Harbor Freight sandblaster review

sharpstick · Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 7:48 pm Post subject: Harbor Freight sandblaster review

This weekend I purchased the pressurized 40 lb. sandblaster from Harbor Freight. I know what some of you are thinking and I agree, HF does sell some crap...

The sandblaster was almost 40% off the normal price so I thought it would be worth that to see how it works.

I took it home and assembled it in about 30 minutes. I didn't want to use the expensive blasting sand that HF sells so I just tried some regular "play sand". I had to sift the sand and that just proved to be too much trouble. The sand kept clogging the tip of the gun.

The next day I located a local store that sells sandblasing media in different grits. A 100 lb bag was $8.00. I purchased the #3 grit (medium coarse) and tried that instead. The blaster worked perfectly, the gun did not stop up once.

I have a small homemade compresser that has a 3/4 hp motor. I would have to stop every couple of minutes to let the pressure catch up, but other than that there were no problems. The system works great. I blasted my entire engine compartment in about 20 minutes and it took about 1/2 a bag of sand. HF advertises this pressurized blaster is 30% more powerful than the gravity fed models and I have to agree.

My only complaint is the gun itself. It's hard to control the pressure with one hand. You need one hand to hold the nozzle and one to operate the lever. I have found several replacement guns online for really cheap. I will try one of these soon to see how much better it works.

This is not a bad system for $79.00.

coW · Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 8:23 pm Post subject:

This one?
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=40925

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

I've been debating whether to get something like that for small parts, etc..
Thanks for the review!

sharpstick · Posted: Tue Jun 20, 2006 9:21 pm Post subject:

That's close to the one I got. The one I purchased looks the same, but it states it's a 40lb size. The price was $139.00 and it was on sale for $79.00.

slowtwitch · Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2006 3:32 am Post subject:

I have the same one, worked great on my pan.

pete

Rumdum · Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2006 2:01 pm Post subject:

What do you guys use for respirators? Just curious.
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sharpstick · Posted: Thu Jun 22, 2006 8:42 pm Post subject:

In my spare time I make custom knives. I am always grinding metal or titanium so I invested in a good respirator with twin filters. I can't think of the model off the top of my head, but it was NIOSH approved for what I was doing. Spend a few extra bucks to protect your lungs, it's money well spent.

atye · Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2006 6:54 am Post subject:

The use of "beach sand" is not suggested as it is a silica and can cause SILICOSOS (the blocking of the tubes in your lungs)

Thus this can cause breathing problems or even DEATH..

DO NOT USE BEACH SAND IN YOUR BLASTER EVER!!!

Just a word of advice, copied from another group... Exclamation

marklaken · Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2006 6:58 am Post subject:

same one i have...heads up on the gun...if you are using the lever to control your pressure, the valve on the gun will last maybe a couple of hours before the sand destroys the valve based on my experience...

also, harbor freight sells a rubber stopped gun for $8-$12 - this tool is not really that good...after a relatively short while, the rubber stopper gets eaten to the point that when you close it and lay the gun down, sand is still mildly blasting...this eats the rubber more and pretty soon the tool is useless...

the best i've come up with is harbor freight sells valves for cheap periodically - buy a handfull of them and use them till they wear out just as full on/off valves...get a pressure regulator if your compressor is pushing too much air through the blaster...

my .02 on beach sand is that it is fairly safe with a forced air respirator (like a hobby air - the silica is a serious health hazard) and super cheap...but it is also a PITA because it is so moist that it clogs your equipment easily and is less abrassive than aluminium oxide blasting media so it takes more time/effort to blast with
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4ghias · Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2006 3:51 pm Post subject:

This is the one to use, thay have them on sale for about $10 right now and you should just buy a few of them, toss them when they need replacing.

http://www.harborfreightusa.com/usa/itemdisplay/di...egoryName=
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Loren · Samba Member Joined: January 10, 2004 Posts: 1701

Has any one used the 40 lb. Harbor Freight blaster with fine walnut shells? I tried using them last week and all they did was clog up at the blast gun. The shells were dry and the humidity was very low (working in the high desert). I was using the biggest ceramic tip for the gun and still no dice. I am tempted to try a differnt manufacturer gun and see if that works (maybe swap out the gun in my sand blast cabinet). Just wondering if the gun is the issue or the nut at the trigger is to blame.

baxsie · Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2012 9:18 pm Post subject:

That is the same sand blaster as I am using in these videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14WONilcIQo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_DOJwD6XSk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bl2MzRKrZHE

Don't use sand. But if you do, use something like this:

http://www.professionalequipment.com/north-safety-...19041657:s

MMW · Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2012 6:49 pm Post subject:

When using a pressure sand blaster you should open the air supply valve fully (top of tank). Open the gun valve fully & then regulate the amount of sand coming out by the valve on the bottom of the tank. If you regulate with the gun valve it will wear quickly as stated earlier. Play sand usually has moisture which leads to clogging & also if your compressor puts out a lot of water you should get a seperator before the blaster.

Wear a respirator as silicosis is very bad. If you blast on a tarp or drive you can reuse the sand if you sift it. A window screen works well. It will get finer & finer each time you use it.

When using sand on body panels it can warp them. Always go at an angle instead of straight on.
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Brent · Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2012 4:21 am Post subject:

Bobnotch · Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2012 7:47 am Post subject:

JayC · Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2012 2:08 pm Post subject:

Hi,

I have been contemplating getting this same setup to do the blasting on my pan (currently the body is off a 73 Thing). I have been working on it with flapper wheels and wire brushes, but it is very slow and doesn't get it as nice as parts I have blasted. I have a blast cabinet and love it for small parts. I have a couple of questions that I am hoping some knowledgeable people can guide me on.

I think I would use 80 grit glass beads for the media. Would this be sufficient for removing original factor paint and some small rust pitting? Any idea, roughly, how much material would be required (I won't ask how much paint I will need Very Happy

)

How much of a mess does this make if you do it outside? I have a flat concrete pad in the back yard, hidden by a fence and surrounded by rocks. Am I going to totally annoy my neighbors (I like most of them)?

The final finish will be primer and the chassis black. Is this over kill? Not a show car, but I want it to look nice.

Appreciate the guidance.

jay

66vwkaferresto · Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2012 5:07 pm Post subject:

I cannot speak to the glass beads as a media choice. I used a product I found at a local blast media supplier called Kleen Blast which worked really well. I just finished blasting my chassis top and bottom and a border of about two inches around the pans. I have to remove and replace the pans so I did not bother blasting them completely. It took three hundred pounds of media. I could have done it with half that if I had recycled the media once but it wasn't worth the hassle. I only paid $9.97 per 100lb bag.

As for the dust... depending on how close those neighbors are you may want to consider trying to contain it. I bought an inexpensive canopy that was 10x20 and then bought some 6mil plastic at Lowes and cut it to make walls. Based on the amount of dust that gathered on both the walls and my clothes I am certain my neighbors would not have been happy with me had I not contained it.

Remember to get a proper mask and good luck!

vwdad · Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 7:01 am Post subject:

I use this from Menards. $8 for 50 lbs. Works great and is cheap.

http://www.menards.com/main/building-materials/con...c-5648.htm

notsnarb · Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 8:05 pm Post subject:

Bobnotch · Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2012 10:19 am Post subject:

JayC · Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2012 2:03 pm Post subject:

Great pictures and thank you Smile

How long did it take?

jay


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