Sand Blasting

So, I have concluded that I need a sand blaster in my life.

Can anyone see a good reason not to buy
<http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Bead-Sand-Grit-Blasting-Blaster-Cabinet-NEW_W0QQit
emZ400094819947QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_3?hash=item5d2782766b>
(Ebay Item 400094819947) or similar?

And what blasting medium should I buy?

The immediate need is rust removal on some old thin steel sheet.

 

glass beads

 

Call Pip, I'm sure he got one from my brother a few years back.

 

For eighty quid and it saves a lot of effing around making one, I'd go
for it.
Glass beads, peanut shells, frozen chickens, the world is your oyster.

 

Ooh look - a baby one

150-250 micron glass bead

I will prolly be ordering some soon if you want some

 

I still have a half sack of a coal based one donated years ago by a
professional sandblasting bod. Works fine, not quite as vicious as
real sand but still needs a gentle hand. As a beginner you would
probably do less damage with beads.
Beads are best for removing light surface rust and for spot treatment.

 

Crushed walnut shells

 

Kittens.

 

The listing seems to have disappeared - but if it's one of those new at £90
orange jobs I bought one a few months ago. I first used black blasting grit
(bought at the Stafford show) which is quite aggressive: good on rougher
steel bits but no good for aluminium or nicely finished steel bits. I then
bought glass beads from an eBay chap in Bilston. They are excellent on
aluminium and clean up plated bolts a treat. At first I had a bit of bother
with water in the airline so I had to fit a filter (Machine Mart - about
£16). Also the outlet filter clogs with dust fairly often so it's useful to
have a second airline with a blowgun on it to clear the filter. When the
filter clogs air and dust start to leak from the seal around the lid. I wear
a good mask to keep the dust out of my lungs. Come the warmer weather I'll
modify the outlet by removing the filter and running a hoover hose into a
big filter bag. I have removed the grid floor so I can push the beads back
over the take up pipe without having to tip the cabinet - the legs are not
very sturdy in a sideways direction. If your garage is cold and damp it's
best to warm the beads by playing a fan heater over the base of the cabinet
for a few minutes. I've made an in-bead heater by wrapping some nichrome
wire around a length of bathroom tile and running it on an old battery
charger.

Overall I'm very pleased with it for the price.

John

 

It hasn't, it's a victim of numptiness
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=400094819947

 

Sounds like a job for a wire brush.

 

Sand.

 

Komodo dragon spunk

 

Camel's fanny batter

 

Thrush cheese

--


Nige,

BMW K1200S
Honda Transalp XL600V
Yamaha R1
Range Rover Vogue

 

http://tinyurl.com/46crw

 

Unicorn tears.

 

Albino kittens soaked in unicorn tears.

 

Too aggressive, even if you do soak them in unicorn tears. IME, you need
Macedonian kittens for the kind of work the OP was suggesting.

 

<waves> I could use some - I've been looking for a supplier for a while...