problems with ACE pressure pot (sandblasting)

[foy9999]

Anyone got any tips for using these.

I've had one for years and somehow managed to use it but dug it back out recently and it's a nightmare and being older I don't now have the patience for it.

Git is seized and bone-dry and particles are just right size.

Got good air pressure

Thing blasts for literally about 5 seconds then nothing comes out

 

[brightspark]

well there pretty simple. take it to bits check the ball grit valve for operation and the fittings make sure there clear. empty the pot out and fill with sieved media . is the media 2 course for the 3mm jet or is it j blast superfine or similar .keep a good 90 psi pressure up and don't over regulate the media other than that it should work unless your getting water in the media or its damp

 

[foy9999]

done all that several times. no joy. also have moisture separator on compressor and the water-trap that comes with the pot. Media is J Blast

 

[Matchless]

Anyone got any tips for using these.

I've had one for years and somehow managed to use it but dug it back out recently and it's a nightmare and being older I don't now have the patience for it.

Git is seized and bone-dry and particles are just right size.

Got good air pressure

Thing blasts for literally about 5 seconds then nothing comes out

clogging up, damp media or too large / chunky, mine blocked up when using crushed glass as soon as I stopped blasting, ok for the first go then.... GRRRRRRR,

My uncle and aunt lived in East Kilbride, he had a barbers in Glasgow, Nick the Greek barber, long while ago, long dead!

 

[Brad93]

clogging up, damp media or too large / chunky, mine blocked up when using crushed glass as soon as I stopped blasting, ok for the first go then.... GRRRRRRR,

My uncle and aunt lived in East Kilbride, he had a barbers in Glasgow, Nick the Greek barber, long while ago, long dead!

Have you tried the SupaFine yet?

 

[lincoln2013]

I am not familiar with the ace pressure pot, but it sounds like moisture is building up in the bottom of the pot. Before you start blasting try running air straight through the pot with no media for a few mins this will warm the pot so less likely to have condensation problems. I have also coiled up a length of air line & dropped it in a barrel of cold water to cool the air which helps the moisture trap on the pot work more efficiently. Next I will be making one of Brightsparks metering valves.

 

[Matchless]

Have you tried the SupaFine yet?

not yet, been lazy, working on setting up the forge, will post some pictures later, I know less about forges than sand blast pots,

 

[NickMc]

I would think you’d need to use supafine or smaller again in one of those machines, Guy I bought my blister off said they’d finally shut up shop and weren’t a great machine.

 

[brightspark]

the trouble was the tank for median was to small and the filler and grit valve - ball were poor on them . the big cheapo ones arentmuch better but can be improved if u don't want to make a complete new one

 

[foy9999]

It is the J-Blast Supafine I'm using and still **Language**ing useless. There's no moisture in the pot. Everything is bone-dry.

Was watching some YouTube videos last night and I think problem may be airflow, not air pressure....

The ACE pot only has one valve, at top, and allows air to go to a top T-piece. This feeds the pot and the hose which runs to bottom T-piece.

Some of the more expensive pots have 3 valves on them. Not sure exactly why but it seems one allows you to pressurise the pot, before you open anything else, and then there is one which controls the air and one which controls the media.

My hunch is that on mine all the air is going into the pot and there is little or nothing speeding past the bottom T-piece to create the venturi (?) effect on the grit.

What could I do about this?

Well the best way to test it would probably be to put an air-pressure gauge in the air-hose between the top & bottom T-pieces (this would let you know if there was any air-pressure in the hose on its way to the bottom-outlet) and tap the pot (or its lid) to fit a gauge that would tell you the pressure inside the pot.

If you did find anything meaningful from that I guess the next step would be to find a way to divert the air-pressure to the pick-up hose rather than the pot (once the pot was pressurised)

After that it would probably be a case of finding sweet-spot of balance between air into pot and into pick-up hose.

As things stand, with the top T-piece, would air flow equally to the 2 outlets or favour the direct route to the hose, or go to the first port which is 90 degree turn to the short stub of the T which feeds the pot? I've no idea

 

[Dcal]

The air will follow the line of least resistance so most flow should go to the blast pipe, unless there is a restriction.
The air to the pot is to equalise the pressure and prevent the air from the blast pipe wanting to go into the blast pot, the wrong way through the media valve.
The extra ball valve is to adjust the pressure to the pot but I run mine full open all the time.

What size nozzle have you?
How much air and what size pipes are you using?
Have you any photos?

I had real bother with a cheap Chinese pot until I made a media valve for it, haven't had an issue since.

 

[foy9999]

I had real bother with a cheap Chinese pot until I made a media valve for it, haven't had an issue since.

where did you place the media valve?

any photos?

 

[Dcal]

I posted my version in @brightspark's thread so there are two versions.
The was a bit of discussion as to if my version would work but it has had a ton of supafine through it without any real issue.
Only blockage, in the media valve, I've ever had was a bit of swarf that got through the sieve when recycling it.


https://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/threads/grit-valves-for-cheap-pots.28960/

 

[foy9999]

I posted my version in @brightspark's thread so there are two versions.
The was a bit of discussion as to if my version would work but it has had a ton of supafine through it without any real issue.
Only blockage, in the media valve, I've ever had was a bit of swarf that got through the sieve when recycling it.


https://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/threads/grit-valves-for-cheap-pots.28960/

excellent. thanks. I'll have a good read of that as I was concerned about grit wearing out the valve. I remember when I first bought they supplied it with a steel nozzle which lasted about 4 minutes. The tungsten one has lasted indefinitely