sandblasting cabinet

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I've been thinking it would be nice to have a large blasting cabinet, and I have some AL just sitting around. I have four sheets of 1/8 inch AL that is 45 inches tall , two are close to 10 feet long and two are around 4 feet or so. I'm not sure what grade it is. It was a sign that hung on a side of a building at one point. Just looking for any advice on this idea at this point really.Thanks
Reply:Sounds like it will work fine to me. Aluminum isn't likely the greatest material for them, as I think it would get a texture to the chute and hang the sand up a bit more than steel, but mine is wood and works. You can get parts to make them online (window, gloves, etc). Make the funnel plenty steep, to keep the sand rolling down.
Reply:Be sure to GROUND it. It can build a lot of static cbarge.
Reply:I built my own several years ago, I did use new light gauge steel for mine, but all said and done, counting in my parts and press brake work.  I could have bought a similar scat-blast from TP tools with the dust collector for the same or less than I spent- when they are on sale...
Reply:here's one I built a few months ago. all steel. bought window, gloves and other stuff off the net for about $100. just use a good air filtration moisture is your enemy Attached Images
Reply:+1 on the kit from tp tools. it comes with plans, its nice to have one less step between building and blasting.
Reply:LOL!tackit where you at?I got an oblong tank my wife wants me to get rid of!
Reply:Speaking of oil-tank sandblasters, here's a nice one Kolot did:http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=115931Attached are some pictures of mine.  I got the oil tank free from a friend who had it sitting out by his shed.  This was back before I had a plasma, so all the openings got cut with cutoff wheels, jigsaw, and reciprocating saw.  Both the light window and the viewing window have flanges made of 1 x 1 x 1/8 angle.  The light window is plexiglass and held on with a bunch of M6 x 1 screws (work scrapped a bunch and I gladly found a new home for them) and the light window is real glass (from an MCS brand "Format" series picture frame - nice rounded edges on the glass).  The viewing window has custom-made hold-downs that compress the foam weatherstripping a set amount before bottoming out on a collar so they don't crack the glass.The glove portals are 6" rings made from 1 x 1/8 flat bar, rolled on a HF ring roller.  I put them on the outside and it makes installing the gloves 1000 times easier.  This is where I got the gloves from (P/N 6024/10HD):http://jenessco.com/index93af.html?cPath=28_32I welded a drum funnel to the bottom of the tank as a sand reservoir.  It's not quite as good as Kolot's purpose-made bottom, but I have a little hoe in there that I made from half of a wooden disk and some threaded rod, so I can drag the sand back into it when it gets low.  Speaking of "sand", I've been using Black Diamond media from Tractor Supply.The door opening is a 20 x 27.25" tombstone shape with 1 x 1/8 flat bar wrapped around it that "knife edges" into some 1" wide weatherstripping on the particle-board door (I need to make a metal one some day with better latches - I'm currently using cleats and string to hold the door shut).For dust collection, I've got an Onedia Air Systems Dust Deputy DIY cyclone attached to the top of a 5-gallon bucket and gets sucked on by a Harbor-Freight 13-gallon dust collector.  Piping to and from the cyclone is 2" shop vac hose and the exhaust of the dust collector is 4" dryer vent hose (I just stick it outside the garage door).  For fresh air, I've got one of the 2" bungs on the top of the tank open - you can hear it sucking in air when the dust collector is on.Lastly, the gun is just a siphon-feed Campbell-Hausfeld with the trigger taped down and the foot pedal I got from here and put regular Industrial interchage air fittings on:http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/Fo...dblast-CabinetNote: 3rd pic shows it before I added the viewing window flange and hold downs. Attached ImagesLast edited by dbotos; 05-31-2013 at 10:18 PM.
Reply:Another little note:  It's best to cut any openings after you weld flanges where you want them to go.  I did mine the other way around and had to pull things back with clamps when adding the flanges.  The light window actually has some bow to it in the lengthwise direction, but it's also 4-something feet long and right on the curved part (the rectangle opening was kind of barrel-shaped where the center opened up).  The ends of that flange were plasma-cut to match the curvature of the tank.
Reply:I'd like to hear about home built evac systems. I have nothing now but have tried piggy backed shop vacs and stuff. I would like to have something that works well.
Reply:I had a drywall-sanding water trap before the cyclone, but the cyclone is much better:http://www.oneida-air.com/inventoryD...m_no=AXD001004Just get a 5-gallon bucket with lid, make the hole pattern in the lid, and then silicone and bolt it on.I used to use a shop vac on a router speed control, but it was still kind of loud/whiny.  The dust collector sucks much better and is a whole lot quieter:http://www.harborfreight.com/13-gall...tor-31810.htmlI just run the exhaust of the dust collector outside with a dryer hose (instead of putting the bag on it).  I don't think I've ever seen any evidence of dust coming out the end of the dryer hose - the cyclone is pretty efficient.I still need to try the dust collector as a welding fume extractor (why I originally bought it).  Right now, the only welding I do inside the garage is TIG.  MIG and stick are outside affairs.  I'd have to make enough room in the garage to safely MIG or stick and I don't see that happening any time soon... Attached Images
Reply:Nice deal! Is that just a hamster wheel type blower? I have more than a few old car heater blowers laying around I could use with a AC motor.I have an old HF type blast cabinet and have always wondered which side I should be drawing the air from. One port has a vent tube deal inside that goes down almost to the grating inside. The other port is just a strait in port to the cabinet. Both are on the back side and at the top in either corner.  Now I would thing the port with the down facing tube deal would be the one to draw air out from but I have tried both ports and both of them draw out some media while blasting.This is my cabinet, you can see the one vent tube that faces down in this pic.
Reply:It's a vaned impeller.  660 max CFM.According to the manual for that 40-lb cabinet, the dust port is the one on the left that goes directly in.
Reply:I have a vac that sits  on a drum. A little water in the drum stops the dust like a champ
Reply:I have the same Dust Deputy cyclone on my sand blaster, and it works fantastic.  I use a big shop vac to evacuate the cabinet.  I took out the filter because it clogged too fast, and ducted it directly outdoors.  All of the dust and grit used to chew up the impeller on the vac, but now 90% of all the dust ends up in the cyclone bucket instead.  I haven't lost an impeller since I put it on.  Cheap and effective.