Gunsmithing Sandblasting cabinet and Coolant systems..........

[Mgordon]

Well its that time, I need to spend some money on things, specifically a Sand Blasting cabinet large enough to do barreled actions with ease. What are you guys using? Is it better to bite the bullet and just buy a new one or shop around for a while and try to find a good used one?

Also, I need a coolant system for my lathe, It did not come with one. It appears to have the standard 4 hole mount for the reservoir. I want to have a regular coolant system for cutting and turning, but it would also be nice to have a high pressure pump for chambering.

I'm using Re Li On for my coolant/cutting oil.

Any info would be helpful.

Thanks

 

[Glen Seekins]

Re: Sandblasting cabinet and Coolant systems..........

Dont skimp or it will just take longer, make a mess and parts will be a pain to find.
www.badboyblasters.com is where i got mine. Actually from Ebay. Make sure you get the industrial dust collector and foot controlled switch.

Coolant...find a pump from mcmaster car that will work well for the pressure/flow rate you want. I used a small pump for thru the barrel coolant and it worked good, High pressure will leave you wearing all the coolant you can put in your lathe...
thru coolant is very nice. i just pull the reamer out a bit, wait a couple seconds for everything to flush and go at it again.

you will also want to build some kind of splash guard around your chuck.

 

[Mgordon]

Re: Sandblasting cabinet and Coolant systems..........

Always good advice....Thanks Mr. Seekings

Which model do you have from Badboysblaster.com?

Anything you would change about it?

 

[Glen Seekins]

Re: Sandblasting cabinet and Coolant systems..........

I have a custom one. They will let you pick and choose features you might want.

Single person use
dual doors (one on each end)
Foot switch
electronics up top for pressure, vac on ext.
stationary blast gun (hangs down vertically and you can move it side to side, but not far)
standard hand held gun
air nozzle inside (low pressure)

Only thing i would change are the gloves. With aluminum oxide they dont last long. I glued rubber pads on the bottom of the arm holes and put the cabinet as well as the vacuum on a platform i can roll around. I also sealed up every joint with silicone before using it, otherwise it would leak. make sure you get the upgrade vacuum, its quiet and does a great job.

$1200-1500 will get you a good system that will last a while. Lots cheaper than others i have seen...

 

[lfagan]

Re: Sandblasting cabinet and Coolant systems..........

Mark,
I have a Bad Boys Blaser XL750 model and I can't recommend that you buy one. My machine was damaged during shipping and BBB's initial customer service was very good, but the quality of the product is not that great at all.
I was told that the machine was all USA made, but it is not. The vacuum motor just caught fire and burnt up on my machine, I have replaced both of the nozzle assemblies, I've replaced many fittings and clamps, and the pressure regulator was replaced. It seems that I work on it every time that I try to use it. I've got an old plastic Cyclone cabinet and have never had to do one thing to it.
I would recommend a Blast-It-All Little Blaster LB 4024. It will be a little more money initially, but it is a light production model blaster that should last.

 

[Mgordon]

Re: Sandblasting cabinet and Coolant systems..........

Len, I'm doing some research and I think I will probably go with THIS cabinet. It is actually made in Ohio about 2 hours away. Its going on sale next week for $999. It has a 90 return policy and they stock all of the parts. There is also THIS cabinet which is the same, but with a smaller glass viewing area for $100 less. I'm not sure which one to go with, but I might just spend the extra $100 and get the larger viewing area. A neighbor has one and his vacuum is very quiet, the lighting is pretty good, and it seems like a good machine.

 

[colchester]

Re: Sandblasting cabinet and Coolant systems..........

I see that you are in the 440 Try HGR Industrial Surplus in Cleveland they get some nice used blast cabs in from time to time. TIP products in Canfield Oh if you want to buy new blast cabinet. Check out HGR for a coolant pump also

 

[Keith Johns]

Re: Sandblasting cabinet and Coolant systems..........

Seen people weld an atachment to their cabinet to fit a barreled action.
Our cabinet was like $250 on sale. *Barrely* fits a barreled action with a 26" tube, but it does.


