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To all shops who do their own sandblasting: We had a monument company that we are freinds with do all our sandblasting, but they are moving. Because we sell a bunch of sandblasted HDU, we are going to have to get set up to do it ourselves. I would like to hear what kind of equipment you all use and where the best place to buy it is. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks, Nick
-------------------- Nicholas Parish, In Design Signs 3045 Aerotech Pkwy Suite 3 Montrose, Colorado 81401 970-249-SIGN indesign@gwe.net Posts: 24 | From: Montrose, Colorado | Registered: Mar 2002
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I remember Rick Sacks saying years ago not to mess with hobby type equipment, if you were going to blast use at least a 1/4" nozzle, at the time I was unsure of my market etc,and bought a small set up from TIP which came with ceramic nozzles, and a very small pot, it meant that our 5.5hp workshop compressor couldn't keep up, and there was nothing left over for respiratory equipment.
I put that to one side after a very short time, I bought an old trailer mounted diesel compressor the type they use to break up roads with and a Clemco blaster pot, with "deadman", I also have their inline carbon filter setup and an Appollo air fed helmet.
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Henry's right. Don't fool with the small equipment if you can avoid it.
Nicholas, You might be able to find a good used compressor from an auction or rental place. I paid 300 bucks for mine and did a few repairs. But a normal used one will cost a few thousand.
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The CFM is so important. The sandblasting 'pot' is the cheapest investment.
The performance, or quickness in which the 'grit' removes material is in the compressor.
I bought a 50 gal. Sam's club compressor for about $500.00 & it struggled to keep the pressure above 40#s. (boy it looked big!), Only put out a few cfm's I believe. Then I bought another compressor for $1200.00 that put out 5 times that & connected them together. (Sorry I don't have the cfm information handy, but a quality compressor salesman could direct you. Check welding distributors.)
You need 80#'s-100#'s of continuous pressure to remove HDU, cedar or redwood efficiently.
You need a 2-$3000.00 investment for new equipment to get started in blasting.
You also need the space to do it. It's messy.
If you do a lot of sandblasting it is well worth the investment.
Good luck Nick PS... I am glad I did it oh so many years ago.
-------------------- Michael R. Bendel Bendel Sign Co,. Inc. Sauk Rapids, MN Posts: 913 | From: Sauk Rapids, MN | Registered: Jul 2005
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Compressor needs to output a minimum of 100 cubic feet a minute.( $1500-$3000 ) A pot that hold less than two bags is a real inconvienience.( $400 ) You need a hood with a clean filtered air supply. ( $300 ) Used equipment often has worn valves and hoses, so be ready to replace stuff.( $400 ) I'm wrestling with finding a moisture separator that will work well for me.( $250 ) These prices are reasonable for good used equipment.
How much of this work do you do? How long will it take you to recover a $3000 investment? How far would you travel to have the blasting done by an outside source? Do any of the rental yards have blasting equipment rentable bt the hour? and do they have a blasting area at their yard?
-------------------- The SignShop Mendocino, California
Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity. — Charles Mingus Posts: 6724 | From: Mendocino, CA. USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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Thanks for the advice. The nearest blaster is more than an hour away and we are doing a number of these every month, so it's something that we've thought about for a while now. What blasting media are you using and do you reclaim it? What is the average cost of media? Thanks, Nick
-------------------- Nicholas Parish, In Design Signs 3045 Aerotech Pkwy Suite 3 Montrose, Colorado 81401 970-249-SIGN indesign@gwe.net Posts: 24 | From: Montrose, Colorado | Registered: Mar 2002
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I use a #30 sand. I don't reclaim it. I buy it fr $9 a bag. I d o reclaim it in my blasting cabinet, but most blasting is done outside with the big gun. I also move my set up around some to build up the land mass in our yard as evenly as I can. Plans are to someday build a blasting booth around 20 feet long and ten feet wide. This will handle most of what we do and then the bigger jobs will happen outside.
