Sandblasting

I have three tractors and several implements that need to be sanded before I paint them. Sanding by hand is taking way too long
and it is difficult to do a good job. What kind of a sandblaster would work? How much PSI and CFM would an air compressor need
to do a good job? Is there any used equipment that I could purchase? Renting one would cost $375.00 per day. I have never used a
sandblaster before. Are they easy to use?
 
Randy I built a sand blaster out of an old air tank 20+ years ago and have used it up until 2 years ago. It holds 50 lbs of sand. It takes a good 25 CFM compressor to run it. You need at least 80 pounds of constant air pressure to do a good job, any less pressure you'll be wasting sand and your time. I found a gas powered compressor that put out 125 CFM and used that for 6 years then I had my foot operated on and didn't use either one of them much after that and sold the compressor. I can use my 10 CFM electric compressor if I put a smaller tip on the blaster. Here's a link to some tips. You need to research tips to find out how much CFM they require then match an air compressor to the tip. Like any tool you have to practice safety and use your PPE-Personal Protection Equipment. I always used earplugs and a dust respirator under the blasting hood then long sleeves and leather gloves. Only bad part about blasting is on humid days it'll rust in a hurry. Here in Illinois our humidity is always high, 60? with 90% humidity is miserable and sand blasting will make you hot and miserable too!
blasting tip from Eastwood
 
They are super easy to use.Be aware that when things are still assembled sand will get in everywhere.Trumans in Ohio sells alot of blasting needs.
 
Just a word of advise...don't take it to the big time heavy equipment/oil field tank type blasters. They will get it done in a hurry but will warp all your sheet metal and rip off all your tape to keep sand out of seals/bearings etc. They don't like "finess jobs". There's no cheap way to do it right. Theirs is cheapest but will ruin your tractor $$$$. Most people use the big guys to take their cast wheels/frames and implements to and use a smaller 80 lb capacity / 80-100 psi blaster for everything else, but you need at least 18-24 cfm @ 80 lb compressor. If you just leave your tractor there and expect to just pick it up at days end and take home and spray, you will end up with a piece of junk.
 
They can be easy to use or they can be a royal pain. Depends on many factors. MISTAKE #1 No home owner/hobbiest type moisture removal system is worth dink on a 95 degree day with 90% humidity. I dont care what you read you will find out the hard way it isn't so after a couple hours your going to be fuming because the thing wont do anything but plug and dumping wet sand from the tank after you figure out what is wrong. The little watertraps that are supplied on the units due to customer demand are as useless as milking stations on a boar. On low humidity days early spring, fall and in the winter everything works fine. MISTAKE #2 too small compressor. You can put a small 1/8 nozzle in one and its kinda OK IF you buy the highest priced fine sand and keep it impeccably clean and screen it when dumping it in the vessel and NEVER try to reuse old sand. No matter what you do plan on doing a lot of unplugging with small tips. Mistake #3 using a syphon blaster to do big work. If you have 3 months to blast the tractor go ahead and by a syphon unit, if not you need a pressure vessel.
For the beginner trying to figure out if blasting is for him they are one of the things you can buy at HF and they are good enough for what you pay. After a year or so and you decide blasting is cool you will be ready to uprade. I have a Brute, made right here in Ohio and family owned. Nice blaster, nice people, good pricing. I have the 150H and run it with 1/4" nozzles on a 95 CFM Jaeger engine drive and when the nozzles get worn it is running close to 100% duty at 80 PSI or so (at the receiver.)
Heed the advise about sand in your tractor innards!! Personally I don't blast anything that isn't completely apart, or going to be that way at some point afterwards. Don't blast sheetmetal with coarse sand at high pressures. Nice thing about buying from people like Brute is you get real answers from people who know, instead of a blank stare at HF.
Brute Manufacturing
 
Randy I looked up Brute blasters and they look good. The smallest one comes with only a 10ft hose. I have a 15ft on mine and it isn't always long enough. Just something to keep in mind.
 
Once I'm all done, and admirng my new white metal, I make sure I spray a good heavy layer of cold galvanizing compound. Lots of spray can manufacturers around. I'm still using some left-over Sherwin-Williams, but any cold 95% cold galvanizing compound zinc-rich will work. It's the best white metal primer you can get for white metal, IMHO.
 
Sand blasting has it's place, using twisted wire brushes or Scotch bright disks have their place in paint/rust removal too. For cast pieces, simple castings, nothing with seals/gaskets and precision machined parts inside blasting is O-K. Aiming a stream of small grained sand driven by 90-100 psi compressed air will penetrate oil/grease seals, also destroy smooth machined or ground surfaces. Same thing with high pressure washers, an unprotected grease/oil seal doesn't stand a chance at keeping 2500 psi water & detergent out of a gearbox.

I have a full 7-1/2 HP compressor on a 80 gallon tank. 25 cfm @ 175 psi. I have a 40# Harbor Freight pressure blasting pot. With a new 1/8" ceramic tip in the blasting gun my compressor will catch up and shut off. Once the tip wears a little it's flow rate goes up, then compressor runs 100%. So watch your duty cycle!

I buy 100# bags of crushed & screened quartz to blast with. Cuts great, not much dust, is relatively cheap, $10/100#, I do not try to reuse the sand. My local big box stores do not stock anything but play sand, not screened or graded, you can not blast with it. Some stores sell a crushed & screened slag called Black Beauty which should work OK for blasting, maybe be cheaper too. Slag is a waste product of steel making.
 

I too have been sandblasting for myself and others. There are a couple things that have not been brought up yet.
MOST importantly the ingestion of silicon into your lungs from the break down of the sand that become absorbed into lung tissue that is NEVER expelled. Do some sources on this and read about it. I have almost stopped sandblasting at home expect in a cabinet because of this. I have a sandblasting business that will rent their booth for $30/hr with sand and a FRESH AIR hood. Since sandblasting with their equipment I now realize how bad my lungs felt for a day after blasting at home. Blasting without fresh filtered air is dangerous.
#2 If you still do the job yourself, do not point the nozzel directly air any flat metal tin. Always keep a 6-8" distance and 30 degree angle from the surface and wear the paint off instead of blasting it off. Direct blasting causes metal warping from release of stress.
Please if you decide to do the job yourself, wear a respirator under your blasting hood at all times. Sounds like BS when your 30-40 years old, sounds like respiratory failure at 70. I'm only 55, but wished someone had harped this to my 20 years. ago when I wish still invincible
Just trying to help Rick
 
We have a power plant not to far away. Black beauty had an operation right there, and you could buy the stuff right there at the plant. You'd drive in past the security gate, then follow a winding slag road through huge piles of black slag. Like drving among the dunes at White Sands Park in New Mexico but only black instead of white.
Then you came to a shabby little building with bags of BB stacked everywere, where you'd actually buy the stuff. Couldn't believe how much they charged for it, considering it was obviously a waste product the plant had way too much of, and would have to pay to dispose of of most of it.

Place isn't there any more, too bad it was more fun that going to some distributor in an industrial park.
 

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