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Blaster 20
Blaster 20
Blaster 20
The information contained in this material is for reference only. The author does not assume any responsibility in regards to the use of this manuals content. In other words you the reader are responsible for any injury or destruction of property from the use or mis-use of information contained in this manual. Please note that the use of silica based sand can cause a condition called Silicosis. I do not recommend the use of silica based abrasives due to this reason. If you are not familiar with Silicosis, I encourage you to research it.
Items required:
A lot of these items will depend on what you have available or on hand. I re-use scrap materials whenever possible, so some variation may be required. Feel free to substitute. Tank or LP gas cylinder (100 pound size shown in pictures) I.D. Hose suitable for pressure (used hydraulic hose works great ) Miscellaneous pipe & pipe fittings Qty 2 Qty 2 Ball valves Ball valve
Ceramic sandblast nozzle (Available from McMaster Carr www.mcmaster.com) Wheels (Harbor Freight) Axle for wheels 1 shaft Di-Electric union connector (used for water heaters) Water Trap (Harbor Freight)
The following steps contain information on how I assembled a pressure assisted sandblaster. Most of the items that were used for the construction were acquired from scrap materials. The sandblaster was built at a very low cost. All steel that was used is what I like to call recycled steel. In other words it comes from machinery that I have scrapped out or have bought as recycled steel from a local scrap yard. You will notice throughout the construction steps that some of the items are rusty or different colors. This is where the sandblaster comes in handy----to clean all that stuff up down to the bare metal, then it will all look like new after a good coat of paint. The sandblaster fabrication requires the use of a welder. I personally recommend using a MIG (wire welder) but an arc welder could also be used if a wire welder is unavailable. Another useful tool is a plasma cutter. I have had a plasma cutter for several years and have never regretted buying one. It makes a fast clean cut that does not get very hot so that you can handle the parts right after you get done with the cut (really helps to speed up fabrication time). A cutting torch could also be if a plasma cutter is unavailable. A cutting torch also does a good job, just creates a bit more heat which takes more time to cool down. If a torch is not available, the use of a sawzall and drill will be sufficient.
Another useful tool is a right angle grinder to clean up cut edges and areas to be welded. It took me around a day and a half to fabricate the sandblaster. A lot of this time was spent rummaging through my pipe fitting pails to find the ones that would work best for what I was trying to accomplish. As of this writing, I have run at least 2000 lbs. of sand through the blaster without any problems at all. I still have not yet painted the blaster, but intend to when I get done with the other projects that I needed the sandblaster for in the first place.
Concerning the use of an LP gas cylinder.The cylinder must be purged before cutting into it, regardless of the method used to cut it open. I purged the cylinder by filling them with water all the way until it overflows. Dump the water out and refill the tank once again and let it sit idle for a couple of hours with the water still in it.
Regarding compressor size, I recommend at least a two-cylinder compressor. My first blaster was run by a Sanborn 2 cylinder that had a 3 HP motor. Output of that unit was around 7 CFM at 60 PSI and less at higher pressures. It was pumping up a 25-gallon tank at the compressor. I wouldn't recommend anything below a 3 HP for the full pressurized version, although some people have used them and reported that it worked okay, they just had to stop once in a while to let the compressor build up air pressure. An alternative to this is to utilize an auxiliary air storage tank to increase the total capacity of air storage. This will allow you to blast at higher pressures if needed for a longer duration. If you have a compressor that you do not know the output, most 110-volt compressors produce approximately 1 to 2 CFM per horsepower. 220-volt units will produce 2 to 3 CFM per horsepower. I normally run a 3/32" orfice size on the nozzle for the full pressurized blaster version, this allows a smaller compressor to be used (this type uses the nozzle assembly that I sell on Ebay). Once the nozzle wears more CFM output is required (as seen in lower table below). The pressurized media system allows you to change from full pressure to a siphon unit very easily and quickly. I run a siphon unit in the blast cabinet, and the full pressure version for heavy rust or outside of cabinet blasting Although it is not shown in the manual, you should install a pressure relief valve somewhere either on the blaster media tank or on your compressor so that the air pressure in the tank does not exceed a safe level. I have mine set to 125 PSI
and it is located on the compressor. It is not shown in this manual because it is not actually part of the blaster. Keep in mind that the welds must be able to withstand the pressure that you will be putting in the blast media tank.
STEP 1
The first step is to locate a tank of some sort that will be suitable to hold a minimum of 150 psi. I chose to use an old 100-pound LP gas cylinder. These are the old silver ones that are about 15 in diameter and about 40 tall. Make sure the cylinder is empty and then remove the valve from the top of the cylinder. Be sure not to make any sparks when removing the valve, as it may cause any gas to ignite.
Step 2
PURGING & CUTTING THE CYLINDER Cutting the cylinder open. A strong word of caution here.Never just cut into an LP gas cylinder with a torch. The cylinder must be purged completely with water to remove any and all left over gas from the inside of the cylinder. I filled it completely with water 2 times and then let it sit idle for a couple hours. Regardless of whether a torch or a sawzall is used to cut the tank open, it must purged with water before cutting open. These cylinders have a rim welded to the bottom of the tank to keep them upright. This rim is normally flush with the end of the cylinder and must be removed as well. Before removing the rim, I used the rim to measure about 6 down to mark my cut all the way around the tank. The following picture shows the tank after the rim has been removed and the bottom of the tank has been cut off.
