Hope this is the right forum for this question. I'm doing a lot of
metal work on a veh. restoration. Some metal needs to be sand or bead
blasted to remove rust. I have a lot of land and can safely use a
sandblasting unit and I've seen some advertised for sale and some on
eBay. For a one-time deal like this are the "hobby" models worth the
investment? Just wondering if they work well enough for a small
project like I have? TIA for any insight.
Vic
Redlands, CA.

TIP makes nice units, but you have to have a fairly serious air compressor
for even the smallest blaster - typical homeowner compressor won't do the
trick, you'll get about 30 sec of blasting then have to stop while the tank
refills
"a6016" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hope this is the right forum for this question. I'm doing a lot of
metal work on a veh. restoration. Some metal needs to be sand or bead
blasted to remove rust. I have a lot of land and can safely use a
sandblasting unit and I've seen some advertised for sale and some on
eBay. For a one-time deal like this are the "hobby" models worth the
investment? Just wondering if they work well enough for a small
project like I have? TIA for any insight.
Vic
Redlands, CA.

"a6016" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hope this is the right forum for this question. I'm doing a lot of
metal work on a veh. restoration. Some metal needs to be sand or bead
blasted to remove rust. I have a lot of land and can safely use a
sandblasting unit and I've seen some advertised for sale and some on
eBay. For a one-time deal like this are the "hobby" models worth the
investment? Just wondering if they work well enough for a small
project like I have? TIA for any insight.
Vic
Redlands, CA.


Be careful about sand blasting sheet metal. The blasting action tends to
change contours from stress relief. Panels such as doors can be totally
destroyed.

Small units aren't much good for large surfaces. A cabinet doesn't
function well on less than an honest 5 horse compressor, so use that as a
guide. If you have only a small compressor, you're likely to be very
unhappy with the capabilities of a blasting system. For auto sized parts
I'd think you'd need at least a 10 horse compressor, or lots of patience.
Remember, most auto parts won't fit in a cabinet, so you have to do them out
of doors, or build some kind of enclosure. That could mean you'd be inside
with the blasting media, which would require separate breathing apparatus.

I'd suggest you do some research and decide what sizes you need to blast and
plan accordingly. Blasting is a great way to go, but requires proper
equipment for satisfactory results.

Harold

Thanks for the input. Just what I was looking for. Oh, and no sheet
metal problems on this restoration I'm happy to say!
Thanks again.

Do you have a pressure washer? This is another option. You can get an
attachment to blast with water. I haven't used one, but have heard
they are really nice. The water keeps the dust down, and the water
also helps to cool the metal to reduce some of the potential for
warpage on thinner sections.

Surplus Center has one in their catalog for, I think, around $150. I
have been planning on getting one, once it gets warm enough to leave
the pressure washer hooked up and not having to worry about things
freezing up on me overnight.

Very fine answer, Harold! It gives a truly no-nonsense answer to the OP's
question. No glitz, no gloss, no glamour. It concisely answers the
question about hobby-model sand blasters. Go forth and continue to spread
the gospel across Hobby Land.

Bob Swinney
"Harold and Susan Vordos" wrote in message
...

"a6016" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hope this is the right forum for this question. I'm doing a lot of
metal work on a veh. restoration. Some metal needs to be sand or bead
blasted to remove rust. I have a lot of land and can safely use a
sandblasting unit and I've seen some advertised for sale and some on
eBay. For a one-time deal like this are the "hobby" models worth the
investment? Just wondering if they work well enough for a small
project like I have? TIA for any insight.
Vic
Redlands, CA.


Be careful about sand blasting sheet metal. The blasting action tends to
change contours from stress relief. Panels such as doors can be totally
destroyed.

Small units aren't much good for large surfaces. A cabinet doesn't
function well on less than an honest 5 horse compressor, so use that as a
guide. If you have only a small compressor, you're likely to be very
unhappy with the capabilities of a blasting system. For auto sized
parts
I'd think you'd need at least a 10 horse compressor, or lots of patience.
Remember, most auto parts won't fit in a cabinet, so you have to do them
out
of doors, or build some kind of enclosure. That could mean you'd be
inside
with the blasting media, which would require separate breathing apparatus.

I'd suggest you do some research and decide what sizes you need to blast
and
plan accordingly. Blasting is a great way to go, but requires proper
equipment for satisfactory results.

Harold

"a6016" wrote in message
oups.com...
Thanks for the input. Just what I was looking for. Oh, and no sheet
metal problems on this restoration I'm happy to say!
Thanks again.

You might consider using a needle descaler to remove localized rust on non
sheet metal parts. You won't get a white metal finish, but it will
definitely get you to pretty tight metal without a lot of collateral damage.
Uses a lot less air as well.