Technical Sandblaster

I bought one of those sandblaster booths but it doesnt work well. I have a huge compressor with dryer, it just wont suck sand. Whats the secret?

 

regulated air supply? 60 psi works for me

 

There could be one of several issues. Damp sand, nozzle of the gun not adjusted right so it creates a venturi effect when the air passes the end of the pickup hose. Possibly too much sand in the hopper meaning it is packed down a bit and won't flow. Those are all problems I have run into.

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High humidity can cause a blaster not to flow well (damp sand).

 

You don't mention any details of the cabinet; new/used, harbor freight/box store/ industrial brand; but if the air supply and sand are good; I would look at the gun and pick-up tube next.

 

If it is a harbor freight type import spent the $ for the TP upgrade kit. Made mine work much better.

 

Hold something over the end of the gun so the air flows back up the sand tube. Mine gets packed in tight sometimes and a good back flush gets it going again.

 

Regulate your pressure, don't go over 90 PSI, ^ check your pickup hose for tears or leaks, make sure you use the siphon tube (rattle tube) that allows air to pass so the pickup does not clog.

 

Mine is harbor freight too. It did the job just barely until I replaced the gun with one from TP . That made a night and day difference.

 

My next mod is this . It aloes air to mix with the sand regardless of how much sand is in the hopper. Pic is stolen from garage journal where there is an excellent thread on media blasting cabinet'. Pick up hose goes in from the left...Maybe your problem too.?

 

I have a big ass TP Tools cabinet, it doesn't work for shit unless I'm running at least 130psi of pressure! And I do have an air dryer also in the system.

 

I haven't even opened up the box the HF sand blast cabinet I have came in so I can't really give a lot of input on the nozzle/gun it's self
On the Davis sand blast cabinet I had in the school shop where I taught it was critical to have the nozzle (ceramic) adjusted correctly for depth in the gun. Too far in or out and the sand didn't flow well. These guns work on a venturi effect where the air from the hose goes past the end of the pickup tube and if it isn't adjusted right it won't pick up the sand.
Air flow volume along with pressure really has a lot to do with how any sand blaster works. I have one of those little sears blasters that I picked up at a yard sale that works on my little compresser but doesn't work as well as it could. It does let me do small items outside but that is about all. It is real picky about what sand you use with it too.

 

I have an older TP cabinet that always worked well for me until one day it started acting like you described. I ended removing the sand pickup tube from the cabinet and discovered at a bend in the tube a hole had been abraded thru creating creating a large leak. Fabricated a patch to match the tube, welded it and it fixed the problem. Hope this might help.


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had a cheapo table-top blaster which leaked so bad that i had to wear a dust mask. could have taken it apart and sealed the seams, but it wasn't worth the trouble!

 

My friend had a HF cabinet blaster. I tried to use it once, that's what made me spend the bucks to get a TIP cabinet! They had a great deal at Carlisle one year, less than $1.000.00 and they delivered to my door for free. I have used it for years with zero problems. It seems to be very popular with my friends and neighbors too!

 

ok, have tried just about everything, modified pickups, 3/4 airline (f=m*a), dry sand. How does the mod shown on this thread work which is located at the bottom of the hopper? Dosnt the sand come out?