How much blasting are you going to do?

 

[Mgordon]

Re: Sandblasting cabinet and Coolant systems..........

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: AZPrecision</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Seen people weld an atachment to their cabinet to fit a barreled action.
Our cabinet was like $250 on sale. *Barrely* fits a barreled action with a 26" tube, but it does.


How much blasting are you going to do?


</div></div>

I will be doing a lot of blasting. I have seen some Harbor Freight blasters with cat litter boxes secured to the sides in order to open up the length, but I want a quality product that is going to be done right the first time. I'm slowly learning that going the "fix'er up" route is not the way to go as I have no time to fix things when the ball gets rolling.

 

[Keith Johns]

Re: Sandblasting cabinet and Coolant systems..........

Yea if your going to do a lot of it, get the best you can.

We only blast when we Cerakote. So our Harbor Freight blaster works fine. We dont do barreled actions right now anyways.


What compressor you plannin on using? We got an Ingersoll Rand 5hp 60gal. If you can afford one, I'd get it. It'll handle anything with ease.

Keith

 

[GN4HIR]

Re: Sandblasting cabinet and Coolant systems..........


I have the cheap harbor freight unit that opens from the top.

Over time I have modified it with additional lighting, shop vac on a rheostat to create negative air flow to control dust and last... cutting a hole on one side and adding a section of 6" PVC about 2 foot long that sticks out so I can feed in barrels / barreled actions.

I use 150 grit silicon carbide and the stuff is so fine that it goes everywhere when I use it. However it lasts a long time and is good for Duracoat. It cuts the surface which helps Duracoat adhere, glass just peens the surface smooth.

 

[Mgordon]

Re: Sandblasting cabinet and Coolant systems..........

I'm set up in a nice shop in a building shared with our farm, we have a massive air compressor that does a really good job. I have been accumulating air filters and pressure regulators for the sand blasting cabinet and anything else I use air for. I just need to finish the final touches on my home made oven.

Any advice anybody wants to throw out there for making home made ovens just go a head. I am using a steel box, stood upright with the heating element on the bottom. I plan on having some kind of fan system that circulates the air at low rpm around to stabilize the heat in the chamber. I am just using the ovens regular heat control with a heat sensor to let me know where I'm at.

 

[GN4HIR]

Re: Sandblasting cabinet and Coolant systems..........

What temp range are you wanting to achieve in the oven?

I took a steel StackOn gun cabinet I had and used it for an oven and put in a heavy wire shelf across the top from which I can hang parts that are curing. Actually I put in several shelves like this and I remove all but the top when I'm doing long guns, with the shelves I can do multiple handguns.

I used the element from a salvage toaster oven and put it along one side, I think having it in the bottom might be better since the heat will rise. The toaster parts were used for a timer and thermostat.

I have a 5" computer type fan on the top to pull out heat if it gets too hot but having a way to circulate heat in the cabinet is a good idea.

I use a an electronic B-Que thermometer to monitor interior temp, I just pass the probe and wire through a hole on the side and the unit adheres to the cab with a magnet.

 

[Mgordon]

Re: Sandblasting cabinet and Coolant systems..........

250-350 at the most. Realistically Cerakoting at 300 degrees.

JiWilliams, I think were on the same page, do you have any pictures of your Oven that you want to share?

 

[GN4HIR]

Re: Sandblasting cabinet and Coolant systems..........

Yeah, I will get a couple of pics on Tuesday and send them / post them.

I don't know the max heat mine will do, I use lower heat for the duracoat but heat is just a function of the size of the element. In mine the element is very close to the sidewall and I've not noticed any discoloration of paint

 

[Kells81]

Re: Sandblasting cabinet and Coolant systems..........

I have a very similar setup build to JiWilliams, mine is setup to run off propane and its amazing how well you can hold 300F. I use alot of norrells and I like to go over the 1 hour mark just for good measure. After building it I did a 3 hour run with it empty and once I had it up to 300 I was able to hold it very well. It only took about 10 mins to get to 300. Those are some real nice blasters. I was thinking about upgrading mine at home.