Hypothetical blasting cabinet question

Guys - you're a crafty bunch with a lot of knowledge. So you all may be able to think this idea through:

Is it possible to strip out all the internals of a late model rectangualr type household refrigerator and use the steel shell as the basis for making a BLASTING CABINET?

......Anybody tried it?

-90% Jimmy

 

Sounds like the hard way to make one. Real cabinets are usually pretty thick too.

 

No real reason why you couldn't,,you would have to build some sort of raised expanded metal shelf for the sand to drop to the bottom to be picked up by the sandblasting gun.

You would also need a vaccum system of some sort to keep the dust down,,you can't blast what you can't see.

Light is a must and a window to see what you are doing along with some gloves attached to the cabinet.

I'm not at home so I can't show you my homemade cabinet built out of plywood but Eastwood had plans for the one we built several years ago.HRP

 

I dug through my photos and found this photo of my cabinet,,upper right hand corner.HRP

 

Blast cabinets have a lot more abrasion and vibration than you think. You'll need hanging rubber sheets or sacrificial wood to protect the cabinet and the whole thing may reverb like a speaker box unless the tin gets reinforced with crossbars. And if you ever start putting real hours on it, don't be suprised when the cabinet starts to blast-thru at the edges of the rubber.

Reasonably priced cabinets turn up on craigslist fairly often. I bet you could hustle some savings on the hard parts (gun, latches, gloves, etc) even if the cabinet has to be modified.

 

There was an old timer I used to buy parts from that used a chest type freezer to make a blast cabinet. From what I remember all he did was cut out a rectangle hole in the door for the window and put a hole in the door as well for the shop vac. He cut holes in the front to reach through, used the sleeves from an old leather jacket and wore leather work gloves. The blast hose ran in through with the sleeves, and he had a foot pedal control for the air. It was very simple/basic, and he said it worked great for him. I never used it, but it looked like it was a pretty cool idea.

 

Here's a link to a home built how to, maybe it will help you make a decision

http://www.ford-trucks.com/article/...cle/Build_Your_Own_Grit_Blasting_Cabinet.html

 

There is no reason why you couldn't. You can buy the gloves and window setups pretty easy.
In the shop where I taught I had a Davis sand blast cabinet made in Oregon. I can't find them on the net but big cabinet with expanded metal to set the parts on and the bottom tapered down so that the media funneled down and the siphone hose could pick it up again.

I found out one thing on that machine. The glass was hinged so that It would open and you could put a piece of saran wrap on it to protect the glass. The saran warp didn't last long but it saved the glass and allowed it to last for years without problems.

This outfit sells a "barrel blast cabinet" but also sells parts. http://www.barrelblaster.com/barrelblasterparts.htm

I've got an old fridge taking up space that I wondered what the hell I was going to do with and this just might be the ticket for a cheap blast cabinet.

 

Here's one my Father in law made.
Barrel with a window from something and a Vaccume cleaner from the neighbors trash pile. It also has an internal light

 

If you left the fibeglass/plastic liner in, it would be very resistant to wear. Plus the light color would help see the parts while blasting.

 

The fiberglass/plastic interior is not going to last very long, you'll blow thru that in no time.

 

Seen them made from a clothes dryer with a glass door. Put a hopper bottom in it. You're limited to what will fit through the door, but I guess you could hinge the top. And the Saran wrap is a must. We have a water tank for a walk-in cabinet, wear full suit protection and turn on a big exhaust fan in the top of the tank.

 

This is kinda like the kit we used.HRP

http://www.tptools.com/p/335,142_Build-Your-Own-Cabinet-Foot-Pedal-Operated-System.html

 

I have 2 blast cabinets I made out of old refrigeraters they work good. Try to get one without sprayed foam insulation it will be much easier.

 

4-pot, looks like a pretty trick setup,,,,

 

A fuel tank used for home heating oil wood make a nice cabinet for blasting, just screw on some longer legs and add a window, door and a rack in side and your good to go. I often see them for free.

 

As for glass i've duct tapped old car flat glass on a cabinet, my buddy might still be running a 55 2dr post window on his

 

If the glass is sized around overhead transparency films, a cheap source of glass-covers is available.

How thick is the metal on this fridge?

BTW if you leave the plastic or fiberglass liners, you'll undoubtedly breathe some of it. Not good.

 

Thanks to all of you for such high quality responses.

-jim

 

My shopteacher was telling me years ago that there were special light bulbs for blasting cabinets as the regular incandescents could explode or some such thing. I'd be doubly worried of a bulb exploding if I was using an old oil tank, even if it only held glorified diesel.

Course, he could have been blowing smoke up my ass, but I tend to err on the side of caution.

 

now thats some true home made thriftyness.....gets the job done! I like it