-------------------- The SignShop Mendocino, California
Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity. — Charles Mingus Posts: 6724 | From: Mendocino, CA. USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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If you've never done this at your shop, I' suggest renting the compressor/pot/accessories a few times. I blast 8 - 10 times a year, can get everything I need 30 minutes away, about $160 a day. That's atow behind 8 cyl. gas compressor,90 lb. pot hoses/deadman nozzle. No maintainence/repair headaches. Pick up, set up, blast, return. I use my 60 gal/175 psi for the positive pressure hood.
-------------------- Bill Dirkes Cornhole Art LLC Bellevue, Ky. Goodnight Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are. Posts: 591 | From: Bellevue,Ky. US | Registered: Aug 1999
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I like the pots that you don't have to unscrew something to fill it...just a pressure fitting on top that drops open when the pressure is turned off.
-------------------- Laura Butler Vision Graphics & Sign 4479 Welch Rd Attica, Mi 48412 Posts: 2855 | From: Attica, Mi, USA | Registered: Nov 2000
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Bill, I don't see where you're ahead. $160 x 10 times a year is $1600, plus 10 trips at $90 (90 minutes of lost production) equals $2400 in one year. You can pick up a nice used 200 lb pressure pot and 100 cfm compressor plus a new positive pressure hood and air filter for less than that. (No way would I want to where a rental hood. Where has THAT been?) So at several times a month, Nick could buy a new unit on what he spent on rentals in 2 years.
Then you blast when you want. I've got an indoor blast booth started. Can't wait cuz then I can go to aluminum oxide and reuse it for HDU and blast rain or shine, snow or ice.
Nick, fine sand outside (about the size of sugar)for redwood, cedar, or HDU, and aluminum oxide or silicon carbide inside on HDU only. You can use them (AO or SC)over and over until you have too much HDU dust in the mix that there isn't enough abrasive left to cut at a decent rate. No health danger with them like there is with sand.
Blasting redwood is a one time deal on the blasting media because once wood dust gets in the sand you'll clog up your blaster constantly if you try to reuse it.
-------------------- Dave Sherby "Sandman" SherWood Sign & Graphic Design Crystal Falls, MI 49920 906-875-6201 sherwoodsign@sbcglobal.net Posts: 5400 | From: Crystal Falls, MI USA | Registered: Apr 1999
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Dave, I know how the numbers look, for me its all about maintainance & storage. A tow behind compressor would live in my driveway/parking lot, no room inside for storage. I can deal with a lot of things, but I'm a total idiot when it comes to internal combustion engines. The breathing hood is mine, I wholeheartedly agree with ya on that one. My advice to Nick was to try with the rented equipment to see how the proccess/mess was gonna work in their space. It could be that a search for a new sub would be the better way to go... I love sandblasted work, don't particulaly enjoy the sandblasting part. And no subs nearby. An electric powered compressor large enough to handle the work is in the plans soon, I hope Anybody wanna buy some land? 70 acres for sale right here in Pendleton Co.
-------------------- Bill Dirkes Cornhole Art LLC Bellevue, Ky. Goodnight Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are. Posts: 591 | From: Bellevue,Ky. US | Registered: Aug 1999
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I blast sign foam at work. We use Black Beauty, 100 lb. bags, low dust and doesn't have the dangers of silicon dust. The helmet and respitating equipment is through a company called Bullard. I have blasted well dried pinewood but no redwood to date and the Beauty cuts through it quite well. The grit is 3060, the finest that Beauty comes in. The most cfm I have used to blast the pine was 90 but the foam I can cut down to as low as 40 cfm. The guys above have said it all when it comes to the air supply. I recently bought a compressor to do some at home and had to purchase a 7 horse compressor. It works well with a 100 lb. pot but still works overtime to some extent. I would have had to go to a bigger compressor if I wanted to use a bigger pot and I wasn't going to rewire the house for 3 phase just to blast. My wife has considered a divorce since I set this thing up, anyway. Good luck. Bill Berberich BZRK52@aol.com
-------------------- BILL BERBERICH 3 CREST ST. RUSSELLTON, PA.15076 Posts: 7 | From: 3 CREST ST./ RUSSELLTON,PA.15076 | Registered: Aug 2003
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