Introduction to Sandblasting

[shameboy2]

sandblasting aluminum wheels is there any danger in it?

[TheyMightBeRacing]

@shameboy2 You'll want to be very careful sandblasting aluminum. It's a very soft material, and you need a very soft blasting agent (e.g. walnut shells). I prefer to soda blast aluminum when I need to.

[orbit789321]

i liked ur vid it is a good intro vid

[HodoroncTronc]

god damn it talking around the bush for 9 minutes. plus this guy has such a limited vocabulary it's awful! don't know a word, just replace is with "stuff"

[TheyMightBeRacing]

@HodoroncTronc Thank you for your constructive criticism. I went ahead and reviewed the video. For what it's worth, I do accept that I occasionally stumble over my words, which is to be expected considering it is one of my earliest videos. The terminology, however, is correct throughout the video. In relation to the word "stuff" it is mentioned once at the tail end of the video. 

[Magnageek]

@TheyMightBeRacing

Please ignore these idiots, they aren't worth your time. Thanks for posting this excellent instructional video!

[TheyMightBeRacing]

@HodoroncTronc (part 2) As with all commenters of your nature I welcome you to use YouTube as it's intended. If you don't like the video then I recommend you make your own and publish it. That is certainly a much better solution than leaving nasty negative comments on someone else's work.

[yomommaiscalling]

@HodoroncTronc Well, it is called "Introduction" to Sandblasting so I would expect to hear a lot of information about the process, uses and equipment. Kind of like the first day of shop class. If you're so advanced you don't need that then just move on.

[zekonja24]

500 $ for Sandblasting  ? You Americans are rich !!!

[TheyMightBeRacing]

@zekonja24 #1 - I am an Australian. #2 - The cost of sandblasting is totally dependent on labor rate and what it takes to make a profit on labor (I presume you are referring to the cost to have something sandblasted). That's why I do my own sandblasting. It costs me my time, but I always ensure that I get the level of quality I want.

[zekonja24]

@TheyMightBeRacing I agree with you110 % .I have just recently started sandblasting my own stuff,it is hard sometimes,but it is worth it.

[kawibbyrule]

what would ou recaend for me i buy ALOT of dirt bikes and i sand blast eveything! and powder coat it send it out and powder coat it right now i just have a little syfaening unit i bought at menards but all i have is a 8 gallon air compresor but it takes me atleast!!! 15 hours to do a dirt bike frame if i get every nook and cranny well do i need a biggerair compressor or should i get a presurized unit sandblaster???

[TheyMightBeRacing]

@murlove7 Most important thing - proper clothing and safety equipment. I really like the plastic coveralls with hood as no media ends up where it shouldn't be. Get a good respirator and check the filters regularly. The actual work itself isn't hard and I'm certain you'll pick it up fast.

[FolkMetalPiper]

Last week I got hired for a sandblasting job.. only its a commercial place that does big trucks, farm machinery and anything else that needs blasting.... Its a fucking AWESOME job and I love it but its killing me!! lol

[rageman777]

Nice hat!

[107jm]

It's said that long ago Chuck Norris blasted the paint off his awesome car with one might blow.

[ahubbard117]

Great video! Very informative. I'm going to be sand blasting the engine bay in my Mustang soon.

[halkese]

"Realistically, theres a kit you could buy, or you could fabricate your own. You could hook your shawp vac up, you just gunna end up cleaning up yo' shop vac when your done."

Thanks Captain

[234seany]

hi.im getting into sandblasting inscriptions onto headstones.ready to buy my own equipment an some advise would be great.,i need 80 to 100 psi compressor,but what type of sandblast pot shud i buy.,i want a mobile setup,.im told about volume etc which i dont understand,small setup is what i want,whats the smallest and will work for me.,thankyou

[Bunuelera]

Nice video.

I sell sandblasting products and also have some videos online.

Check them out there are pretty cool.

Cheers

[flguy32501]

Thumbs up on 100K!

[alternatenergy]

i wanted to get a very smooth, nearly shiny finish on steel by sandblasting. Is there any media that will do this?

[286xxSpartacus]

Thanx for the info.. Great

[ad1997]

whats the diffrence from sanding with a sander , sandblasting and soda blasting?

[flguy32501]

@ad1997 A sander takes everything down at the same time- rust, metal, paint etc. and usually on one plane. A sander will not get in to all the nooks and crannies like a "media" blaster. By choosing different medias, you can limit what type of material is removed. Aluminum oxide will dig through steel if given enough time while walnut shells will clean aluminum without removing any of the aluminum.

