Media blaster. Any experience?

[Crazy]

I'm looking at this unit to remove the rust from my floor in the bus. I've removed half the floor and it is all rust. I'm not going to wire wheel it. What do you think?


http://www.harborfreight.com/20-lb-pressurized-abrasive-blaster-68994.html

 

[kimberlink-SKO]

I have that very same blaster it works fair at best, however to get it set correctly is PITA and you get sand everywhere. I went through alot of Silica sand ended up beating the heck out of me with the sand and not much rust off. it works best when you first start when the sand is just coming to the tip and at the end when the sand runs out of it. I have a large 120 gal 5HP twin cyl Air compressor so air was not the problem. The valves on the blaster just won't adjust correctly. it took me three bags of sand to do a two foot square.

I was thinking of upgrading to this one for a little more money. plus there is a Granger near me. My neighbor had one of these and it seemed to work better.
http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/ALC-Designed-To-Spray-Abrasive-Material-Such-15E765?Pid=search

Just my opinion someone else may have had better luck with it

 

[Crazy]

The one in your link is a siphon unit. I thought they weren't as good but what do I know. NOTHING.

 

[GreyEagle-SKO]

If it's from Harbor Freight it propably junk..... Mostly China imports.....

just my 2 cents....
there are no shortcuts to removing rust.... short of replacing the floor with new shiny metal

 

[kimberlink-SKO]

The one in your link is a siphon unit. I thought they weren't as good but what do I know. NOTHING.

Thats what I thought when I bought mine but the neighbor before he passed on swore by his. of course it was an older model than the one in the link. All I know is the one I have from Harbor Freight only works good just as the sand is getting to the tip and when its about to run out of sand. inbetween that it just pours out the sand and does nothing. If ya lived near by I'd give you mine, or I could box it up and if you pay for the shipping i'll send it to you if ya want.. No returns please...LOL

 

[Crazy]

If it's from Harbor Freight it propably junk..... Mostly China imports.....

just my 2 cents....
there are no shortcuts to removing rust.... short of replacing the floor with new shiny metal

This is for a one shot deal. I'm not spending a fortune on a blaster plus this is a small unit.

 

[Crazy]

The one in your link is a siphon unit. I thought they weren't as good but what do I know. NOTHING.

Thats what I thought when I bought mine but the neighbor before he passed on swore by his. of course it was an older model than the one in the link. All I know is the one I have from Harbor Freight only works good just as the sand is getting to the tip and when its about to run out of sand. inbetween that it just pours out the sand and does nothing. If ya lived near by I'd give you mine, or I could box it up and if you pay for the shipping i'll send it to you if ya want.. No returns please...LOL

I'm not going to use sand. I want to use walnut media. I can get it for $16 for 50# bag. If it doesn't work, I'll return it. I tried calling a few places that do this without much luck. I'm not going to chase them to give them money. I will look into the siphon unit.

 

[GreyEagle-SKO]

Hey Cal????

Would it be possible to rent one? A good one since this is a one time deal?????

 

[Crazy]

I guess I could look into that. I never thought of that. Thanks.

 

[bansil]

X2 when we need one at work we rent from local center...keep media dry and sift it going into hopper.
You can reuse media,sweep it up,strain and pour intohopper

 

[bapos]

I think a lot depends on how much rust you have and where its at. I think with 20lbs you will be filling it constantly. I know they make bigger tanks but they are not practical to use for one time to make that kind of purchase.

yes the wire wheel of death sucks. its a slow process but does well. You get a first hand look at the good... bad.. and ugly to see what needs to or has to be replaced.

As stated there is no substitute for new metal. One thing to consider if the rust isnt too bad is por15. It will chemically change the rust in to a paintable surface. Now it wont helpy you if its paper thin and about to break through but you know what to do with that.

I currently work for a rental company and we rent trailer compressors that spit 185 cfm of air that people use to blast metal fences. One thing to consider. That blasting casues heat so it can warp and possibly blast through if its thin.

Just some food for thought