Bench top blast cabinet

[Thrashsmith]

I know Clarke / Machine Mart equipment can be pretty useless but I decided to take a punt on their bench top blasting cabinet & it seems to actually be doing what I want it to. Using their 60/80 aluminium oxide grit with the 4mm nozzle it came with. I was once told that a 3mm nozzle would work best so I'll try and get my hands on one of them. Tried it on a variety of test pieces for different scale types:
Flat bar, 40mm cubes and old sculpture component with heavy scale in the depressions. I never really believe the reviews on company websites so thought I'd post for the sake of others who want an unbias opinion, with evidence. Model No.: CSB20B.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

What size compressor do you run?

 

[mrsbruce]

Hijacking this thread for a moment. I need another blast gun, with a 4.5mm or smaller nozzle. Are there any small guns out there with the smaller nozzles, as they all seem to be 6mm.

My blasting cabinet came with a 4.5mm nozzle, but I had to drill it out to finish a specific project. Unfortunately, I didn’t realise how difficult it was to get hold of another one.

 

[toddy]

I have one of these

And i have tonsay they are good for alot of things, i just wish i could fit a bigger one in my workshop

 

[Thrashsmith]

What size compressor do you run?

200L, 3ph, 21 CFM something like 16.5 FAD. Doesn't run non stop so not too annoying.

 

[MoreWellie]

even small scale home blasting is heavily dependent on compressor. I bought an SBC190 from martyns bargains and it works quite well but my 3hp sealey direct drive 50l 9.4cfm FAD cannot keep up with it, it works well for a short period, until the pressure drops and then there is the constant noise of the compressor and the henry hoover I have rigged to extract the dust

I have to take care not to attempt too much as I don't want to alienate the neighbours more than I do by just living here

 

[Wallace]

You

200L, 3ph, 21 CFM something like 16.5 FAD. Doesn't run non stop so not too annoying.

The size of your compressor is a major contributing factor in the cabinet working well for you, I use a 14cfm and it’s marginal at 90psi with a 3mm nozzle. There are a few little modifications you can do to improve the cabinet even further, dust extraction and a good water trap setup to give you clean dry air.

 

[Thrashsmith]

I don't know much about compressors t.b.h so I thought if your compressor can hit the psi required for the tool (cabinet), then regardless of tank size your compressor can power the tool. I was under the impression that the tank size just determined how often it needs to refill and therefore how much noise it makes.

 

[Wallace]

I don't know much about compressors t.b.h so I thought if your compressor can hit the psi required for the tool (cabinet), then regardless of tank size your compressor can power the tool. I was under the impression that the tank size just determined how often it needs to refill and therefore how much noise it makes.

It’s more to do with flow than pressure, the tank provides a reservoir to compensate for fluctuations in flow. If the compressor cannot supply a higher quantity of air than the tool is using then the tank becomes redundant and all the output goes to the tool. If you want to do a test to see if the compressor can cope, pull the grit hose off the blast gun, tape the trigger down then sit and watch your compressor pressure gauge to see what it drops to. If the compressor can catch up and shut down you might be able to get away with a bigger nozzle, if not you’re at or exceeding the compressor flow.