[joekrillz]

informative

[banduril]

@iogsworldwide get out

[Painterdudeus]

Thanks for the info. I would have turned off the radio though kind of distracting.

[gnsspro]

I just picked up a 80gal compressor and I want to sand blast the back half of the frame on my truck.

Am I getting too ambitions here?

[DonaldShim]

Do you think a 15-16 cfm at 90psi compressor would be enough to run a small to medium sized pressurized blaster on continuous duty?

[TheyMightBeRacing]

Donald, That should be adequate. You'll run out of media in the pressure pot before the compressor runs out of air.

[DonaldShim]

Thanks man ^_^, your introduction video is the best out there for explaining the intricacies of air compressors and blasting.

[mikeyien]

i have heard that you can blast sand on car parts but if you need to strip a whole car it is better to use some other media because the sand would over heat and warp the car body. is this true? please advise

[WC9456]

nah, you can use it for a whole car. it won't over heat, i sandblast freshly welded pieces of metal all the time, and it cools it off instead of heating it up.

[squid200]

This is fantastic information. I just started to look at sand blasting for a military vehicle I am looking to restore and this is exactly what basic info I need I will be looking for more tips and info.

Thanks

[dunerinaz]

This may sound like a stupid question, but could a person use the sand from the sand dunes? It's very fine and VERY plentiful, lol. Best part is it's free. Does all sand contain silica?

[TheyMightBeRacing]

Most sand (unless it's Coral sand or the like) will contain Silica. Much sand is made up of broken down quartz. The other thing about using material like this is that it's not been cleaned, screened or washed. I'd resist teh temptation to use it.

[dsnodgrass]

@dunerinaz i found some useful information on wikipedia under the article Abrasive Blasting under the Media section

[rangerssteamtoys]

I blast with silica sand, just regular playsand. It works great, I use a good paint mask though.

I use the big pressurized blaster (like you have) with a 13 cfm at 100 psi.

[chompychomps]

By the way, your videos are much more in-depth than many I see.

[chompychomps]

Do not use those Harbor Freight Tools Chinese cat boxes. You can make a far superior blast cabinet from 3/4 plywood. Make it big, caulk the seams, use weather stripping, furring, and 1/8 window glass for window. Wet/dry vac pulls dust out nicely using attachment in hole on side. Put clamp light inside.I wear big respirator, too. I can do fenders!

[TheyMightBeRacing]

I agree on the DIY cabinet. I will eventually be doing some articles on that, but these small cabinets are just fine for the average person.

[chompychomps]

Well, I think they might be good for the occasional-use "hobbiest," for small jobs, but for auto restoration, just make a big, roomy plywood one. I was lucky that I had many 3/4 and 1 1/8 end-cuts from a flooring project. So, my grandchildren will use this thing someday. I spent about 150 bucks and 100 was the new shop-vac. Works great. By the way, there are also gravity-feed blasters, but they are not very practical, to me. How did the heater box go?

[lonell67]

Oh how I found out the HARD WAY to NOT use the cabinets from Harbor Freight ! It LEAKED all OVER THE PLACE ! And I had made the mistake of trying it in my kitchen ! ARRGH!!!!!! I asked the employees if there would be any leakage - and they said NOOOO - NO LEAKS - Yea right ! I am STILL cleaning up grit from my kitchen - I tried silicone - duct tape , and putty - NONE WORKED - ALL LEAKED ! Dump anything from Harbor Freight for a better product ! They offer a cheap China made piece of junk !

[chompychomps]

Harbor Freight Tools: Cheap and cheap.

[flguy32501]

@chompychomps Inexpensive is more accurate. If you use a vac, it doesn't matter if the cabinet has a tight seal, since it will be pulling air in through any seams that may be leaking. Sandblasting in the kitchen???? Wow!

[450God]

dude, why would you sandblast in your kitchen, thats a garage kinda thing!

[VMX12k]

Thanks man, pertty informative.

[AndrewKH85]

All blasting media has silica in it. I strongly beleive that wether its 1% or 5%, the same amount will make it to your lungs either way.its not like its rushing through your respirator when theres more of it, its very dense.. does not float through the air. You can listen to others if you want, but look at what science and health 'guys' change their minds about constantly; everything!

[Wildcatman65]

What size hose do you use from the Air Compressor?

the Diameter of the hose will also affect the CFM right?

1/4" Hose or 3/8" Which is better to use with a siphon type blaster?

