sand blasting

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i was looking at the sand blasters from harbor freight, and also from weldingdepot.com. not the ones in protective box for small parts. i am refering to the extrnal ones for maybe blasting inside of a car or a rear end.both have great prices, but what about the quality? any one use either of these?any one more easy question...is it OK to sand blast 6061 t-6 aluminum. im almost finished making my intake manifold and would like to have it blasted. but i dont want to hurt/ruin the metal.Lincoln Square Wave 175 TIGLincoln 110v flux core welder (my 1st)Clarke 180EN MIG
Reply:SIR,yes you can have the part blasted. by using differentmedia, and  using different pressure on the gun, abeautiful satin finish can be had.good luck with your projects.wlbrown
Reply:You could try one like mine.  This is good for the stuff that doesn't fit in the cabinet. The peening action of the sand will render the aluminum cold worked. It will also remove the smooth finish, if any. But it does blend the surface color and texture to a more consitent appearance.Last edited by Mark...; 08-02-2008 at 06:14 AM.
Reply:I have the large H-F unit. Have run between 3 and 4000lbs of sand through it with no problems. The little handles on it are kind of hinky, but the rest is ok. It's good if you have enough compressor to run it.The difference between art and craft is the quality of the workmanship. I am an artist.
Reply:When I first bought my HF sandblaster, I thought I was in the clear. no motor, no switches, just a pressurised vessel, sand and air, how could they mess it up. Well the tips wear out fast, and the hose didn't last over 10 hours, but other then that, it does the job.
Reply:If you plan on using one of those pot type blasters you had better have a good sized compressor. Most 5hp shop compressors will not keep up with the demand if you have a decent sized area to blast. You will have to stop and wait for your compressor to catch up. When we blasted our dump truck we used a pot type blaster and a tow behind screw compressor to power it.
Reply:well, i guess i'll go check out the HF ones tomorrow. i didnt want it to turn out like my chop saw wich burnt out in a month. can you run other medias through it without hurting it? i wanted to use something softer to not damage it, and give a nice smooth finish.what would you recomend? where could i get this media?Lincoln Square Wave 175 TIGLincoln 110v flux core welder (my 1st)Clarke 180EN MIG
Reply:You can use different types of media for (slightly, or greatly) different results.You can get some media at H-F, also Tractor Supply usually has some.See also http://www.tptools.com for more info on blasting and media choices/differences.Nozzles (and hoses) are wear-out items and do have to be replaced.  You do have to have enough compressor (and DRY air) to blast.  Otherwise you blast for a burst and then stop and wait for the air tank to refill, repeat.  Or get wet media which clogs and clumps, so you have to dump out and refill with dry media.
Reply:There are all kinds of media that you can use. Primarilly I use sandblast sand that I can get from the renal place. It's dry, sifted and comes in different grits depending on how much I need to remove. In my blast cabinet, where I reuse the media I use several different types of media. Walnut shells, glass beads, alum oxide, sand. All depends on how fast I need to cut or not cut and how dirty/oily the piece is. Sand is cheap and disposable in my opinion. The other medias are more expensive and not so well suited for a big pot type blaster unless you blast in a blast room.