more media Qs

[ElvisDontSurf]

In the throws of 'pre trading' research (dont be too impressed - council business advisor gives me all the fancy phrases)

How long will a 25kg bag of glass bead/soda last for when doing smaller engine parts etc in a blast cabinet?

Say a cylinder head/engine case. Just roug idea on how much media i would use in KGs.

Have got the money to source a half decent cabinet/extractor set up for small stuff and maybe run 1 or 2 pressure pots for (seperate ones for soda/bead) for engine/gearbox type stuff - Hobbyest restoration type stuff.

If it puts food on the table while im setting up, then i'll do it

 

[brightspark]

In the throws of 'pre trading' research (dont be too impressed - council business advisor gives me all the fancy phrases)

How long will a 25kg bag of glass bead/soda last for when doing smaller engine parts etc in a blast cabinet?

Say a cylinder head/engine case. Just roug idea on how much media i would use in KGs.

Have got the money to source a half decent cabinet/extractor set up for small stuff and maybe run 1 or 2 pressure pots for (seperate ones for soda/bead) for engine/gearbox type stuff - Hobbyest restoration type stuff.

If it puts food on the table while im setting up, then i'll do it

if your using beads on engines ect best getting them dipped 1st to get paint and grease of them otherwise the beads will be ruined in minutes and cant be re used .soda is just used once expensive and hardly worth using

 

[ElvisDontSurf]

as ever, your a star BS

Have read about pros/cons of beads on some engine parts due to them getting in oil ways.

Have sourced myself a half decent parts washer so fingers crossed.
How many uses can you get from beads? a couple?

Thinking beads for externals and soda for parts that cannot realistically be cleaned properly to ensure 101% bead removal.

All being well you will either see a link to a/my website after xmas (or lots of blasting equipmnt for sale)

 

[rtbcomp]

I've used beads over and over and over. The finish you get isn't as bright with used beads, so I generally use old beads for unimportant stuff (such as the bits you can't see on scooter engines) and do the bling bits with new beads, transferring them to the "old" bin after a few uses.

Beads can get contaminated, so as BS says, make sure your workpiece is clean before bead blasting. I use worn out & dusty glass grit to do stuff before bead blasting.

Always do your costings as though you were using new all the time.

 

[ElvisDontSurf]

Roger that.

Back to costings - how much bead does a waterpump/lammy engine case, that sort of thing use Kg wise? just a rough guesstimate.






BTW - anyone ever trued sourcing a unit for blasting? Ones that will have me want a kidney, ones that are cheap wont or are too far out of town when i price fuel up its close enough to stay 'in town'.
Got a list of farmers from numerous friends of friends , door knocking next week
Got offered one perfect unit on a svery small estate, 3 miles outside town, no one knows its there so not used for passing trade, been empty for years etc etc. About 2 miles from my house.
£7k Tried to haggle but not much joy they would rather have all the units empty (as they have been for years) rather then rent them for a bit less. Cant commit to that much at this stage. ******!

 

[rtbcomp]

Lammy? Lambretta?

I use a 10 gall pot and a Clarke cabinet for bead blasting, and I reckon 1 pot full does all three parts of a Lambretta engine case, inside and out. I can't remember how many Kg the pot holds, but I buy 50 Kg at a time and it lasts ages (with re-use).

You only need a very weak mixture and not much pressure so the beads don't tend to break up like grit does.