Sand Blast Cabinets

[Mark Milchuk]

To restore my 68 Corvette I am assuming that I will need to
1) Sand blast the metal parts
2) Patch rust holes with new metal
3) Weld on the patch
4) Grind smooth
5) Prime and Paint

Now I am sorry if I sound like an idiot but this is my first project car.
All comments and help are greatly appreciated.

1) Can I build the sand blast cabinet myself or should I buy one.
2) What size air compressor do I need to do the job of stripping rust from metal
3) What kind of metal to use for the patching
4) What kind of Welding torch Arc Welding or Ascetalyne Torch (Brazing)

(Have not used either since High School)
5) Whats best tool for grinding
6) Whats best paint for priming and finishing. Do you enamel the parts instead

of painting them. Do engine parts require special paint because

of the heat generated from the engine.

Should I just use a wire brush and steele wool?

What is the typical cost of having parts sent out to be blasted and finished?
Anyone know of a place in NJ that does this work.

Figure I would start with my exhaust manifolds which are all rusty.
Good Idea?

Thanks to all who are willing to take the time to help a beginner,
-Mark

[Steve D.]

Re: Sand Blast Cabinets

Mark

If you have a Harbour Freight Tools store in you vicinity, you can get a table top blast cabinet for about $80. This will handle small parts, probably up to the size of your exhaust manifolds. Get one with doors on the side rather than one with the top hinged. The side doors seem to seal better. I have a 5 HP compressor that will put up about 8 CFM (cubic feet per minute) @ 95 PSI and it works fine.

Steve

[Dan Grunwald]

Re: Sand Blast Cabinets

Mark, I sympathize with you. There is much to learn. The NCRS is the best place in the world to look for help. Also you might stop down at your local Borders bookstore and peruse some of the books available on Corvette restoration. There are several that will help you greatly. You could also look at the NCRS book store and you can order any of them at a discount. As well as Harbor Freight you might call and get an Eastwood catalog. They specialize in old car restoration and you will find a LOT of tools and various finiskes and stripping and cleaning supplies there. I don't have their address here but I'm sure they are online. If you need it let me know. Grung3@inil.com Have fun! Daniel

[Paul Robinson]

Re: Sand Blast Cabinets

Make certain that you purchase a good mask and safety goggles.

[Gary Schisler]

Re: Sand Blast Cabinets

If money isn't an object, buy a nice cabinet and compressor system. I was at Carlisle two years ago and saw a fellow from Texas(?) who had welded up 55 gallon drums into a nice home-sized sand blasting cabinet. The whole deal was in the $280-300 range. That gave me the idea that I could do this to. With a little thought and help from a friend, I made a sand blasting cabinet out of a heavy duty 55 gallon plastic drum. This has a large steel band that secures the end cap. I can unsnap the band, open the cap, and remove/insert and object for sandblasting in about 30 seconds. Total cost for the parts was under $50. Since it is plastic, it can be stored outside. I rarely use my cabinet, but when I need it, I need it now.

My biggest mistake with this was already owning a small compressor. Good for air tools and such but not enough storage for big jobs requiring lots of air. I was in Home Depot and saw some of their big compressors for reasonable amounts.
Gary

[Shannon Burgess]

Re: Sand Blast Cabinets

Gary, I've still got some pics of your blast cabinet online. I can't get the the image to post here, but the link is to the first pic. Pics are named barrel1.jpg through barrel5.jpg for those who would like to see what Gary did.

Shannon

[Chuck R.]

Re: Sand Blast Cabinets

Built mine out of scrap lumber.

Bought a cheap gun unit from one of the traveling tool sales for $9.00

Purchsed chemical gloves from a local safety supplier for $10.00 and stapled the cuffs to the holes cut into the cabinet.

Lid with removable clear sheet plastic dropped into place with four guide dowels with foam gasket seal.

All said and done including the purchase of the silica sand $35.00

Definately need at least a five horse compressor to keep up.

[John L.]

Re: Sand Blast Cabinets

Gary & Chuck -- Wow, what you both did sure seems like great ideas. I need a blast cabinet real bad. What are you using to pump the sand from ?? How do you reclaim the sand ?? I realize these may be novice type questions. Please remember I appreciate your answers.

thanks

john lolli

[John M.]

Re: Sand Blast Cabinets

John, I bought a large cabinet and dust collector from Tip Tools several years ago for about $1000, and have returned that value many times over! If you want to go the budget route, Tip sells a kit that has all the hardware necessary and plans on how to cut plywood to build the body of the cabinet. They also have several smaller cabinets that you can use a shop vac for a dust collector. If you use the cabinet more than a couple of hours a week you will find a dedicated dust collector a wise purchase. I would agree with the comments on air compressor size, I don't think that anything less than 5hp would be acceptable. Anything smaller and you will be spending a lot of time waiting for the tank to build back up again! You can find Tip tools on the web and the have an online store. Regards, John McGraw

[Chuck R.]

Re: Well it's like this

I should have added this.

The commercial units usually have a screened tapered bottom that recycles he spent sand back into the system to be re-used. Mine is not that fancy.

I mounted a piece of 1-1/2" pvc pipe on the under side of the cabinet and let the materials fall back through a screen I funneled shaped into a five gallon pail. I then wrapped the pail with a cloth to try and keep the dust down. There are points where I need to push the sand out of the corners by hand, but I can live with that.

The gun unit I purchased is a syphon pickup type that you just stick into the pail.

It's not perfect, but will easily meet my project's needs.

If I feel frisky and take on another restoration project, I will probably go for an affordable bench top unit.

I can't emphsize enough the need for purchasing a HIGH QUALITY resperator.

During the blasting process the sand will become pulverized and break down becomming finer and finer with less and less cutting effectivenes. This means that the dust will also become finer and finer and easier to escape in to the air around you. You DO NOT want to expose your lungs to this media bi-product.

The goal is to be around to finish the car and enjoy it, not be on a resperator watching someone else enjoy it.

Best of luck.

Chuck Rice #32205

[Gary Schisler]

Re: Sand Blast Cabinets

Shannon, thanks for posting the pictures. I have them saved but not posted anywhere online. Since these photos have been taken, my neighbor helped me cut and built a proper frame to hold the tempered glass.

I bought a Sears sand blasting kit which includes a 50 pound plastic sand container, five feet of suction hose (fits into the bottom on the sand container, and a very basic gun. It works quite well for my needs. Perhaps other who use different media, such as glass beads and walnut shells, will comment that a better system is needed.
Gary

[Gary Schisler]

Re: Sand Blast Cabinets

Oops, forgot to mention that I initially opened the side of the barrell to remove the sand. Since then, my son designed and built a trap door for the bottom of the cabinet. Flip one lever and all the sand and debris comes out the bottom. Not a professional cabinet but then neither was the expense. :>
Gary

[Mark Preddy]

Re: Sand Blast Cabinets

For those less-inclined to build their own:

http://www.barrelblaster.com