Thanks in advance

[TheyMightBeRacing]

I use 3/8" hose. CFM does affect the blaster. The volume passing through dictates the amount of material siphoned into the airflow. The overall pressure affects the speed at which the media leaves the gun.

[SendinK9]

Thanks for the tips TMBR.

I am in the process of restoring my 69 Austin Healey Sprite MK IV and I have just purchased a bench top blast cabinet to blast parts its just like the one you have in the vid. My question is with your other portable high pressure external blaster you propped up on the ladder, does that little 20 gal compressor you have charge that HP blaster up??? I just need to do short burst small areas of the car.

[TheyMightBeRacing]

For small bursts it's adequate. It'll do a good 20 minutes to 30 without too much trouble (though that greatly depends on nozzle size.

Send pics of your project! I love spridgets.

[SendinK9]

Oh man don't say spidgets.. not a good word, MG owners are outcast as far as the AH owners are concerned lol.

I posted a link in you inbox which will bring you to my facebook AH restoration step by step photos page. By the way the Healey was all hand sanded back down to the metal and I am using 520 & 575 metal prep/ etch/ rust neutralizers. I would never sandblast the car for many reasons. As for parts IE breaks, rotors, drums and other small parts is what I will be blasting. Enjoy the photos.

[signmaker2]

what sandblasting cabinet do you recommend... i need pressure type up to 125psi... pressure pot like 100 lbs capacity...thanks

[blueberry2912]

how many kilos of garnet sand usually i have to use per hour?

thanx for the vid

[TheyMightBeRacing]

If you are open air sandblasting with no recovery you will use a lot. My pressurized blaster is a 40lb unit and gives me ~1/2 hour of blasting time. If the parts are small enough then the Media Cabinet route is well worth it.

[sensoryhouse]

thanks for the video. i learn more in 9 min than i have in hours of other research.

Keep up the good work!

[bearwoodcarpentry]

turn the bloody radio off!

[TheyMightBeRacing]

You don't like Kingston Trio? I was still figuring out recording and such when I did this. I didn't realize the music was in the video until well after I'd put all the equipment away.

[popngen]

thanks, i now understand. i've sand blasted before but did not know what i would need to buy to setup my own small blast cabinet.

[MrBigDave]

use garnet..

i work at a sandblasting joint called gbl systems thats wat we use

[TheyMightBeRacing]

I agree that garnet works well, but it is a silica based material. So, excellent ventilation and a respirator is a must. (which, being an industrial shop I'll assume you use)

[deanon2]

What material do you use to sandblast? Trying to find something cheap without silica that works. Thanks!

[TheyMightBeRacing]

Well, "cheap" is a relative word. :) Are you open air blasting or do you have a cabinet to reclaim the material? I'd suggest stopping at your local hardware store (like an ACE) and finding the old guy that works there. Don't bother talking to anyone under 45. They'll get you pointed in the right direction based on what's locally available. If you have a harbor freight nearby, that's good too.

[deanon2]

I bought a cabinet like yours at harbor freight that I want to use for cleaning rusty auto components and such. I may get an open one too. There is a harbor freight and tractor supply in the area. I don't want silica due to safety. I can get black beauty/black diamond near me. I'm also wondering if the safest for cabinet use is walnuts which I can get at harbor freight, but its pricey. Do you use one of these types? Thanks!

[TheyMightBeRacing]

When it comes to choosing blast medias there is really three factors: 1) The secific grit level of the media, 2) the harness of the media, 3) comsumption of the media through use.

All things considered equal, then any media of say a 60 grit level should cut the same. But this really insn't the case because of the overall hardness of the media. With a softer media such as Walnuts you really need a lower grit to cut the same. Additionally, since it's less dense, you're going to need more....

[TheyMightBeRacing]

....air power behind it. I would generally recommend that you start with Aluminum Oxide first, and then try experimenting. If you stick to suspension type parts (e.g. nice thick steel) you'll not harm anything you're working on as you mess about. My favorite media is actually a no-no (Olivine), so I switched over to Aluminum Oxide and Walnuts deending on what I'm blasting. And resently I'm thinking about getting a new ressure blaster to try out Soda blasting.

[deanon2]

I'll keep all this in mind. Thanks for the info!

[saibus2005]

great video. thanks!

[BigAgitator]

great info. thanks a lot.  I'd love to see a video of you setting-up your pressurized blaster and using it just a little.

[wml4928790]

Thanks for the video. Good information.

[Jabaswt]

Nice video very informative.