WarmGlass.com

syphon vs pot
bought cabinet vs build your own
size compressor needed.

My friiend who's cabinet I was using just got a HUGE commission to do 1000 hours of sandblasting so I am out of a place to sandblast.

Of course price IS an issue.

So how much money do you want to spend and how large are the pieces you want to blast?

pot
build
big as your wallet can afford

So far the largest pieces I've made in the last three years are about 20x20 I would like to spend less than $1500for everything including air.

Have you used one yet?

I ask that because when I was at Vitrum last year I got the chance to use theirs for a few minutes. I was glad for the opportunity because I was planning on getting one but knew nothing.

That brief experience prompted me to build my own. I'm 6' 5" tall and to use the one they had I needed to stoop to get my arms into the gloves. There is no way I could work like that for even a short period.

Conclusion: If I'm going to have to modify a purchased cabinet I may as well build my own. I'm also inclined that way to start with. With Ron Coleman's guidance it was a success.

Jim

I have one I stand at, My son bought it for me, so I have no idea of the make. I stand on several paving stones to make the arm holes the correct height for me. Or if you are tall, put the cabinet on blocks to make it the correct height for you.

I mostly like the pass through feature the cabinet has. This is designed to allow larger pieces to pass through the cabinet, so you can work big.
For me, it allows me to put my pieces in and take them out without having to open the front door, and have even a bigger mess then I do.

pot
more air than you currently need
bigger cabinet than you think you need

leave room for growth.

don't forget to factor in possible "hidden" costs..electrical...plumbing for air...use tax..etc....

Consider the TPTools 780 TL cabinet http://www.tptools.com. It has a reasonably large work area and loads from the top so you don't dump grit on the floor every time you open the door. It has a built in siphon blaster and sells for about $349. It is relabeled and sold by Glastar and others for more $$$. Couple it to a large (60 gal) oil-lubricated compressor for under $500 and a dust collector for another $300 and you have a great system that will be ready for the addition of a pressure pot at a later date. The HF red cabinet is also a good one, you just have to be conscientious when putting it together that you seal all the seams or it will leak like crazy.

Tony

I have a hand made cabinet. It is made from an old shipping crate. It is small and I am ready to get something bigger. How do you deal with the pressure pot with the cabinet? I don't mind scooping the blasting material back into the pressure pot.
Lesley

LesleyNolan wrote:I have a hand made cabinet. It is made from an old shipping crate. It is small and I am ready to get something bigger. How do you deal with the pressure pot with the cabinet? I don't mind scooping the blasting material back into the pressure pot.
Lesley

That's exactly it.

Just drain it from your cabinet and sieve it back into your pot.

Brock

. . . Of course America had often been discovered before Columbus, but it had always been hushed up.