Sorry, new guy with no(t much)idea about blast pot

[Lovetherust]

Hi, after not having much luck with blasters in the past im wanting to do my own wheels/frames and was wondering about blast pots? As its just for personal use, a quick turnover isnt important. Iv got a 2hp,unsure of cfm compressor, that i know is small, and hoped it would be enough to use one.

 

[Shox Dr]

2hp compressor will be painly fully slow

 

[Lovetherust]

How slow if you had to guess? How does a pot work exactly?

 

[paceman1]

you will need a decent compressor to do the job or your be standing around all day waiting for the air supply

 

[rtbcomp]

3hp 14cfm would be OK with one of the Ebay blast pots for personal use and a 2.5mm nozzle. I used 2 x 3hp compressors.

If you're talking about powder-coated ally wheels or ones painted with modern paint you'll be looking at using a stripping bath as well.

 

[brightspark]

there messy and slow. it helps if u have a cabinet to contain the grit and filth otherwise its open blasting and it gets everywhere

 

[Lovetherust]

Open air is ok, my dad has some land that i can make a mess on, if 3hp is as realistic minimum then thats what il have to get, i know they say go as big as you can go but its just diy so if it takes a hr and half so be it as long as it does the job

 

[brightspark]

if u already have a 2hp get a 3 hp as well and couple the tanks together and run the pot with a 3mm jet. it will work quite well and give max pressure without having to wait till the pumps can refill the tanks

 

[Lovetherust]

What cfm should be aiming at??

 

[Lovetherust]

Can you do the same with a second 2hp? Or am i missing the point

 

[brightspark]

more the better 14 cfm is the minimum

 

[Lovetherust]

Ok cheers 14 is the magic number

 

[Chris Stevens]

14 rated CFM will be far less than actual CFM which is referred to as FAD (free air delivery). If you are interested in anything other than slowly blasting a few smallish parts for yourself, you will need much higher CFM. A diesel road breaker compressor will work fine, and is maybe the best option if you are wanting to do anything other than a few parts for yourself.

 

[rtbcomp]

The 14cfm we refer to is the manufacturer's description, I don't know the actual CFM or at what pressure it is stated at, but 2 (Clarke/SIP &c) "14 cfm" 3 hp compressors are more than adequate for a 2.5/3.0 mm nozzle on a blast pot in a blast room or a cabinet. I've been using such a setup to blast scooter frames and panels successfully for over 10 years.

A single 14cfm will work OK in a cabinet using a good syphon gun (not the one supplied with hobby cabinets) fitted with the correct air nozzle, as long as you don't use a prolonged blast of air, which will usually be the case when blasting small items.

If you're doing bridges & buildings then get a road compressor and pay a grand for the pot instead of £100 off Ebay or Machine Mart.

 

[Chris Stevens]

Displacement of a compressor, which is what manufacturers rate machines at, is quite different from free air delivery which is what actually comes out of the outlet.

For DIY blasting of parts, if you have some land to do it on, and have a decent pressure washer, then wet blasting with a siphon attachment on the pressure washer gun is worth looking at.

 

[Lovetherust]

I was hoping to not have to use a cabinet, whilst i have access to land open air, somewhere to store alot of gear isnt realistic for me. Plus i wouldnt have a water supply available. Because its just for personal use im not veering toward high spec speicalist tools, just a basic set up

 

[rtbcomp]

Bear in mind if you blast outside you'll be spreading toxic dust over the land. Environmental Health would have something to say about that.

 

[Wallace]

I used a scrap caravan lined with plastic sheet and a syphon gun as a shot blast room for a while, worked quite well and kept everything self contained. Also made a good metal polishing and spray booth, a good all-round disposable dirty room. As mentioned above CFM is the key for blasting, the less you have the more frustrating and time consuming it becomes.

 

[tinman123]

i have a hodge clemco cabinet blaster here, it ill take about 1m cubed inside it and i run it off my 30cfm compressor.
when i bought it the gun was missing but i had an old one lying about with an 8mm nozzle on it and its been put to use.
it was full of glass bead when i got it and its what ive been using in it since but even tho its a very dear machine new and i know my gun or compressor isnt exactly the right size, its something im avoiding as it takes a long time to get something cleaned up if it started out in rough shape originally.
great way of sandblasting but its far from fast so make sure you can get the air up as much as possible or ye will be there all year.

 

[paceman1]

aluminium oxide will blast remove powder coating