Beadblast Cabinet Problems

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

I have a Waterloo Mfg beadblast cabinet shown in the background of the pic above. I have never been overly fond of the unit and after some recent complaining, I received a new pick-up tube and etc. from the manufacturer. Now it throws huge amounts of media (mostly glass beads) but it seems to turn it to dust in about 30 minutes of usage. I have a 10hp compressor that can maintain about 90 lbs. at the gauge on the tank while the cabinet is in use. The pipe that carries the air is 3/4" and runs about 150' to the unit where it also flows through a Sharpe drier. It then runs from a 5/8" hose from the drier to the foot valve (without any disconnect). I don't have a gauge there at the unit but I figure it must be about 80 lbs. at the unit. IS THIS TOO MUCH PRESSURE?? It just doesn't seem like it should be.

This new pick-up allows me to use about 3 cup fulls of media at a time but in a full day of blasting it will use a whole bag of media which is expensive and very time-consuming having to clean out the old media and reinstall the new about every half-hour. I was told by the dealer in North Carolina that sold me the unit (and the media) that based off of his experiences, the media should last about 20-25 hours for the 3 cups.

I have just about worn out my welcome with the mfg so any help here would be a blessing.

[Richard K]

Brent,

I used to own a blaster similar to yours and used it to clean up motorcycle parts. I do not recall what pressure I used , but the glass lasted for the 20 - 30 hr range. I used to put in a 25 lb unit each time

[davecourt]

try 50-75 psi,
see how that works
i got a crappy little sandblast unit,
haven't used it in a couple years,but i think thats what i ran it around

[rkilgore29]

Hi Brent,

What grit glass bead are you using?

I have found that using too little in the hopper will mean a shorter media life, especially for the finer grit stuff. Some of it is almost powder to start with. Unless I am trying to get a fine finish on parts or am concerned about material removal, I use silica sand. It lasts longer, is way cheaper and is more abrasive. It can be a bit rough on some aluminum parts because it will remove some material.

For the heavy duty work I use aluminum oxide this stuff removes rust, paint and the like quickly. It will remove more material, can cause some lighter parts to distort and is rough on the nozzle. We have a carbide nozzle on the gun, this helps it hold up longer. For some projects I have mixed a small amount of AO with the silica sand, this can be useful for some stripping operations.

[Ron Naida]

Brent alot has to do with the tip. Some are designed to create a vortex or swirling of the air and media to increase the blast effect.

This may be what is breaking down the media prematurely. You might try a straight through tip. Old valve guides work well as tips if you can find a size to fit the gun.

Ron Naida

[Kerry Pinkerton]

Originally Posted by Ron Naida

... Old valve guides work well as tips if you can find a size to fit the gun.

Ron Naida

Now THAT is another great idea Ron!

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

I think I am gonna try to cut the pressure down by installing a regulator in-line. As it is right now, I have no way to cut it back.

I tried using some #30 (fine) sand blasting sand in it. The same basic thing happened except I managed to "frost" the viewing window glass. As it breaks it down within a few cycles it turns to dust. The dust becomes SO thick that you can hardly see what you are blasting inside.

I have tried the Black Beauty that Northern Tool sells, and although it does strip very rapidy (and it doesn't seem to break down), it does not leave the metal clean enough to pwder coat or paint.

Generally what we do is steam clean a greasy part, then I use 2 cookie sheets in the bottom of my powder oven and place the greasy parts inside and cook them for about 30 minutes at 400 degrees. When the part(s) is just warm enough to touch we do a final rinse in the parts washer. Afterwards we blow-dry the solvent off and go to the bead blaster. If I could make any time at that portion we get a load up to powder and bake. Some of this might be better explained by looking at the pixs on my website. In the restoration biz, probably 1/3rd pf the whole deal is cleaning parts!! That is why this is becoming a real pain.

Back to the blast cabinet, --this new pick-up does not use a draw tube but instead uses a sump inside the bottom drain thus it only needs enough media to fall back to fill a 1" pipe Tee. That is why they say a small coffee can (or a few cup fulls) of media is all I need to use now ....and that amount should last 20 to 30 hours.

I guess when you analyze the operation, the only thing it could be is too much air inlet pressure. I do have a vast supply of tips, and the only noteable difference between a well worn tip and a new one is that when they get too large, it does not create near the vacuum and the media tries to pulsate up the supply hose (doesn't create the vacuum needed to pull the media up the hose to the gun).

[gravy]

hi brent
i think you have too much air pres. we use glass bead at work with about 45-50 psi. one cup of glass last all day. and thats two 8 hr. shifts
johnny

[Boogiemanz1]

Brent, I also think that experimenting with pressure and the amount of fill may get your answer.

I have an Econoline cabinet and recovery system. Is there a lot of bead being sucked out by your shop vac? When using fine media, I have had it go out that way.

I have recently started to convert mine to Baking soda, I use this for engine parts. The clean up is much faster with less chance of damage caused by glass beads. Hot soapy water usually dissolves any residual media. Talk about dusty! I'm still experimenting with it........john

[Dutch Comstock]

Good morning Brent, You are correct in having a regulator and guge at the cabinet so that you do know and can control the amount of air going into the cabinet. The problem with not being able to see is related to the quality of your dust vacuam system.The larger part of the cost of a blast cabinet is the dust recovery system.Now that you have your blasting system up you have also increased the amount of dust.Your vacuam cleaner isn`t keeping up. The size of the gun tip is also important. I use full line pressure on my cabinet and my glass beads do last a long time.I use medium grit beads. You should put a mylar pastic lens on the inside of your glass lens to protect your glass lens from damage.If nothing else TIP sandblasting products in Youngstown ,Ohio has a vast assortment of any item related to your cabinet and could upgrade your vacuam system and walk you through the correct size of tip for your gun. Probably when you upgraded the pickup system the new system is made for a low voume air compressor and you have a large volume of air and just have to cut down on your air to keep from destroying your glass beads so quickly.When you get the air and the nozzle correctly regulated you would still need a better vacuam sytem as the one you have will not keep up very long to the dust amount of a good running system.That system is for the homeowner on occasional use. Dutch