Figure 2
Figure 3
Another view of bottom cut from cylinder and the top end
Step 3
This assembly will attach to where the original gas valve has been removed. In other words, what used to be the top of the tank will become the bottom of the sandblaster. It is constructed of a cross, 2 close nipples 1-1/2 long and a brass ball valve. I did not have a cross available in my assortment of fittings, so I just made one from a T fitting and a coupler. I burned a hole on the side of the T fitting and welded in the coupler. I cu t the coupler in half so that it was not so long and I will use the other half on the sandblaster in a later step.
Figure 4 Homemade cross with attached close nipples and ball valve
Step 4
After assembling the outlet assembly, it is time to thread it into the cylinder as shown in Figure 5. It is turned in tight so that there will not be any leaks.
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Figure 6 Both legs tacked and ready for final welding. Note the angle used as a brace to keep the surfaces flat with each other
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Figure 9 Front leg welded in place. Wheels not yet attached, just getting an idea of how wide I want them placed.
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Figure 13 Another view of the manifold system, water trap & regulator See following figures for alternative manifold options
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Figure 15 Bottom side of tub with sand filler port welded in place
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Figure 16 Another view of the tub with sand filler port welded in place
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Figure 17 Plug (RH side) for sand filler port. Smaller 3 circle shown as well.
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Figure 19 Top view of sand port plug with stem welded in place
Figure 20 Bottom view of sand port plug with stem welded in place
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Figure 21 Bottom view of sand port plug with cap welded in place
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Figure 37
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Blaster operation
I have a regulator installed on my compressor. I set this regulator to within 10 PSI of what the kick-in pressure is for the compressor, otherwise you will notice that a large increase in pressure at the blaster will greatly affect your blaster valve settings. This is something that a lot of people do not realize and they either dont use the regulator coming off the compressor, or they set it at the max presure the compressor will put out. The big problem that they then encounter is the surging as the pressure varies, and they then begin to get frustrated as they change the feed settings on the blaster to accommodate for the pressure changes. They then find that as the pressure increases again, they encounter the same probem and once again, they are frustrated. Be sure to use a regulator coming off the compressor and adjust it to within 10 PSI of If you have never used a sandblaster before, then here are a few pointers First off, make sure the ball valve at the blaster outlet (at the bottom of the blaster) is in the off position before filling with media. Fill the blaster with media and turn the T-handle to close the sand portshake the T-handle from side to side to remove any media that may have collected on the gasket. I have a ball valve installed before the water trap; this shuts off all air to the entire system. Hook up the air supply hose to the blaster and then turn on the ball valve to allow air into the blaster and hose. Adjust the regulator on the manifold so that not full pressure enters the media tank. This regulates pressure going into the tank pressure port (not in the whole manifold). With this configuration, you can set the regulator to control the pressure going into the tank to be less than what the pressure in the manifold is. Air from the manifold being at a higher pressure will try to go to where there is lower pressure, which is up through the blaster outlet and into the tank. The advantage is that the outlet would always have air
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flowing through it keeping the port open in case that one has put damp sand into the blaster. Damp sand tends to cake up and restrict sand flow. The tank pressure needs to be adjusted depending on the media type that you are using. If you get the pressure set for a media type, you may want to write it down so that you can set the pressure at that setting the next time you use it. I normally run this regulator about 5 PSI below the pressure from the compressor and adjust it from there. Too low of pressure in the media tank will result in a surging effect of sand exiting the nozzle. This due to the air in the manifold rushing into the media tank to equalize the pressure differential, instead of the pressure in the tank pushing media into the manifold. Next, open the nozzle valve to allow air through the hose. This should either be fully open, or fully closed (in a quick movement)...never partially open/close, as that will accelerate wear of the ball valve. After opening the nozzle valve and air is rushing out, open the ball valve at the blaster outlet (bottom of media tank) to allow sand into the hose (pressurized air stream). Dont open it all the way, as too much sand will also cause the system to surge. Usually I open it about half way or less. About halfway should do the trick (no set in stone rule...whatever works, that is the setting to stick w/ or readjust near). Now sand should be coming out the nozzleit may take a little time for the hose to fill. If no sand comes out, give the outlet a slight tap to get the sand moving. Adjust the ball valve until you get a good steady stream of air and sand coming out. To get a good blast to remove heavy rust, you want a lot of air pressure at the nozzle and the right amount of sand. You should just barely be able to see the sand coming out of the nozzle (similar in appearance to steam coming out of a teakettle). The best setting is right before the sand starts to surge coming out of the nozzle. If you open the sand outlet valve until it starts to surge and then back off a little, you will attain the best blast. If you are just removing paint or light rust, then you can adjust the air pressure down a little. It will take a little time to get used to adjusting the pressure and valves, but once you find that sweet spot you can set it the same every time you use the blaster and attain great results. From here it is pretty simple, just point at what you want cleaned and blast awayremember to use proper protective gear as the sand can do some serious damage to exposed flesh! The use of a respirator is also recommended.
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Original sandblaster remnants, this unit is about 22 years old.a lot of parts have been robbed from it, but the basics are still there. Put a few regulators back on it, some air in the tires and it would be ready to blast again.
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This is the siphon blasting unit from my original pressure fed blaster
A closer view
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Original fitting replaced with hose nipple. The hose is a clear hose although you cant tell anymore. This was so that I could see the sand moving through the hose. It originally came with a rubber hose, but wasnt but a year or two and that basically cracked to pieces. This is where you can use that old air hose that got a hole in it if you would like.
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Swivel on the cross at the bottom of media tank. This allows for easy switching between the siphon feed system and the full pressure blast system.
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