Media blasting
Discussion
I'd like to be able to clean up old components, tools, etc. so am thinking of getting a media blasting cabinet. I have an old SIP Hurricane 24525 compressor for which I cannot find the specs, but the current equivalent is rated as follows :
Is there any smaller alternative to the Clarke ?
- 8 bar maximum pressure
- 8 CFM piston displacement
- Air Receiver Size: 24 litres
- Motor: 2.0hp (1.5kw)
- Piston Displacement: 8.0 CFM (226 litres/min)max.
- Free Air Delivery (F.A.D): 5.4 CFM (153 litres/min)
- Max. Pressure: 116psi (8.0 bar)
Is there any smaller alternative to the Clarke ?
You will have to keep stopping.... But it all depends on how much you want to do.
Blasting needs lots of volume and reasonable pressure..
e-bay seems to have a lot of second hand cabinets maybe you can get a 3hp 150L or so compressor cheap as well.
If you have three phase then you can get weapons grade kit..
I did a lot of blasting years ago in a home made cabinet with a single phase 3hp 150L compressor but it worked flat out for long periods..
Blasting needs lots of volume and reasonable pressure..
e-bay seems to have a lot of second hand cabinets maybe you can get a 3hp 150L or so compressor cheap as well.
If you have three phase then you can get weapons grade kit..
I did a lot of blasting years ago in a home made cabinet with a single phase 3hp 150L compressor but it worked flat out for long periods..
Edited by peterperkins on Sunday 17th February 17:56
I've done more powerful farts than that thing could muster.
Your average garage business compressor will have problems keeping up with a blaster, if you want to get an idea of how much one uses just saw the end off your airline and see what happens.
Then drop your stuff off at the nearest blast cleaner.
Your average garage business compressor will have problems keeping up with a blaster, if you want to get an idea of how much one uses just saw the end off your airline and see what happens.
Then drop your stuff off at the nearest blast cleaner.
Google says your compressor is 2hp.
I have a 2hp compressor with a 50 litre tank.
Tried it with one of the small suction feed blast guns.
Would have done better throwing the media at the subject by hand.
Your cabinet needs a CONSTANT 10cfm FAD which is MAINTAINED at 80 to100 psi.
That's a huge amount of air & I wonder if any single phase compressor would be capable of delivering it.
I have a 2hp compressor with a 50 litre tank.
Tried it with one of the small suction feed blast guns.
Would have done better throwing the media at the subject by hand.
Your cabinet needs a CONSTANT 10cfm FAD which is MAINTAINED at 80 to100 psi.
That's a huge amount of air & I wonder if any single phase compressor would be capable of delivering it.
Edited by paintman on Sunday 17th February 18:13
I'm in the process of setting up a home blasting cabinet for small parts.
Without three phase supply I'm looking at one of these 200L 4hp compressors which are advertised at 18cfm. https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/xe18200-ol-air-com... Hopefully that will be enough.
Without three phase supply I'm looking at one of these 200L 4hp compressors which are advertised at 18cfm. https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/xe18200-ol-air-com... Hopefully that will be enough.
Friend of mine has a 3hp that he uses for SMART repair. It sometimes trips breakers at customers houses if he's using another electric tool when the compressor starts.
If you look at the blurb for the one you are considering note that:
"This air compressor must be run from a 40 Amp supply minimum".
So you are going to need a dedicated circuit for it & it will need to be hardwired - not on a domestic plug.
If you look at the blurb for the one you are considering note that:
"This air compressor must be run from a 40 Amp supply minimum".
So you are going to need a dedicated circuit for it & it will need to be hardwired - not on a domestic plug.
The inrush startup currents on 3hp compressors are quite high for single phase types.
Some might trip your breakers..
But saying that I ran one for years (and hours at a time) on a standard 13amp socket in the garage.
It never blew a fuse or refused to start except when a capacitor died.
It was a machine mart 3hp 150L/150psi twin cylinder thing IIRC.
I did hundreds of hours of blasting with that at about 50% duty..
Some might trip your breakers..
But saying that I ran one for years (and hours at a time) on a standard 13amp socket in the garage.
It never blew a fuse or refused to start except when a capacitor died.
It was a machine mart 3hp 150L/150psi twin cylinder thing IIRC.
