Going to have to purchase a new blast cabinet this up coming year and would like some recommendations from you guys here on the HAMB. Specifically about the Eastwood product. The 36 x 24 floor mounted unit that comes UPS or Fed Ex and you assemble yourself. How is the window glass protected??? What is lighting like?? It's under $500.00 and in my price range. It would be replacing a tiny bench top unit from HF that leaks like a sieve and I can't see thru the glass anymore. Shouldn't complain as I have used it for about 5 years and paid around $100.00 for it. It served its purpose and now I need to upgrade. Thoughts....recommendations???
Whatever you pick get a tube of silicone caulk and do all the seams when you assemble, saves on a huge mess. Sent from my SM-J327V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Look at TP Tools, we have the model 970 and absolutely love it. One of the best tools I own! Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I second TP Tools, very happy with mine. Straight shot on the interstate from NE Illinois to NE Ohio if you want to save on shipping. They are open Saturday mornings and this time of year they often have showroom discounts.
I bought a Barrel Blaster after reading about it here on the Hamb or maybe the Ford Barn. Made in the USA (Texas). Good customer service. Easy to assemble, reasonable shipping, and the price was fair IMHO.
In my opinion, TP makes a better cabinet, worth spending the money on over Eastwood's bolt together tin cabinet. Also their gun is better than any other I've used. I've made several cabinets out of scrap sheet steel, following their plans for a wood one. All good working units. Here's a picture of one.
I have had TIP Blast cabinetsfor over 25 years and have been real satisfied with their product. Been graduating up from 3 different sizes and now I am looking at their biggest cabinet which may be to small for me. Vic
If you are going to be blasting for any length of time at one time the dust collection vacuum system is nice to have. We had a Davis sand blaster cabinet out of Oregon in the school shop when I was teaching and the glass while not huge hinged open so you could put a layer of Saran wrap over it to protect it from the blast media. We changed the glass once in 11 years when someone decided it was too much trouble to change the Saran wrap every 20 minutes or so.
I bought a used TP (Scatblast) cabinet a dozen years ago and it is the best purchase I ever made for the garage. It gets used for hours every week. I use a thin plastic under the glass, as the glass is held in with a plastic trim that is easy to remove and change the plastic when needed (about every six hours of blasting). TP sells the plastic glass guards, but I've found it cheaper at a plastic supplier online. Buy it in a roll and cut with a utility knife. I don't have a fancy dust control system, I just use a shop vac. I've probably gone through about 4 vacs in those years. I buy a new vac for the shop when the blaster one dies and hook the old one up to the blaster. This past winter I added an extension to the side of my cabinet. Just built a tin box and screwed it (with caulking) to the side. Now I can fit dashboards and front axles in the cabinet too. Certain size cabinets that TP sells can also be bought with a premade extension.
I added a Dust Deputy cyclone between my cabinet and the vacuum; hardly have to think about cleaning the filter in the vac anymore. I use .005 overlay film from the art store, cut the 40" rolls to the right height with my bandsaw, roll out, trim to length, and tape down to the glass. Cheaper than the cover sheets from TP or Eastwood and lasts longer than saran wrap. Which is best, don't know; but I have been happy with the overlay film for years. As mentioned, cabinet extensions are handy; long time ago I made one out of double thick cardboard and duct tape that "piloted" in the door opening. Figured on blasting an axle housing and tossing it when done; but it ended up being pretty sturdy, stayed around for years and saw a lot of use on windshield frames, dashes, etc.
Instead of a shop vac or other dust collection system, I use a draft blower from a high efficiency furnace. These blowers have a plastic impeller that lasts well in the abrasive dust laden air, and are available for little or nothing if you find the right HVAC company. When they replace a furnace they usually end up on the scrap pile. I just have one of the cheap Harbor Freight cabinets, and just bolt the blower to the side of the cabinet where the vent is. They are designed to pull a pretty decent vacuum as the draft blower is what creates the air movement through the heat exchanger and then blows it out the vent pipe.
I bought the kit to build my own cabinet for Eastwood probably 20 years ago and it has been money well spent, it's big enough to put large parts inside. HRP I get these clear sheets that have tape to cover the glass to prevent it from getting too cloudy from the sand. HRP
In addition to the clear sheets I stretch a piece of window or storm door screen over the interior of the blaster window. The plastic sheet lasts a lot longer and it doesn't really hamper viewing. Also, the bigger the blast cabinet the better. It's worth the extra bucks.
I bought the Harbor Freight standing cabinet, had to raise it up (legs now stand on heavy plastic pedestals 6" high, so I don't have to stoop) I had some running gear pieces to blast for my tub, (needed them NOW!) didn't have a dust system...hooked my small shop vac from my bandsaw to the exhaust port, just a temporary move...Turned on the air and hit the switch for the vacuum, and "Whooom!" Crap...Damn thing sucked the arm gloves right off their clamped flanges! I cut some holes in the recovery hose, but relented and bought the dust system...$240, thought I could find another way around it. @Ebbspeed has the answer, never thought of it 'til he presented it. Good thinking!
I built my own blast cabinet years ago. It's about 2' X 3' and the slanted panel that has the viewing glass hinges open to load parts. After buring up a couple shop vacs for dust removal, I bought a dust collector from Harbor Freight. It uses a pleated paper filter, like a shop vac, but the filter is at least 2 times as big as a shop vac. For media, and everyone here will have their own favorite, I've used glass bead for several years. Glass bead is sort of pricy, so just a couple days ago I picked up a 50# bag of garnet. I put some in the cabinet, along with the glass bead that was still in it, and it seemed to cut through paint and rust faster than glass bead alone. I think I might continue to use a mixture of the two. Glass bead really leaves a nice finish on aluminum parts, so I look forward to see how the garnet/glass bead mixture does. One thing about blast cabinets, and it might have been mentioned earlier in this thread, is that they use a lot of air. I put up with a "too small" compressor for years and finally moved up to one that puts out something in the neighborhood of 10 CFM or more @ 90PSI. It's almost a pleasure now to blast parts constantly rather than having to quit to wait for the compressor to build up good pressure again. Just a few thoughts. I hope they're at least a bit helpful. Lynn
Thanks to everyone here who has contributed. I found it very helpful in not only selecting a cabinet but in ways to maintain it. I decided to get a TP systems blast cabinet and ordered it last night. My compressor puts out 15.8CFM at 90PSI so I don't think I am going to have a problem keeping up anymore. Again thanks to all and I hope everyone has a safe and Happy New Year.
If you have less than a huge compressor; you can also regulate the air pressure down for most normal blasting; works good and your air supply lasts longer.
Good choice. I would have driven up to pick it up. The store is a great place to visit- sort of like a mini-Cabelas for Motorheads.
I've had a Scat Blast cabinet from some discount tool place for the last thirty years, to protect the glass I go to the hobby lobby and buy a sheet of acetate and put a layer top and bottom. I change them around once a year, still on the original glass. the cabinet is big enough to do wheels, for a dust collector I use shop vacuums with the drywall bag filters. I buy the vacuums used at yard sales for around $20 and they last about 15 years I'm on my second one now..
Consider buying the TP Tools Gun Upgrade Kit too. I got my 979 Skat Blast used in 2012 with the accessory dust collection setup. It was the single best business investment for my shop ever.