foster461 Posted January 29, 2005 Report Share Posted January 29, 2005 I think that having a small sandblaster at home would be useful for cleaning up parts prior to painting, for example suspension bits. I see a lot of relatively inexpensive components (cabinets, tanks, nozzles etc) and I assume a source of compressed air is needed but I need a sandblasting for dummies guide to get me stated.. I wonder if anyone has a sandblaster at home and could describe the various components and how it is working out for them while restoring/maintaining a TR ? Stan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest ron Posted January 29, 2005 Report Share Posted January 29, 2005 Hi Stan You need a fairly large compressor, preferably 3hp, with at least one water trap and you also really need a vacuum on the cabinet outlet or it leaks blast media and it's difficult to see what is going on inside. The ceramic nozzles wear out quite quickly, particularly if you're using grit, I think if I was starting again I would look into the availability of tungsten carbide nozzles. I would say a blast cabinet is a dirty, unpleasant, [unhealthy as well, wear a mask] contraption, but it cleans rusty components far better than any other method I've used. If you don't have other uses for a fairly large compressor I would say setting up a cabinet, compressor and vacuum from scratch is not very economically viable, you'd probably be better paying the local powder coaters to do it for you. Ron PS By the time I finished the TR resto the cabinet was only really fit for scrap!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Richard Crawley Posted January 29, 2005 Report Share Posted January 29, 2005 Stan, I went through the same hoops about 15 years ago with my resto; I have a 2.5HP (9CFM) compressor which is adequate for spraying & runs my beautiful Devilbis gun perfectly - although on paper it shouldn’t! When I tried blasting, however, it was a total waste of time. I concur with Ron’s comments completely; it’s a serious hazard to health & you will need a massive compressor (in excess of 20 CFM) to keep the blast gun going. A small compressor hooked up to a cabinet is OK for infrequent use on small components but, again, I agree with Ron’s comments on this. By all means buy a small (10CFM) compressor, they are cheap & you will be amazed at the uses you will find for it but as far as blast cleaning is concerned, you would do better to seek out your local specialist. They aren’t that expensive when you consider the time you will save + they can apply some seriously hi-Tec anti-corrosion coatings directly after blasting which are not generally available to the public. After a couple of attempts on various bits of my car, I handed the whole lot over to a local specialist & was very pleased with the results but you need to be careful with your selection! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
foster461 Posted January 30, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2005 Thanks for the very sound advice. The idea of being able to pull off a part, blast it, paint it and put it back on is still a very appealing concept but it sounds like the investment and the aggravation outweigh the benefits. I looked through my local yellow pages (Nashua NH, Lowell MA) and the entries under sandblasting are sparse but I'll call around and see what they can do. Stan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest harry dent Posted January 30, 2005 Report Share Posted January 30, 2005 Stan, I have covered this topic before on the use of cheap DIY sandblasters.We bought one for work and found it so dangerous it went back to the importers and we reported it to trading standards.When first complaining about the dust coming out of the blaster it was suggested to wear a mask.Well in the workshop everyone would have to fit a mask.Not practible and down right dangerous with dust covering lathes milling machines etc.We solved it by buying one made here and nine times the price.Bloody handy as it is big enough to fit trailing arms in.I get the best of both worlds on this one. Regards Harry TR5 nutter. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest ron Posted January 30, 2005 Report Share Posted January 30, 2005 Stan Look up powder coaters in the yellow pages, they have large blast cabinets. As to compressor size I've an ex industrial 3hp twin cylinder machine, it can keep up with the blasting gun OK when the nozzles are new but once they start to wear it struggles a bit, although if I had a bigger air receiver it would probably manage. Ron Quote Link to post Share on other sites
j-eichert Posted January 30, 2005 Report Share Posted January 30, 2005 Stan, the source you need depends on your needs: 20 cfm would be perfect (600 l/min), but with 10 cfm (300 l/min) you can get a lot of things done as well. As always, it's a matter of time..... I used a cheap sandblasting gun, sucking sand from a bucket, to clean the corners of my TR3s body tub, frame and wings. For cleaning small parts i would not recommend this procedure. Once you start doing it, you have to blast all parts and then it takes weeks clean the workshop (You get quite dirty as well...). Everything is full of dust after some time, the fine dust goes even inside the cabinets. With a 10 cfm source I couldn't blast continously but on the other hand I had to collect the sand after some time, so there was always some time for the compressor to recover and fill his tank. If you want to keep your workshop clean, use a closed and tight box. There was (thanks, Harry Dent) a could article on how to build a cheap, useful one. But it's hard to get it 100% tight, so some dust will creep out anyway (except for the real good industrial ones, but they are priocewise out of reach) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Red 6 Posted January 30, 2005 Report Share Posted January 30, 2005 Stan, I did my 1st resto without a blast cabinet and it cost me a lot in charges and going back and forth with bits that i forgot to take last