Sandblasting in the house? or below freezing?

[Gail Bunt]

There is a lot on blasting in the archives but I'm still not sure, so apologies if this question is redundant:

I just took a great blasting workshop and would like to get into it, preferably with a pressure pot and dust collector, but the only possible locations are my small basement workshop or the garage.

The house:
The workshop leader advised never to blast in the house as it will be impossible to fully contain the dust and it will recirculate through the furnace forever. I could plastic-off the space under the stairs to contain me and the cabinet. This space could be connected to my 300 cfm welder's exhaust arm. Would any dust collection device, from HEPA vacuum to dedicated collector, have to be in the workshop proper and would still expel some dust? I am not willing to sacrifice air quality in the house, so is that option out of the question?

The garage:
Nights here are below freezing 8 months of the year and below -18F for 4. The garage is unheated and uninsulated. If I rigged up an enclosure in it for me, the blasting cabinet and a heater, would the pressure pot and water thingie have to be outside the enclosure, in which case the water thingie would freeze? Presumably the condenser wouldn't be happy either at that temp.

Should I forget about blasting in the garage in winter?

Gail

[Steve Immerman]

The house:
The workshop leader advised never to blast in the house as it will be impossible to fully contain the dust and it will recirculate through the furnace forever. I could plastic-off the space under the stairs to contain me and the cabinet. This space could be connected to my 300 cfm welder's exhaust arm. Would any dust collection device, from HEPA vacuum to dedicated collector, have to be in the workshop proper and would still expel some dust? I am not willing to sacrifice air quality in the house, so is that option out of the question?

Gail

I set up my blaster in the basement, and had the dust collector exhausted to the outside. I also had a 200 cfm exhaust fan placed on the ceiling over the blaster - but I think this was overkill. Except when recycling the abrasive, there is no noticeable dust in the room. (I do have a fairly tight cabinet that I purchased from Glastar.)

You will find the blaster so indispensable, that you will not want it in a cold garage.

Steve

[Ron Coleman]

Placing the blaster in a cold garage will cause no end to blasting problems. The biggest problem is that condensation will freeze and clog up the gun. No matter how well you dry and filter the air, in a cold garage it will freeze. As the air escapes from the nozzle it expands and cools and freezes and clogs the gun.

I suffered with my blaster in the cold for two years, not fun. Last winter I moved into the studiom and what a difference.

[Marty]

Never mind the lines freezing- the blaster (you) will!
You'll find yourself wanting to spend an inordinate amount of time with the machine, so you may as well be comfortable.
I've also set up mine in the basement. There's a "quiet kit" available for the standard vacuum dust collector for noise control, and you can vent the unit to the outside. When refilling the pressure pot, I keep a HEPA vacuum cleaner going with the nozzle near the pouring grit- keeps the dust where it's supposed to be.

[Bob]

Hi Gail,

I live in Calgary and use a blaster set up in an unheated, detached garage. My cutoff is -5 deg C. Colder than that is just no fun. Remember that as a compressed gas expands it cools (that is how your refrigerator works). The same happens in the blasting cabinet. Makes for cold hands. I bundle up (to the amusement of my neighbours) with toque, gloves and down jacket. Two problems I ran into this winter were the consensation in my regulator and water trap freezing (no air into cabinet), and the motor on the compressor was stiff due to the cold and kept tripping the circuit breaker. An inside setup is preferable but I just don't have the room.

We suffer for our art!

Cheers,

Bob

[Gail Bunt]

Thank you everyone. This is a fantastic board.

You've persuaded me that one way or another, I've gotta blast. Will start looking for a setup that will fit in the basement.

Gail