I did hundreds of hours of blasting with that at about 50% duty..
paintman said:
Friend of mine has a 3hp that he uses for SMART repair. It sometimes trips breakers at customers houses if he's using another electric tool when the compressor starts.
If you look at the blurb for the one you are considering note that:
"This air compressor must be run from a 40 Amp supply minimum".
So you are going to need a dedicated circuit for it & it will need to be hardwired - not on a domestic plug.
Having spoken to Machine Mart I've realised that I can't supply a 40 Amp demand. The 3 hp compressors demand 16 Amps and as you've said those can sometimes be run on a 13 Amp plug. Of course you could use a bigger fuse at risk, but then if the compressor's vent valve fails and the compressor tries to start when the piston is already pressurised then the fuse won't blow and the motor would potentially burn out. If you look at the blurb for the one you are considering note that:
"This air compressor must be run from a 40 Amp supply minimum".
So you are going to need a dedicated circuit for it & it will need to be hardwired - not on a domestic plug.
monkfish1 said:
You could just add a couple of extra tanks in the roof of the garage or similar if your compressor isn't really up to it. Yes, clearly, you will still run out eventually, but the extra capacity will allow you to most sensible sized jobs.
^^^ This seems the obvious solutionjust because the CFM is down a bit on the compressor, dont write it off.... its also about capacity of air... I have a blast cabinet and an Aldi 9 CFM compressor which I use for my blast cabinet and paint spraying
the thing is, I have two large propane cylinders out the back of the garage as air storage cylinders, linked in with the small compressor tank. With these I can tackle painting panels quite well. you just have to be patient to let it build up pressure.
The blast cabinet is brilliant, I dont know what I would do without it for restoration... note the home made filter system on it which is VERY effective
Also, I use two types of medium in the blast cabinet. aluminium Oxide for the initial clean, and then glass bead for the finish. remember to keep the pressure down though if you used bead or it shatters. here are a few examples of what I achieve with my setup...
the thing is, I have two large propane cylinders out the back of the garage as air storage cylinders, linked in with the small compressor tank. With these I can tackle painting panels quite well. you just have to be patient to let it build up pressure.
The blast cabinet is brilliant, I dont know what I would do without it for restoration... note the home made filter system on it which is VERY effective
Also, I use two types of medium in the blast cabinet. aluminium Oxide for the initial clean, and then glass bead for the finish. remember to keep the pressure down though if you used bead or it shatters. here are a few examples of what I achieve with my setup...
buzzer said:
just because the CFM is down a bit on the compressor, dont write it off.... its also about capacity of air... I have a blast cabinet and an Aldi 9 CFM compressor which I use for my blast cabinet and paint spraying
the thing is, I have two large propane cylinders out the back of the garage as air storage cylinders, linked in with the small compressor tank. With these I can tackle painting panels quite well. you just have to be patient to let it build up pressure.
The blast cabinet is brilliant, I dont know what I would do without it for restoration... note the home made filter system on it which is VERY effective
Also, I use two types of medium in the blast cabinet. aluminium Oxide for the initial clean, and then glass bead for the finish. remember to keep the pressure down though if you used bead or it shatters. here are a few examples of what I achieve with my setup...
Buzzer the results look fantastic.the thing is, I have two large propane cylinders out the back of the garage as air storage cylinders, linked in with the small compressor tank. With these I can tackle painting panels quite well. you just have to be patient to let it build up pressure.
The blast cabinet is brilliant, I dont know what I would do without it for restoration... note the home made filter system on it which is VERY effective
Also, I use two types of medium in the blast cabinet. aluminium Oxide for the initial clean, and then glass bead for the finish. remember to keep the pressure down though if you used bead or it shatters. here are a few examples of what I achieve with my setup...
Can you share more details of your homegrown filtration system?
samnorthy said:
Buzzer the results look fantastic.
Can you share more details of your homegrown filtration system?
