OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums General Discussion Forum Off Topics Blast cabinet

Hi
Does anyone own a blast cabinet? I am thinking about buying 1 and was wondering what kind of air compressor I would need! Currently I have a small ryobi airwave 40l 1.8hp max 115psi!
Question is what would I be able to blast with this I assume I would probs be waiting for it to refill quite a bit but would be blasting smaller mower parts, or is it worth getting a larger capacity compressor?

One thing to consider is the amount of air flow you need to operate the cabinet. Your compressor has 175 LPM (6.18 CFM) max capacity. Also is the amount run times. I have ran oil-less compress much here as I have 25 gal 5 hp setup but I do have a smaller 10 gal oil-less; just don't like how noisy it is so I only use it if I doing a on-site job.

Now the cheapest blast cabinet I see Harbor Freight has here requires a 10 CFM @100 psi air flow rate.

I guess you could try the little Ryobi but it will run out of puff quickly. I forget what size my compressor is probably 15 cfm and just using my die grinder makes it kick in and out constantly.

So a larger/better compressor is required?
So would I be better looking for a higher hp compressor is that what would give more pressure or a larger tank?
Yes this ryobi is rather loud, is there a max length of air hose you can run before it effects pressure also?

I reckon you need to buy the biggest compressor you can afford or can run on your single phase power, unless of course you have 3 phase in which case go bigger still LOL
Sandblasters work by essentially using compressed air to firstly suck up sand in a venturi affect then blast it onto your work at a fast pace, the more air you have available to do this will result in a better faster job,

which ever cabinet you get will specify a required amount, aim for that plus say 15 to 20% as a buffer and ya should be all good

The whole problem with this sort of thing is that it is a hobby, not like it is going to generate money to offset the costs and that is always a governing factor. My kids gave me a cheap sand blasting kit probably 30 years ago and I think I used it twice and I ended up using the bags of sand in some concrete I was mixing.

So a larger tank is the go? I only have single phase power! So will have to look into what’s out there!
NormK yes I do this a lot but if done right I can offer a blasting service for small jobs locally as my job is such I now have 3 days off to bugger around with stuff!! Maybe I can get rid of all the other things I have bought and don’t use 😂😂😂

Ollie,
It is 2 fold you need the big tank for the volume but you also need the compressor to have the capacity to keep up. Everything is dependent on needs versus cost, if you are sure you can pick up some work to justify the cost then it is a completely different situation than getting something that is just a non paying hobby. It is pretty much like buying a Honda mower to mow your lawn, hard to justify, but buying a Honda mower for a lawn mowing business is a no brainer

It's an ill conceived idea that a large tank will give you more air.

As Norm has suggested it really is more about the replenish rate than the storage capacity. In blasting there's a massive volume of air required and with that you require a fast replenishing of the air that's been used up. Really to do this sort of thing successfully you'd need at least 20 and above cubic feet per minute to make it so that you don't have your compressor head running full time. This is also where storage volume comes into play.

Effectively you will require a compressor that can replenish faster than what you are actually using at the nozzle.

Cheers,
BB.

Cheers for the info guys, will start looking into them and try and get a better understanding of there performances! Just I have now had 3 mowers blasted and for that cost I could get a decent (I think) compressor and blast cabinets while fairly small are relatively cheap from paramount browns, then need to work out the best media to blast with as I understand this can be pricey!
The reason I have a few that I need to blast think I have 5 waiting! So with just them I could save $$$
My last mower has been at Blaster’s since November! Tho he has had epa issues!

Hi Ollie,

It's the grit that makes this an expensive exercise, thus why I use a electrolysis bath.

I gather you are dealing with Adam for blasting in Wingfield ?

Cheers,
BB.

Hi Ollie,

It's the grit that makes this an expensive exercise, thus why I use a electrolysis bath.

I gather you are dealing with Adam for blasting in Wingfield ?

Cheers,
BB.

Yep I thought as much! Don’t know how much it can be reused either?
With the electrolysis that is more for rust removal rather than paint from body panels, chassis parts and reels!

On the subject of reels I saw u dropping ur reel off looked pretty good! do you not worry about back lapping just get a grind when required? Keep seeing people saying they backlap every few mows and it seems a little excessive?

Oh and I am using Brett at limitless blasting on smart road. He does my blast, prime and paint

Ollie,

mmmmmmm...........back lapping ?

Ask Steve what he thinks of it on a Scotty as he and I share the same view on it.

Got my reel back this afternoon and basically there was bugger all wrong with it, so it just got the lightest of licks. It was more so the Bed knife that had the issue, something that I pointed out initially to Steve prior to him doing anything to it. Sadly the last grind I just couldn't get the reel to bed knife relationship correct, so something was wrong with the BK from the get go of the last grinding. Oh well no biggie as it still cut ok.

That was the reel out of my daily driver and yes I do it on as required basis, roughly once a year I'd say. Eventually I'll have to have a new 10 blade unit made for myself, unless I wreck one of the other 20 inch machines I have on hand which are just way too expensive to pull apart nowadays.

Just a point on the reel you dropped off. I see you had it Powder Coated, why are you doing it like that opposed to painting ?

Cheers,
BB.

PS. I thought you might be using Adam as I'm sure he'd be cheaper than Brett. Yes blasting is dead money spent isn't it ?

Ahh I see yeah it looked as though it was pretty fresh!
Yeah I think with the was to remove the reel a yearly/2 yearly depending on use as long as it is kept well adjusted should be fine.
Yes I wouldn’t powder coat that was off a mower I bought that had been 50% restored. The fella sold his house the day after listing and needed to sell ASAP!!
I would normally paint with epoxy enamel as it is easy enough to retouch if needs be and not chip or eventually flake and rust like powder coat!

I should have looked around a bit but Brett did a pretty decent job with my first 2 costing around 175 a piece for blast, prime and paint.

But yes it feels like dead money as the last mower I done for a friends father in-law on a budget so rubbed stripped and sanded myself and that got me thinking about the small blast cabinet!

Hi Ollie,

Steve did it back in October last year and I use it nearly every 2 days, so it's done a lot of work.

Yes powder coating is a big no no on lawn mowers as they are subject to the surface being broken and sucking in moisture underneath, thus prematurely allowing corrosion to set in without you even knowing, thus a reel has one edge ground away in the sharpening process and that instantly lets the gremlins in to do their damage.

As far as blasting is concerned, I've still got a catcher to do for my Verti-Cutter that's been featured on the forum and that needs to be done at low pressure otherwise it'll be destroyed, even then the surface left behind is very rough. The only way you'll get a smooth finish is to bead blast, but now we're talking big reddies for that to be done.

Honestly I prefer to use my survivor 20 inch machine as another scratch is of no consequence to me at all.

Cheers,
BB.