replacement gun: pot blaster

[russ_1380]

Hi guys and girls

Just been playing with my Clarke pressure pot sandblaster. I've made a small cabinet for it but the gun on it wears out nozzles in no time at all.

This and its a dead mans handle type one but when the trigger leaver is released it still spurts out air and grit. The set up is good as my first sandblasting kit but the gun is pretty useless. I've been online but can't seem to see a replacement available (preferably non Clarke).

I can see pictures of guns with what look like two inlets (presumably one air, one media) but my gun only has one inlet as its from a pressure pot.

Does anyone know if there are replacement guns available for this type of blaster? (pressure pot) or of any suppliers.

Thanks

Russ

 

[Engineer1964]

Hi Russ

Frosts have a replacement gun, take a peek here mate http://www.frost.co.uk/automotive-c...un-head-for-y990-and-y991-blast-cabinets.html

At £35.23 its not cheap

and here is another site with a selection of different guns

http://www.angloscotabrasives.co.uk/blast_guns_page.htm

hope that helps

 

[rtbcomp]

Forget the gun and the ceramic nozzle. Get a tungsten carbide nozzle from Ace Engineering

http://www.blastitclean.co.uk/ They're on Ebay too.

Hold the nozzle in the pipe with a jubliee clip.

 

[russ_1380]

Thanks Gerry.

I've had quick look at those sites but they all seem to have two inlets.

Am I being daft here and missing something obvious? Mine has only one inlet coming out straight from a pressurised pot. Do people swap the gun for one with two inlets? Surely that defeats the idea of a pressurised feed?

I can't find these type guns online anywhere tonight. I'm googling 'pressure pot media blasting gun' do they have a proper name in the trade?


The gun I have looks a little like this but not as well built

http://www.ebay.com/itm/PRESSURE-MEDIA-SAND-BLAST-POT-CABINET-ABRASIVE-BLASTER-/170446349615

Cheers Gerry

 

[rtbcomp]

Those with 2 inlets are suction guns, you connect the air to one and a tube dipping into a bucket of media to the other.

The pressure pots are know as blasting pots, pressure pots, blast kettles &c &c.

Anglo-Scott Abrasives and Hodge Clemco do them, loads on Ebay like the Clarke one.

 

[russ_1380]

hi RTBCOMP

Just looking at their 'Classic' model

It looks like the nozzle just goes into the hose with no gun like you say; much simpler!

Is there a valve that would take the pressure/grit that I could fit just before the nozzle to give a little control. At the moment the levers are on my pressure pot but are awkward to reach when trying to use my little cabinet.

It has 3 levers: One for air coming in from the compressor, one which I think controls the amount of grit coming out and a mysterious third one I'm never too sure what it does. I'll dig the manual out.

Also you guys are knowledgeable with blasting, sometimes mine stutters. Would slightly damp grit cause this? Its been in my garage for years.

Thanks for the help guys, appreciate it

 

[madkayaker]

I have a Clarke pressure pot and it stutters sometimes when refilled and starting up again and then it clears I think it's when to much grit is in pipe

 

[rtbcomp]

Top lever controls the air into the pot, set to fully open.
Lever down the side controls the air to the mixer at the bottom, set to fully open.
Bottom lever adjusts the mixture, set to give a barely visible stream of media.

To get the right strength of blast I adjusted the regulator on the output of the compressor.

A proper nozzle valve would be very expensive, the early DIY pots used a lever ball valves like the others on the pot, but they didn't last long. The valve at the nozzle should be fully open or closed, not halfway.

Can you make some levers up so you can control the bottom valve with your foot?

 

[russ_1380]

Cheers guys useful info there

I'll check if stuttering is on startup or all the way through.

The priority is for me to sort a vac adapter, the dust means i'm working blind which is hopeless at the mo. On DIY cabinet jobs do the vacs help much or is it a bit of a waste of time?



I'll try the nozzle without a gun and with no valve rather than making a lever control (that's a bit beyond my metal work skills). Those tungsten ones are expensive but worth it if they last longer. I'm only a very occaisional DIY user but these ceramic ones are lasting and hour or so at most.

I see what you mean about the valve at the nozzle being on or off not part open, and then controlling the other levers at the pot or compressor for pressure.

At the nozzle I was just thinking an 'on or off' type valve is good as it means i can turn everything on without fear of the nozzle jumping round blasting everything before I get chance to put my hands in the blasting cabinet and grab hold of everything. Like you say though if people have tried before with no success its unlikely i'll do better.

The actual lever on the original Clarke gun does this on or off function but it just leaks and sometimes decides not to work, bit of a PITA. The lever just makes a sprung cap cover the nozzle. Trouble is when the cap wears, there is next to no seal. I've temporary tried duck tape to pad the cap and it worked but only for couple of minutes then disintergrated. I'll maybe try some rubber innertube next.

 

[rtbcomp]

Dust extraction is essential. You may need to have an opening opposite where you connect a vacuum cleaner &c to give good airflow through the cabinet, the air coming out of the gun isn't sufficient. Have a look in my photo for pics of my setup.

Lighting is important, I use 12v halogens, fit them to the front of cabinet facing to the back.

Can you arrange a clip to hold the nozzle when you start and stop? Use a piece of rubber to act as a target when the nozzle is in its clip.

 

[russ_1380]

Cheers

Hooked up my vac and installed a light, its ace now!

Bought some jblast superfine to try but it doesn't work with my 2.5 nozzle? Is it jsut a case of being too course/large particles? or not enough pressure?

I've use an old nozzle worn out to about 3mm and it works but my comp is struggling to cope at the mo. Do compressors work slower/harder when they are hot?

I made a house for the compressor a while back to reduce noise, works a treat but I'm thinking the compressor may be struggling for air as the pot seems to take an age to re fill.

Anway, is there anything finer than jblast superfine available? Or anything clear/white? I am sand blasting timber for an effect and the superfine leaves a slight black staining on light timber.

Thanks again.

 

[rtbcomp]

You did get 'Supafine' and not 'Supa' ? Supafine works fine with the 2.5mm ACE nozzle on my setup.

The efficiency drops off as the air heats up because the mass of air decreases for the same volume.

Crushed glass or aluminium oxide should be better than J-Blast from the staining point of view.

 

[russ_1380]

yeah its supafine.

Today was going so we too! never mind.

I'll try the other materials you mention. I wanted to use it for opening up wood grain (it blasts away soft bits) leaving almost skeleton like appearance.

The people who have pictures of it online must use more industrial machines I guess

 

[brightspark]

yeah its supafine.

Today was going so we too! never mind.

I'll try the other materials you mention. I wanted to use it for opening up wood grain (it blasts away soft bits) leaving almost skeleton like appearance.

The people who have pictures of it online must use more industrial machines I guess

a 14cfm comp and a pot using a 3mm jet wont be big enough to clean wood back. a 28 cfm comp using a 3mm jet at 90psi would be about the minimum to get u away best set up would be a 90cfm pump and use a 6mm jet on the pot

 

[russ_1380]

Nightmare.

Mine worked a little but but wasn't ideal. The pot kept stuttering, blocking etc. Plus 3mm nozzle was too big compressor can't keep up. The 2.5mm nozzle was going great but now there's something up with the pot, doesn't want to blast. I'll try taking the hose off at both ends and check for blockages.


I wanted to be able to do this kind of thing

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=sa...4&start=15&ndsp=22&ved=1t:429,r:15,s:15,i:170

Guess they must use the towing compressors for jack hammers