
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Re: Sandblaster Suggestions?

Post by NathanA »

I just purchased the Cyclone e-100 and couldn't be happier. Convenient compact size, works great and if you look around you can find it for less than $180 delivered. The compressor is another story but that cabinet works great.
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RadDavis
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Re: Sandblaster Suggestions?

Post by RadDavis »

NathanA wrote:I just purchased the Cyclone e-100 and couldn't be happier. Convenient compact size, works great and if you look around you can find it for less than $180 delivered. The compressor is another story but that cabinet works great.
The compressor is another story indeed. :wink:

The number of pipes you blast per year really doesn't make a difference in the equipment you need to get a good blast.

Rad
caskwith
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Re: Sandblaster Suggestions?

Post by caskwith »

Pay another pipe maker to do it for you, at a dozen a year it won't be economical to have your own set up.
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taharris
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Re: Sandblaster Suggestions?

Post by taharris »

OK, so I have this compressor:

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1260 ... ckType=G17

Will this one do anything good for me or is it just too under-sized?

It is only rated to deliver about 2.5 CFM at 80 psi, but I think it would deliver more if I allowed the pressure to accumulate to 120 PSI and use it in small bursts.

Or am I just barking up the wrong tree?

Todd
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baweaverpipes
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Re: Sandblaster Suggestions?

Post by baweaverpipes »

taharris wrote:OK, so I have this compressor:
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1260 ... ckType=G17
Todd
Todd,
That is NOT going to work. Most of us have a minimum of 5hp and 80 gallon tank.
There are two other VERY important areas:
1. Two stage
2. Oil. Do not buy an oilless.
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Sasquatch
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Re: Sandblaster Suggestions?

Post by Sasquatch »

So far, everyone is right - I have a compressor twice that size, a real brute, and it's still not quite enough.


Now... can you get a cheap cabinet and do a blast with a small compressor? Yes. But it will take 2 hours. If you are just playing around, that's fine. If you are trying to make money at pipes, it's not fine. Bruce's claim in another thread of blasting for 3 minutes at 370 PSI is strangely prophetic..... you need tons of air for this.
ALL YOUR PIPE ARE BELONG TO US!
e Markle
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Re: Sandblaster Suggestions?

Post by e Markle »

taharris wrote:OK, so I have this compressor:

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1260 ... ckType=G17

Will this one do anything good for me or is it just too under-sized?

It is only rated to deliver about 2.5 CFM at 80 psi, but I think it would deliver more if I allowed the pressure to accumulate to 120 PSI and use it in small bursts.

Or am I just barking up the wrong tree?

Todd
Well, it will kind of work for about 30 seconds until the built up pressure is spent. I would guess the average pipe takes about 40 minutes to blast? So you're looking at 80 x the amount of time it takes to fill that tank...

I tried the same thing with a 26 gallon unit, and it took forever. I could blast for about 2 minutes, but then I had to wait around 7 for it to fill again. As you can imagine it took hours to blast a pipe. Also, it may have been my imagination, but I could never get the kind of definition from my blasts that I wanted. Perhaps it only delivered the correct pressure for the first few seconds?

Anyway, to do it right, you'll (unfortunately) have to take Bruce Weaver's advice. Buy a good sized compressor (80 gallon, two stage, 5+ hp) then you can blast pretty much non-stop. I now pause once every 20 minutes or so, but that's more by choice as I don't want to run that unit too hard. I think the unit I got was $1200 at Lowe's, and it's been running great for me. You can buy a good cabinet and vac for around $500 give or take. Glass bead runs around $75 for 50 pounds shipped.

And that's why I mentioned you may just want to find someone who has a unit in your area. That's a lot of money for 12 pipes/year. You might also consider just rusticating for now. I hate rusticated, but that's a lot of scratch.
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taharris
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Re: Sandblaster Suggestions?

Post by taharris »

Thanks guys.

I appreciate the benefit of your experience.

Todd
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