Sure. In the early days I used the standard filter that came with the cabinet, but that was next to useless as it constantly clogged and the media blew out from all the gaps and seals as the cabinet pressurised....Can you share more details of your homegrown filtration system?
then I tried a vacuum cleaner... this gave MANY problems...
then I hit on the idea of an oil bath filter like used on many old cars, and engines that run in desert conditions, which is free flowing but very effective. So I made the filter which has now been on there 10 years. Its made of a storage box with a lid and inside are compartments that make the air turn 180 degrees. see the diagram below.
when the air turns 180 degrees, any media is thrown to the bottom of the compartment (centrifugal force) and the air moves on to the next compartment, and so on. plan was to put some oil in the bottom to catch the media. However, I tried it first with no oil, and it works just fantastic without!
the pipe ( the larger size of kitchen waste pipe and fittings) is vented outside to the drive, and no media ever gets through. occasional I empty a bit out of the box, there is always some in the first compartment, a bit in the next, and hardly any in the last.
as its free flowing, there is never any pressure in the cabinet, so I don't get dust in the workshop.
also, here is a comparison with old glass bead against new bead, blasted at a low pressure...
the trick is to blast at the lowest pressure you can to get a shine... So I blast them with oxide firts to clean the part, then swap to glass. A good test is to handle the part with dirty hands... if your finger prints wipe off its a nice closed surface, which if treated with ACF-50 remains shiny for a long time.
A chance to show off my last built engin!
the trick is to blast at the lowest pressure you can to get a shine... So I blast them with oxide firts to clean the part, then swap to glass. A good test is to handle the part with dirty hands... if your finger prints wipe off its a nice closed surface, which if treated with ACF-50 remains shiny for a long time.
A chance to show off my last built engin!
buzzer said:
Sure. In the early days I used the standard filter that came with the cabinet, but that was next to useless as it constantly clogged and the media blew out from all the gaps and seals as the cabinet pressurised....
then I tried a vacuum cleaner... this gave MANY problems...
then I hit on the idea of an oil bath filter like used on many old cars, and engines that run in desert conditions, which is free flowing but very effective. So I made the filter which has now been on there 10 years. Its made of a storage box with a lid and inside are compartments that make the air turn 180 degrees. see the diagram below.
when the air turns 180 degrees, any media is thrown to the bottom of the compartment (centrifugal force) and the air moves on to the next compartment, and so on. plan was to put some oil in the bottom to catch the media. However, I tried it first with no oil, and it works just fantastic without!
the pipe ( the larger size of kitchen waste pipe and fittings) is vented outside to the drive, and no media ever gets through. occasional I empty a bit out of the box, there is always some in the first compartment, a bit in the next, and hardly any in the last.
as its free flowing, there is never any pressure in the cabinet, so I don't get dust in the workshop.
Brilliant,then I tried a vacuum cleaner... this gave MANY problems...
then I hit on the idea of an oil bath filter like used on many old cars, and engines that run in desert conditions, which is free flowing but very effective. So I made the filter which has now been on there 10 years. Its made of a storage box with a lid and inside are compartments that make the air turn 180 degrees. see the diagram below.
when the air turns 180 degrees, any media is thrown to the bottom of the compartment (centrifugal force) and the air moves on to the next compartment, and so on. plan was to put some oil in the bottom to catch the media. However, I tried it first with no oil, and it works just fantastic without!
the pipe ( the larger size of kitchen waste pipe and fittings) is vented outside to the drive, and no media ever gets through. occasional I empty a bit out of the box, there is always some in the first compartment, a bit in the next, and hardly any in the last.
as its free flowing, there is never any pressure in the cabinet, so I don't get dust in the workshop.
I like simple solutions, thanks for the info
I have the same cabinet and only the original filter. My problem is that the minute I start the air, the vision disappears to nothing and I'm aiming at something I can't see most of the time
Does your filtration system make it clearer from that point of view? If so I think I might build one. Metal or wood?
Does your filtration system make it clearer from that point of view? If so I think I might build one. Metal or wood?
Any thoughts as to how good one of these might be? I'd like something bigger than the (small) Clarke unit for general 'cleaning' duties. I have a 150L compressor capable of delivering 11CFM at 6.0 bar (Sealey SA2015-3). I'd also look to add Buzzer's filter to it.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/254145850856
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/254145850856
julian64 said:
I have the same cabinet and only the original filter. My problem is that the minute I start the air, the vision disappears to nothing and I'm aiming at something I can't see most of the time
Does your filtration system make it clearer from that point of view? If so I think I might build one. Metal or wood?
Yes, it improved the vision a great deal... the original filter is useless Does your filtration system make it clearer from that point of view? If so I think I might build one. Metal or wood?
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