time etc, as you say having one is useful. so i bought a diy assembly floor standing cabinet which is about 3x3 for £300 and a 3hp SIP compressor from Halfords for £345 and bingo it paid for itself in a few months. the gun is the type you see at autojumbles for £15.00 it is ceramic and lasts for months (years) replacements are readily available for a few £s. I use 2 grades of blast media, aluminium oxide Corse and glass bead. The latter brings alloy components back to new with the most remarkable sheen finish. Blasting wheels and big components are best left to pro blasters as they can do it in minutes whereas at home it takes a lot longer. Electrical components such as fuse boxes and similar can be brought back to new with glass which is used at about 15-20 psi. I recently bought another compressor, same model as before, from the house of hastings for £299 delivered and would reccomend this model as ideal for spraying and running a blast cabinet. Finally, mine lives outside the garage and i always wear a sealed mask with a filter, there is a vent so i do not need a vaccum cleaner attached, but i somtimes switch on a big floor standing fan to blow the dust over the garden! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
foster461 Posted February 6, 2005 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2005 Clearly what I need is a neighbor with a sandblaster..I guess right now I'm going to keep my oprtions open. I still havent located anyone locally that is advertising this service and when I think I have made my mind up to forget the idea of having my own setup I think of a dozen reasons why it would be very convenient. Maybe aquiring the cabinet and sandblasting parts and renting/borrowing the compressor would be an option to keep the initial cost down. Stan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
foster461 Posted February 13, 2005 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2005 As you can tell I'm haing a hard time giving up on this idea.. What about something like this ?. It is cheap ($70.00) and a compressor to drive it would be under $200.00 so I could get a whole system, new for maybe $300.00. The question is would it do the job of cleaning up smallish parts like front suspension etc ? http://www.sears.com/sr....6708000 Stan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest ron Posted February 13, 2005 Report Share Posted February 13, 2005 Stan It doesn't look like a cabinet type, you would really have to do your blasting in one session and clear up the mess afterwards. The advantage of the cabinet type is you can blast parts as you dismantle them and if you have vac on it it doesn't make too much of a mess Ron Quote Link to post Share on other sites
clive Posted February 13, 2005 Report Share Posted February 13, 2005 That sand blaster looks like a hopper to keep the grit in and an external gun. It doesn't seem to have a cabinet with it. The gun is normally built into the cabinet, and you handle it and the parts through a pair of very thick rubber gloves fitted to the cabinet. There is normally a sloping screen on the top, and a light which lasts about 2 hours before the switch breaks! click here to see a sand blasting cabinet like mine I've done all the parts for my chassis and suspension (excluding the chassis) in my own cabinet, powered of a 150L 3hp compressor. It worked, but it's not simple. I was using glass bead, maybe not a good choice, and I found that soaking the parts in paintstripper, then a parts washer helped a lot. I found that many of my parts had been painted at least 3 times! It was very dirty and I had to wear goggles and a mask. Now that the body is finished and painted I don't fancy using the cabinet in the same are, so I'm going to farm out the remaining parts to a shot blasting / enamal painters. Cleaning the garage enough to put the car back into it after blasting was a mamoth task, and not something I'd like to do on a regular basis! So blasting the odd component every now and again may not be as practicle as you think, unless you go for an industrial grade unit! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest ron Posted February 13, 2005 Report Share Posted February 13, 2005 Clive I used grit on ferrous components and glass beads on alloy and plastic, only problem with grit was it was sore on the ceramic nozzles as I said before, it was very effective as long as there wasn't a soft coating on the metal ie powder coating or underseal then it tends to bounce off. Stan, I don't think you can do this on the cheap, you really need to spend money and buy good kit or farm the work out. Ron Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Richard Crawley Posted February 13, 2005 Report Share Posted February 13, 2005 Stan, I agree with Ron & Clive; this looks like just a media storage hopper & , as far as I can see, it’s not pressurised. I would also question the performance a 1HP compressor would give the unit! I have a 2.5HP, 9CFM unit & it would not deliver enough puff to keep the blasting gun going without having to stop every few minutes to let the air receiver fill up again. It was also very slow on all but the smallest of components & made a terrible mess everywhere. But my main concern was that the dust it’s generates is a real health hazard & gets into everything; I was absolutely filthy when I’d finished & the dust is so fine it will get through your clothes. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bat10man Posted February 15, 2005 Report Share Posted February 15, 2005 Try speaking to Anglo Scott Abrasives, they can supply you with plans and a kit to enable you to construct your own cabinet. They are a good source of advice for the correct compressor to use and most things relating to blast cabinets. A colleague of mine built his cabinet using their kit and does all my blasting for me with excellent results. Anglo Scott Abrasives tel number is 01942 270729 cheers Andy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Waldi Posted September 4, 2016 Report Share Posted September 4, 2016 I want to grit blast my body tub (not the panels), and can rent a professional blasting cabine for 40 euro/ hr. The undercoating and sound deadening is all removed, and the paint is the original ( thin) paint. All welding is completed. How long would it take me to blast an entire body? