I have a small home-built blast cabinet that works well and that I'm
generally satisfied with. My biggest dissatisfaction is changing the
medium*. It's a PITA job getting the current medium out of all the
corners and edges, to avoid it getting mixed with its replacement. I'd
like to retrofit something to make it easier & faster. Especially to
make it faster.

Does anybody have a "system" for this?

An idea that I'm toying with is a liner that could just be lifted out
with all the medium inside. Just using a trash bag would be great, but
it needs to conform to the cabinet better than a bag would
(specifically, in the sump, so as to let the medium drop in). 6 mil
polyethylene sheet would be my first choice. This site uses a soldering
iron to make seams in it:
http://www.geocities.com/reystos/inflatable/
My hesitation would be over such a seam's strength. Anybody ever done it?

Also, the cabinet has a dust collector which keeps the cabinet at
negative air pressure. Meaning that any leak behind the liner would
tend to collapse it into the cabinet.

And, any holes in the liner would be a nuisance.

Maybe the liner isn't such a great idea.

Maybe I should just vacuum the medium out & collect it from the vac.

Ideas?
Bob


* - "media", "medium". The industry uses "media" whether they're
talking single or multiple. I was buying some locally and we were
talking about the different ones. I referred to a particular one, as in
"... this medium ..." and he corrected me: "it's 'media'". He's in
the media business, but he didn't know that the word is plural and that
there is a singular version. I let it go.

"Bob Engelhardt" wrote in message
. ..

snip

* - "media", "medium". The industry uses "media" whether they're talking
single or multiple. I was buying some locally and we were talking about
the different ones. I referred to a particular one, as in "... this
medium ..." and he corrected me: "it's 'media'". He's in the media
business, but he didn't know that the word is plural and that there is a
singular version. I let it go.

Maybe once you have two grains of a medium, you have media. But that creates
some ugly sentences. So I'll let it go, too. d8-)

--
Ed Huntress

Bob Engelhardt wrote:
... 6 mil
polyethylene sheet ... a soldering
iron to make seams in it:
...

I had to try it - it works great! His "secret" is using a strip of
masking tape between the soldering iron and the poly. Avoiding direct
contact makes control of the penetration much easier & the iron doesn't
get melted poly all over it. My tests were short enough to just use a
piece of paper, long seams would need to use the tape.

http://home.comcast.net/~bobengelhardt/PolyWeld.jpg

This shows the front (hot) side, the back side, and the opened seam. It
was easy enough to tear if I started at one end, but with evenly
distributed force it was very strong (the 5" seam did tear, but only
with one side in a vise and both hands on the other side). This was 6
mil poly, thinner would be harder to control.

Bob

Bob Engelhardt wrote:

I have a small home-built blast cabinet that works well and that I'm
generally satisfied with. My biggest dissatisfaction is changing the
medium*. It's a PITA job getting the current medium out of all the
corners and edges, to avoid it getting mixed with its replacement. I'd
like to retrofit something to make it easier & faster. Especially to
make it faster.

Does anybody have a "system" for this?

An idea that I'm toying with is a liner that could just be lifted out
with all the medium inside. Just using a trash bag would be great, but
it needs to conform to the cabinet better than a bag would
(specifically, in the sump, so as to let the medium drop in). 6 mil
polyethylene sheet would be my first choice. This site uses a soldering
iron to make seams in it:
http://www.geocities.com/reystos/inflatable/
My hesitation would be over such a seam's strength. Anybody ever done it?

Also, the cabinet has a dust collector which keeps the cabinet at
negative air pressure. Meaning that any leak behind the liner would
tend to collapse it into the cabinet.

And, any holes in the liner would be a nuisance.

Maybe the liner isn't such a great idea.

Maybe I should just vacuum the medium out & collect it from the vac.

Ideas?
Bob

Sounds like your excuse to build a simple vacuum forming machine to make
your liners.

"Tom Gardner" wrote in message
...

"Ed Huntress" wrote in message
...

"Bob Engelhardt" wrote in message
. ..

snip

* - "media", "medium". The industry uses "media" whether they're
talking single or multiple. I was buying some locally and we were
talking about the different ones. I referred to a particular one, as in
"... this medium ..." and he corrected me: "it's 'media'". He's in the
media business, but he didn't know that the word is plural and that
there is a singular version. I let it go.

Maybe once you have two grains of a medium, you have media. But that
creates some ugly sentences. So I'll let it go, too. d8-)

--
Ed Huntress


But you DIDN'T let it go...you COULDN'T let it go, could ya?

Well, shoot, I had to think about it a little bit, anyway. But thinking
wasn't very productive. So I'm done with it.

