Time for a sandblast update... my setup stinks. My compressor struggles to keep-up, the siphon style gun constantly clogs, and it does not strip very well. So I modified my cabinet to use a pressure pot (
link) like I've seen online:
- Start with the blast cabinet (
HF #93608)
- Purchase a 110lb pressure blaster (
HF #95014). Notice this version comes with the deadman valve and holds the most media.
- The pressure pot has a 1/4" male air input. I used a 1/4" female plug (
HF #68181). Use a long hose so any water vapor has time to cool, condense, and get trapped by the filter. I didn't like the cotter pins provided for wheels/legs and instead used hitch pins (
HF #67557)
- Modify the blast cabinet's 1/4" air fitting to accept the 3/8" output from the pressure pot. Ream the hole with a step bit (
HF #44460) and replace the hardware with a 3/8" male barb (
HF #68213), 3/8" F-F coupling (
HF #68203), and a short 3/8" hose to the gun (
HF #91295). You'll also need some thin washers.
- Purchase a dust deputy (
link). This traps "most" of the media for reuse and prevents the shopvac filter from clogging every 15 mins. You should still filter the media to remove the paint chips, rust, and crud before reuse. I tried window screen but that's too coarse. I tried a funnel/filter (
link) but it's too fine. Haven't found a good solution yet.
- All of this equipment is unbelievably loud so use hearing protection.
The deadman valve is heavy and awkward to use. The pot has been rather difficult to adjust and did clog a few times. Filling the pot is messy and leaves a huge plume of dust. But given that I can't justify a high-CFM compressor for home use, this setup is working a lot more effectively. I'm pretty happy so far.