Media Sand Blaster Best Buy

1941 - 1945, MB, GPW Technical questions and discussions, regarding anything related to the WWII jeep.
User avatar
17thAirborne
G-Lieutenant General
G-Lieutenant General
Posts: 5847
Joined: Mon Jun 21, 2004 5:42 am
Location: Central TN

Re: Media Sand Blaster Best Buy

Post by 17thAirborne » Thu Jan 18, 2018 9:36 am

Gary Turman wrote:
Thu Jan 18, 2018 8:14 am
I'm using a older ceramic nozzle. It started out 1/8 but now is probably 1/4. It's time for a new one. My compressor is a 80 gallon 12.6 scfm @ 90 psi. two stage. I'm lucky that not 30 miles from me I can get my sand on a pallet for wholesale price. I pay a little more and get it in 50lb bags because the 100lb are just too heavy especially when I have to pick one up off the floor.
Thanks for clarifying. 1/8 seems to be best for #4 sand. Agree on the 100# bags ugh. Can't find 50# bags here.
Oz

Feb 43 GPW 98532 USA 20206257
Oct 70 Land Rover Series 2a 25334079G NZ16GF36
http://gpw.castraponere.com/ (My Restoration Page)


Raflad
Sergeant Major of the Gee
Sergeant Major of the Gee
Posts: 436
Joined: Fri Feb 17, 2017 4:40 pm
Location: Illinois And New Mexico

Re: Media Sand Blaster Best Buy

Post by Raflad » Thu Jan 18, 2018 5:37 pm

Ozzie, thanks for posting all the information. What is the cfm on your compressor and are you able to successfully blast frames with your set up?
Adam Smith
GPW 80535, 11-19-42
MBT 2470, 8-42, USA #0160905

User avatar
whatthecrunchyo
Sergeant Major of the Gee
Sergeant Major of the Gee
Posts: 252
Joined: Thu Dec 27, 2012 9:21 pm
Location:

Re: Media Sand Blaster Best Buy

Post by whatthecrunchyo » Thu Jan 18, 2018 5:49 pm

I used dustless blasting. It works great. It’s messy, but it doesn’t matter because it can be flushed down the drain. I would highly recommend it.
1944 Willys MB 305597 (2-15-44)

User avatar
17thAirborne
G-Lieutenant General
G-Lieutenant General
Posts: 5847
Joined: Mon Jun 21, 2004 5:42 am
Location: Central TN

Re: Media Sand Blaster Best Buy

Post by 17thAirborne » Thu Jan 18, 2018 5:54 pm

The stats indicate:

Amps: 15 A
CFM @ 40 PSI: 13.4
CFM @ 90 PSI: 11.5
Duty Cycle: 50%

I find that when blasting (set at 90psi on the regulator) I get a few minutes before the compressor motor kicks in. I end up blasting about 10 on 10 off just to give things a rest.

I found that you should open the air valve on the sand pot and the gun first, then slowly open the sand valve until you can see good blasting taking place. If you shut off the air to the gun or tank with the sand dump open, the hose and nozzle will clog.

A fresh nozzle under starting pressure blasts very quickly. As the tank pressure dips below 90, the time to clean one area increases. hence the time on time off, plus it gives the compressor motor a rest and cooling period.

As the nozzle wears, the output pressure caused by the venturi effect is diminished proportionally and it becomes less and less effective.

I was able to blast the frame of a 1/2 ton WC in a few hours with many rests. I'm getting better with air and sand management now. My next challenge will be the body panels and cab
Oz

Feb 43 GPW 98532 USA 20206257
Oct 70 Land Rover Series 2a 25334079G NZ16GF36
http://gpw.castraponere.com/ (My Restoration Page)

fiveftsix
G-Second Lieutenant
G-Second Lieutenant
Posts: 575
Joined: Thu Dec 27, 2012 5:37 pm
Location: Kissimmee FL

Re: Media Sand Blaster Best Buy

Post by fiveftsix » Thu Jan 18, 2018 8:44 pm

sand blasting is risky
takes a lot of investment when blasting items like chassis or bodies
and one big health risk
These are best left to the Pro`s
and at the end of the day it`s cheaper to use these guys
Small items ok invest in a blast cabinet but be prepared to spend quite a bit on media
it ain`t cheap guys
been there and done it.
can get a reasonable size cabinet from companies like HF but they leak like crimp one off !!! lol
So seal it up good around all the joints
You wont believe how that media exits the joins in the cabinet
the light it has within a couple of times of use will be useless
cant see diddle squat from the light on the part your blasting
So expect to replace the lenses quite often
Geoff Bull

User avatar
dpcd67
G-General
G-General
Posts: 11814
Joined: Mon Jul 25, 2011 3:41 pm
Location: Iowa

Re: Media Sand Blaster Best Buy

Post by dpcd67 » Fri Jan 19, 2018 7:44 am

If you use coal slag media, it is not expensive and unlike sand, it won't cause silicosis. But still not for most people to do.
U. S. Army 28 years.
Armor Branch

Lew Ladwig
G-Major General
G-Major General
Posts: 3092
Joined: Wed Dec 25, 2002 6:58 pm
Location: Lafayette, Colorado

Re: Media Sand Blaster Best Buy

Post by Lew Ladwig » Sat Jan 20, 2018 7:01 pm

I hire a blast company to do all my big stuff now. Did it myself a few times and it is not worth it. The last shops were dirt cheap. For small parts I made a cabinet out of a refrigerator nody. I use aluminum oxide. Expensive but lasts forever and minimal dust. I have a vac system to rid the fines and dust. Best move ever.
Lew Ladwig
CMHG, 9th ID, Commander
BSA Crew 42 Advisor, 9th ID reenactors
CFFC, IFFC president
2-'47 cj2a's
1-'45 gpw in full resto mode

User avatar
rondo
LTC, U.S. Army
LTC, U.S. Army
Posts: 782
Joined: Tue Aug 03, 2010 8:07 am
Location: Boise, Idaho

Re: Media Sand Blaster Best Buy

Post by rondo » Tue Jan 23, 2018 5:53 am

love this post! a sandblaster is something everyone in this hobby needs sooner or later.
I've thrown so much money at my local guy that I could have bought a professional pot. while spending hours to do a frame is not something i'd like to do (he can do it in an hour) i'd still love to have a blaster for all the smaller things.

the texas blaster looks promising. around here its impossible to find a used professional pot. :D
42 GPW; 41WC6
"moral courage is the most valuable and usually the most absent characteristic in men"

scheinerj
G-Command Sergeant Major
G-Command Sergeant Major
Posts: 236
Joined: Wed Apr 20, 2016 7:26 am
Location:

Re: Media Sand Blaster Best Buy

Post by scheinerj » Mon Jan 29, 2018 5:53 am

I am going to agree with most people on the thread and say outsource the blasting for the big stuff.
I blasted two axles and I glass beads all over the place for a few months, plus it took me a few hours just to do an axle.

I was able to get a guy to come to my place and do dustless blasting (meaning water was mixed with the sand), and that cost about 350 for about 3.5 hours of work.

Definitely take the frame to get professionally cleaned.

For the small stuff, I have a 40 lb capacity Harbor Freight blasting pot (which I rarely use). and also a HF blasting cabinet (which I use a fair amount, just need to swap out the glass once a year becuase it gets cloudy and scratched).

Good luck!


Post Reply

Return to “MB GPW Technical Knowledge Base”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Bruce W, dpcd67, Google Adsense [Bot], Henk, Oakapple98, outlaw21, Scrumps and 79 guests