(New author for your loving wife: "James Rollins"
http://www.jamesrollins.com/ ) She may already have consumed him. Tell
her Rollins is like Clive Cussler on steroids.)

OK, thanks. I'll tell her to check it out.

--
Ed Huntress

"Bob Engelhardt" wrote in message
. ..
I have a small home-built blast cabinet that works well and that I'm
generally satisfied with. My biggest dissatisfaction is changing the
medium*. It's a PITA job getting the current medium out of all the corners
and edges, to avoid it getting mixed with its replacement. I'd like to
retrofit something to make it easier & faster. Especially to make it
faster.

Does anybody have a "system" for this?

An idea that I'm toying with is a liner that could just be lifted out with
all the medium inside. Just using a trash bag would be great, but it
needs to conform to the cabinet better than a bag would (specifically, in
the sump, so as to let the medium drop in). 6 mil polyethylene sheet
would be my first choice. This site uses a soldering iron to make seams
in it:
http://www.geocities.com/reystos/inflatable/
My hesitation would be over such a seam's strength. Anybody ever done it?

Also, the cabinet has a dust collector which keeps the cabinet at negative
air pressure. Meaning that any leak behind the liner would tend to
collapse it into the cabinet.

And, any holes in the liner would be a nuisance.

Maybe the liner isn't such a great idea.

Maybe I should just vacuum the medium out & collect it from the vac.

Ideas?
Bob


* - "media", "medium". The industry uses "media" whether they're talking
single or multiple. I was buying some locally and we were talking about
the different ones. I referred to a particular one, as in "... this
medium ..." and he corrected me: "it's 'media'". He's in the media
business, but he didn't know that the word is plural and that there is a
singular version. I let it go.
Bob,
I have a permanently hooked up blow gun in my cabinet blaster. After I dump
the contents I use the blow gun to clean out the nooks and crannies. Works
fairly well and fast.

Ivan Vegvary

"Ed Huntress" wrote in message
...

"Bob Engelhardt" wrote in message
. ..

snip

* - "media", "medium". The industry uses "media" whether they're talking
single or multiple. I was buying some locally and we were talking about
the different ones. I referred to a particular one, as in "... this
medium ..." and he corrected me: "it's 'media'". He's in the media
business, but he didn't know that the word is plural and that there is a
singular version. I let it go.

Maybe once you have two grains of a medium, you have media. But that
creates some ugly sentences. So I'll let it go, too. d8-)

--
Ed Huntress


But you DIDN'T let it go...you COULDN'T let it go, could ya? (New author
for your loving wife: "James Rollins" http://www.jamesrollins.com/ ) She
may already have consumed him. Tell her Rollins is like Clive Cussler on
steroids.)

In article ,
says...

I have a small home-built blast cabinet that works well and that I'm
generally satisfied with. My biggest dissatisfaction is changing the
medium*. It's a PITA job getting the current medium out of all the
corners and edges, to avoid it getting mixed with its replacement. I'd
like to retrofit something to make it easier & faster. Especially to
make it faster.

Does anybody have a "system" for this?


Does your cabinet have the trap door at the bottom of the funnel? This makes it
very easy to quickly dump the abrasive, then blow around the cabinet with
an air hose while the trap door is still open to flush out any remaining
particles. You can buy them from TP Tools if you need one:

http://www.tptools.com/p/270,25_Trap-Door-Assembly.html


--
Dennis

Ed Huntress wrote:

"Bob Engelhardt" wrote in message
. ..

snip

* - "media", "medium". The industry uses "media" whether they're talking
single or multiple. I was buying some locally and we were talking about
the different ones. I referred to a particular one, as in "... this
medium ..." and he corrected me: "it's 'media'". He's in the media
business, but he didn't know that the word is plural and that there is a
singular version. I let it go.


Maybe once you have two grains of a medium, you have media. But that creates
some ugly sentences. So I'll let it go, too. d8-)

--
Ed Huntress




Media is a place in Pennsylvania.

Medium is how I like my steak done.


Grit is what is in the blaster cabinet.

Grits are what they eat in the south.



John

Pete C. wrote:
Sounds like your excuse to build a simple vacuum forming machine to make
your liners.

Oh ... vacuum forming machine ... that would be fun. Think of all the
stuff that could be made that couldn't be otherwise. Maybe not right now.

Bob

DT wrote:
Does your cabinet have the trap door at the bottom of the funnel? ...
blow around the cabinet with
an air hose while the trap door is still open to flush out any remaining
particles. ...

It does have a door and I think that I'll try this first. Thanks, and
to Ivan who also suggested this.

Bob