sand blaster idea....

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I was thinking how poorly pressure pot blaster work.   Was thinking of making a non-pressure pot with a long auger going down the middle. the auger could be in a thick rubber tube and be turned by electric gearmotor.  Maybe have a manifold at the top of the auger to transfer the sand feed from the auger to the output line.(maybe like a venturi inside)  The idea would be that the sand output line would never pack up and clog because you would always be feeding just a trickle along with plenty of air aling with it.  you would want to have the feed motor slaved to the air trigger on the blaster nozzle.   Anyone tried this ??????Tim
Reply:Originally Posted by jethroI was thinking how poorly pressure pot blaster work.
Reply:Yes, I have to agree with all of that !   I always thought one of those big diesel powered screw type compressors would be tops for pressure AND cfm.   But i cant afford one of those sadly.  I AM dealing with a HF pressure pot.   Cant find real blasting sand arround here any more- nobody carries it anymore.    Have to spread it out on a tarp in the sun and then hand sift it.  I am thinking of a unit that will work inder the non-ideal conditions that you named off !Tim
Reply:There's good reason why Sand in not available. It's illegal at least it is over here in the UK.ItCauses Silicosis
Reply:Originally Posted by Shox DrThere's good reason why Sand in not available. It's illegal at least it is over here in the UK.ItCauses Silicosis
Reply:We usually rent or borrow a tow behind screw machine to blast with. 185 cfm @ 90 or 125 psi ( I forget the rating right now). Bigger hoses on the pot means less chance things will clog.I have used one of the small cheap HF pots ( 110lb IIRC) that a friend had the last time. The only issues I had was the fact the hose was way too short for what I want to do. PITA dragging the pot everywhere. I still ran it from the IR185 and used the same moisture separator we always do as well as using clean dry blast sand. I did notice that the tip didn't hold up well at all and blast quality seriously deteriorated by the end of the 2nd hundred pounds of sand that we ran thru it. Usually we can get at least 2000-2500 lbs of sand thru a commercial nozzle before we even start to notice the tip opening up. The HF nozzle was completely trashed. I think I saved the bad one at the shop. I'll see if I can get picts of just how big it opened up to. On his list of "mods" for that unit will be a new longer hose and a commercial grade nozzle with standard tips as well as better tires to make this move better. As far as available sand,  The one place near me that used to sell a lot of blasting supplies closed up. They were a professional blast shop and sold materials and parts as a side business. You might look into that angle. Now all I can get is basic blast sand locally from the place I rent the blast pots from ( industrial rental center). I can also get black alum oxide or slag ( I forget which) from one concrete materials supplier. It's call "Black Beauty" and comes in the same grit sizes as sand blast sand. It's simply repackaged sand blast grit that they use for a colored aggregate in concrete counter tops. I also order tumbling media from a company on line. Yes it's not inexpensive with shipping, but if I order bulk and get it on pallets it's not horrendous.If you want dry sand, I'd look at a simple drum tumbler and heat it with say a propane torch to dry the sand..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:the cheap blasters use ceramic nozzles. start your blast with a smaller nozzle and it will quickly increase in size. you get twice the time out of the nozzle. the one i use on my 700lb pressure pot is carbide. last many 1000's of pounds longer unless you drop it. then it's many more $.225NT bobcatAEAD200LEScott 125mm175, mm252 w 30A, PT225mm211, TA 181iHyper Therm 380, cut master 529100X & XX, Digital Elite6 Victor setssmith little torch, meco midget kalamazoo band sawsteel max saw evoulution circular saw