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Alec Pringle Posted September 4, 2016 Report Share Posted September 4, 2016 If you are not very experienced in blasting, you will ruin the tub in about 30 mins . . . . . Unless you are very, very experienced . . . . . then do not even think about diy blasting. Cheers Alec Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Waldi Posted September 4, 2016 Report Share Posted September 4, 2016 Alec, Thanks, some decisions are made easy here on the forum:) I will outsource the job. Waldi Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rhine Posted September 4, 2016 Report Share Posted September 4, 2016 (edited) Waldi, very late in the conversation I know, and I am glad that you have a decision that you are comfortable with. I am reminded of a time 40 years ago, working with my Dad on a car that was both a hobby but also a weekly workhorse, and we would always get to that time of a Saturday afternoon when we had to decide to either push on with the job, or leave it and give it to someone else to sort, so I am reminded why we bought the car in the first place. Everyone on this thread is right, but they are all coming at it from a slightly different place. I bought my TR6 as a project, will be very happy to drive it down the road, but am getting more pleasure from the rebuilding project than I expect to get from using the car every day. So, I know my limitations and I will / have outsourced jobs that are beyond me, but have enjoyed doing the jobs I find easy enough, but pushing myself and achieving (for me) things that give me great pleasure. I have a NisaHondKiaGermanFor as do we all, and the wind tunnel sort of comes up with the same answer and that is why I bought this UNF/UNC box of bits in the first place. So, remember why you bought the TR6 in the first place and remember that there is great support here for whatever help you need! Good luck to you! Richard Edited September 4, 2016 by rhine Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Waldi Posted September 4, 2016 Report Share Posted September 4, 2016 Richard, Thanks, knowing your limitations, not only while working on the TR6, but with everything in life is not always easy... But being a stubborn engineer (ask my colleagues) I plan to buy a gritblast cabinet, for the small bits and pieces. I do as much of the work on rhe car myself, and like you, I'm more happy with spanners in my hands then with asteering wheel. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ed_h Posted September 4, 2016 Report Share Posted September 4, 2016 Waldi--If you enjoy the hands on aspect of rebuilding more than hauling parts to specialists, you should reconsider blasting your tub yourself. The setup shown with a 5 HP compressor did the job for me. I blasted sections at a time as I was doing rust repair. Doing the entire tub at a go would be a slog. This arrangement isn't powerful enough to damage panels. Ed Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pinky Posted September 5, 2016 Report Share Posted September 5, 2016 Waldi--If you enjoy the hands on aspect of rebuilding more than hauling parts to specialists, you should reconsider blasting your tub yourself. The setup shown with a 5 HP compressor did the job for me. I blasted sections at a time as I was doing rust repair. Doing the entire tub at a go would be a slog. This arrangement isn't powerful enough to damage panels. Ed hi ed totally agree with the above, I have a pressure pot, I pot a tungsten tip on it, adapted it to a blasting cabnet wich was totally rubish pink Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Waldi Posted April 17, 2017 Report Share Posted April 17, 2017 An update: After I completed all welding and removed the undercoating, my body tub is now gritblasted and spayed with a 2K Epoxy. I finally outsourced this particular job due to my health condition and living in a village, not in the country, I had visions of clouds of dust and paint in the neighbours garden). I am pleased with the result, I asked for a gentle bast (not to white finish), to minimize distortion. I am now preparing the tub for spraying in it's final original color signal red. I will reinstall the (bitumen based) sound deadening pads, can I prime these with a standard primer? My original pads were painted in bodycolor after they were installed too. Any suggestions, please? Regards, Waldi Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted April 18, 2017 Report Share Posted April 18, 2017 (edited) An update: After I completed all welding and removed the undercoating, my body tub is now gritblasted and spayed with a 2K Epoxy. I finally outsourced this particular job due to my health condition and living in a village, not in the country, I had visions of clouds of dust and paint in the neighbours garden). I am pleased with the result, I asked for a gentle bast (not to white finish), to minimize distortion. I am now preparing the tub for spraying in it's final original color signal red. I will reinstall the (bitumen based) sound deadening pads, can I prime these with a standard primer? My original pads were painted in bodycolor after they were installed too. Any suggestions, please? Regards, Waldi TBH I apply them after all the paintwork is done, that way all of the panels are properly protected. Stuart. Edited April 18, 2017 by stuart Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Waldi Posted April 18, 2017 Report Share Posted April 18, 2017 Stuart, Thanks for your help, that is an aspect I overlooked. "Original" may not always be technically best. I will follow your good practice. Best regards, Waldi Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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