Bead Blasting Questions Options

[TonyAKAVW]

I'd like to do some powder coating, but I first need to get set up to do the preparation work, which means bead blasting. I have a compressor but I'm not sure if its satisfactory for blasting. I've been looking at the cheapo blasting cabinets from Harbor Freight and they seem to require about 5 CFM at 80 PSI. My compressor can put out maybe 4 CFM at 80 PSI, and has a 21 gallon tank.

Does anyone who's done bead blasting know if this will work? My guess is that it would just be slower with lower pressure, but there must be some point at which it becomes painfully slow. Anyone have experience with this?



-Tony

[IronHillRestorations]

Oh... and check out www.tptools.com

Some good stuff there!

Yes, excellent source and decent prices. It's where I get all my media blasting supplies, except for black beauty, which I get locally.

As far as getting your own cabinet, TP sells plans to make one out of plywood, as well as all the parts and pieces to keep an existing cabinet online.

A pressurized system is more efficient, regardless of compressor size. Generally speaking if you run over 60 psi your media is a one shot deal. This is OK if you are doing really rusty stuff and are going to trash the media. If you want to reclaim it don't go over 60 psi.

The other important consideration is clean dry air. If you have a small home compressor with no real moisture collection set up, your media will get wet and it will start sputtering. The only solution to this is changing media, or letting the wet stuff dry out. Best solution is good moisture removal. McGuard makes one that uses a replaceable element that looks like a roll of brown toilet paper. This is probably the cheapest way out, but it still isn't cheap. The little units with the glass bowl don't do enough for the amount of air required. The better systems use a replaceable dessicant, and the new high tech ones use a membrane, refrigeration, or both ($$$though).

Good luck, hope this isn't TMI,

PK (IMG:style_emoticons/default/cool.gif)