Shop / Tools Sandblast cabinets

[Caleb]

I'm going to start doing my own cerakote on gun parts and other miscellaneous small parts. I need to be able to blast the parts so I'm looking at picking up a small blast cabinet. Free standing or benchtop will work for my needs. I've been looking at the ones that are on Amazon, this Harbor Freight one, or this Grizzly one. My budget is around $250ish. If there was an amazing one for a little bit more, I'd be fine paying a little more.

So, what cabinets have you guys used and which ones do you recommend? (or which ones should I stay away from?)

 

[YROC FAB.]

I have the horror freight 2nd to biggest one. The gun feeds like crap, most people online with pimp them out with a aftermarket gun and a shop vac as a dust collection. I really cant see you going wrong with the cabinet itself. Its the guns that you want to spend quality monies on.

 

[Corban_White]

I had the HF one. I sold it on KSL several years ago because it took up space and didn't work. I agree with YROC. The cabinet is just a box. The gun and especially the dust collection system (shop vac never worked well for me) are all that matter.

 

[Greg]

I've read reviews on the HF cabinet where guys say that if they make a few mods & changes, it works great.

 

[Caleb]

I’m planning on taking the advice in this thread and going with the hf one and replacing the gun/pickup with something nicer. I also was reading about some dust deputy thing that makes the shop vac work awesome with these.

One of my concerns with these Chinese cabinets is many of the reviews talk about the doors being plastic and saying they are always warped and since they’re plastic, you can just bend them in to shape. Guess we’ll see if I have to fight that ?

 

[astjp2]

I have been running a harbor freight stand alone unit for decades, I installed rivnuts in the cabinet and then some 10/32 screws to hold the window. I used real glass for the window, not lexan or plexi. You only put about 5-6 inches of media in bottom, too much and it will not siphon. I also use a shop vac to filter out the air. I have been using the same nozzle for 10 years. I run it at 90-110 psi and about 10 CFM. I used to have desiccant for my air, but it got contaminated and I never replaced it. I also had to replace the air hose that plugs into the cabinet to the gun, basic stuff. YMMV, Tim

 

[YROC FAB.]

I’m planning on taking the advice in this thread and going with the hf one and replacing the gun/pickup with something nicer. I also was reading about some dust deputy thing that makes the shop vac work awesome with these.

One of my concerns with these Chinese cabinets is many of the reviews talk about the doors being plastic and saying they are always warped and since they’re plastic, you can just bend them in to shape. Guess we’ll see if I have to fight that ?

My door was metal with a decent cam over latch and a good rubber seal around it. Ive had it for just over a year

 

[zmotorsports]

I have a Snap-on 24"x 36" that I have had for nearly 30-years and has worked great. I have had to replace the gloves twice and the gun once. When I did I sourced the parts from TP Tools as the quality is very good. I would recommend getting one with a foot control as my Snap-on originally came with a trigger on the gun but when I replaced the gun I went with a foot control and like it much, much more.

I would suggest buying a quality cabinet vs. a cheapy one just to get one as the quality one will last much longer. I know a couple of people who have purchased Skat blasting cabinets and have been very pleased with them.

They are a bit more than your original budget but here is a link to some of their cabinets for reference.

Skat Cat Series (28"-58"W) Trigger Sandblasting Cabinets - TP Tools & Equipment

Skat Cat Series (28"-58"W) Trigger Sandblasting Cabinets for Abrasive Blasting

www.tptools.com

Mike

 

[Caleb]

I have seen TP mentioned a few times in reference to using their gun with the HF cabinet. However, those Skat cabinets look very appealing. The $499 one is larger than the others I'm considering, but if it avoids paying $100+ on a new gun, $100+ on a vacuum system helper, and I get a cabinet that doesn't have to be gone through and sealed, then the little more is probably worth it. Thanks for sending those along!

 

[Gravy]

I'm seriously looking at a vapor honing or wet blasting setup

 

[YROC FAB.]

I have been running a harbor freight stand alone unit for decades, I installed rivnuts in the cabinet and then some 10/32 screws to hold the window. I used real glass for the window, not lexan or plexi. You only put about 5-6 inches of media in bottom, too much and it will not siphon. I also use a shop vac to filter out the air. I have been using the same nozzle for 10 years. I run it at 90-110 psi and about 10 CFM. I used to have desiccant for my air, but it got contaminated and I never replaced it. I also had to replace the air hose that plugs into the cabinet to the gun, basic stuff. YMMV, Tim

What media do you use?

 

[Caleb]

I'm seriously looking at a vapor honing or wet blasting setup

Tell me about it? I've done some searching and it looks very interesting. What's the entry level cost associated with a wet blasting or vapor honing setup? Right now, I'm about ready to spend $1100 (yeah, I bumped my budget a little ) on a skat blaster with a vacuum setup, rollers, etc. It would be really nice to have a dust free setup.

With the way it smooths the surface, will it remove etchings (like serial numbers from a gun frame?).

 

[Caleb]

Looks like i can get in to a vapor honing machine for less than $900 shipped...hmmm, that's super tempting. Off to do some more research

http://vaporhoningtechnologies.com/micro-vapor-hone/

 

[Gravy]

That's the one. I want it to refurb Moto parts

 

[Caleb]

That's the one. I want it to refurb Moto parts

I reached out to them about their other machines and the next step up (in terms of pricing) is the Weekend Warrior and that bumps up to just shy of $2.9k starting point . I was hoping they’d have a machine in the <$1500 range that was just a bit wider than the micro. I think I’ll be doing the micro. $900 isn’t bad at all.

 

[astjp2]

What media do you use?

Glass beads from Maddox and silicon carbide...

 

[astjp2]

Looks like i can get in to a vapor honing machine for less than $900 shipped...hmmm, that's super tempting. Off to do some more research

http://vaporhoningtechnologies.com/micro-vapor-hone/

I can buy a lot of supplies for the difference in price over a cheapo harbor freight blast cabinet. I get the glass windows form Christensen glass for $6 each, plastic windows just dont last as long as glass. I have also seen wet systems just add complexity to something that can be simple. YMMV Tim