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Ok, this weekend I needed to sandblast the winch bumpers for
the M37, and the soft top windshield for the M38. I finally
decided to assemble the sandblaster that I had bought while
on sale from Harbor Freight.
I went to my local home improvement store for sand. They
asked what it was for, and I told them sandblasting, and
that I was using a cheap Harbor Freight sandblaster. They
recommended No. 30 sand, so I bought two 100 lb. bags @
5.69/bag.
I poured the sand in the funnel into the blast tank, hooked
up the air, and turned the valve. Viola! Sandblasting! Then
nothing. A clog. Then another. OK, it's late, fight with it
tomorrow.
Tomorrow comes, and I decide to try sifting the sand. I cut
a circle from the lid of an empty kitty litter bucket, and
place regular aluminum window screen over the bucket, then
put the lid w/hole on the bucket. I scoop a coffee can of
sand onto the lid and shake the bucket. Several larger
grains of sand remain on the screen. I continue this until
the 3gal bucket (about 30lbs of sand) is full.
I remove the nozzel and run air through the tank and hose to
make sure it is clear. Then I fill the tank with the sifted
sand. Air pressure on.....Sandblasting! This time, it
doesn't stop until the sand level is low and the tank
requires shaking.
So what do I think?
You need to sift the sand.
You need a 5hp compressor
You need to wear the sandblast hood, pants, and a long
sleeved shirt. The sand will bounce back and it stings!
You don't need the rubber faucet type washer they give you
for the ceramic nozzle. Works better without it.
It is worth the money. I used almost all of the sand (200#)
to sandblast some stubborn paint from the bumpers and
windshield frame. I am sore and tired, after all, I moved
the sand from the bags to sift into the bucket, then from
the bucket to the tank. This sandblaster will pay for itself
real soon.
I recommend using paint remover and a wire brush to remove
as much unwanted material as possible, using the sandblaster
for the rust and really stubborn stuff.
BTW, it looks like an area of my windshield was patched with
JB Weld (used like bondo). The sandblaster would not remove
it! I will have to hammer and chisel it off. That JB Weld is
tough stuff!
Now, for an HVLP paint gun....
Lisa
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Thu Mar 02 2000 - 22:30:40 PST