Wonderful Invention Idea!!

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I have an idea for a machine that will revolutionize the world! Im gonna call it a sand blaster!   Ok enough of that, Im trying to whip up some plans for a home made sand blaster. I know I can buy one cheap but I rather build it myself. My idea is to basically have the sand fall into the tee and then the air will just blow it along. I think itll work but then why do they make the chambers pressurized? Any ideas? Cruel Cruel picture too.
Reply:I don't know much about sandblasting.  However I think a check valve of some sort so media will not shoot out the resevoir.  Don't think it would be a problem unless the exit got blocked.
Reply:The tank is pressurized because of what tapwelder said, the sand will blow out of the top of the sand chamber if it were not sealed.  Pressure takes the path of least resistance.  Without the tank being sealed the least resistant path is out the large chamber rather than the small hose.  Maybe what I am trying to say makes sense. ~JacksonI'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......
Reply:Simple non-pressurized sandblasters usually use a pickup tube with a sharp point so that it won't clog. the also have a hole part way up the tube. Don't know why. They have a lid to hold the sand in place. I have a pressurized 50# SanBlast unit that runs at 100 psi. It will take the skin off of a rhino. It feeds out the bottom. It never ocurred to me to make one.Miller Millermatic 252Miller Syncrowave 200Liincoln AC-DC 225Victor O-A Set
Reply:Do a seach on here, there's several good ideas.DewayneDixieland WeldingMM350PLincoln 100Some torchesOther misc. tools
Reply:Originally Posted by Hammack_WeldingThe tank is pressurized because of what tapwelder said, the sand will blow out of the top of the sand chamber if it were not sealed.  Pressure takes the path of least resistance.  Without the tank being sealed the least resistant path is out the large chamber rather than the small hose.  Maybe what I am trying to say makes sense. ~Jackson
Reply:Hmmm I just started thinking. If I installed some type of valve to only let the sand out when the deadman valve is open then the path of least resistance should be the hose correct? This should do away with the entire pressurizing dilemma. I hope!
Reply:here is the problem with the valve.  the sand has to flow freely into the pressure line.  the only way to do that is to have an open path into the pressure line.  If the valve is open pressure will move into the sand chamber.  I just don;t see anyway around it without going to a suction feed style blaster.I'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......
Reply:Most Blasters are gravity feed..There is a 3/4" aluminum tube thats bent in a "U" shape that goes to the bottom of the cabanet..Shop air enters the "gun" via a foot controlled on off valve..As you step on the valve the air goes into the gun and as it exits out the nozzle it creates vaccuumn that sucks the media up the tube and into the gun and there is where the media and air "mix"..Its Imperative that you put a moisture seperator in the air line..Condensation will "screw up" the vaccuumn feed every time.....zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:I appreciate all of your input.Heres my theory behind the whole valve idea. If air is whizzing by the sand feed, I would assume it would create a vaccum, drawing the sand down  I wouldnt thinkthe air would go up into the sand chamber because a 1/2" or so hose would have less resistance than a big bucket of sand to push through. Also this so called valve would be actuated somehow by the deadman valve.Hmm maybe il just have to experiment, It wont hurt I can always pressurize the chamber afterwards.
Reply:drawing the sand down I wouldnt thinkthe air would go up into the sand chamber because a 1/2" or so hose would have less resistance than a big bucket of sand to push through.
Reply:Originally Posted by tanky321I appreciate all of your input.Heres my theory behind the whole valve idea. If air is whizzing by the sand feed, I would assume it would create a vaccum, drawing the sand down  I wouldnt thinkthe air would go up into the sand chamber because a 1/2" or so hose would have less resistance than a big bucket of sand to push through. Also this so called valve would be actuated somehow by the deadman valve.Hmm maybe il just have to experiment, It wont hurt I can always pressurize the chamber afterwards.
Reply:Hope my long babel here helps.
Reply:Jamlit, just hit the nail on the head. Great description.  ~JacksonI'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......
Reply:Yes!!! You made complete sense! Im gonna build my own anyways but il pressurize the hopper. For ****s and giggles im gonna try to run it with out it being pressurized to see what happens.
Reply:I worked (in the office) for a sand blasting shop for a few months.  Every blaster was short of breath all the time!BUY AND USE ADEQUATE BREATHING SAFETY EQUIPMENT!In humans, overexposure to respirable crystalline silica is known to cause silicosis. Silicosis is a chronic disease characterized by the formation of scattered, rounded or stellate silica-containing nodules of scar tissue in the lungs, ranging in size from microscopic to 1.0 cm or more. This can cause symptoms of coughing, dyspnea, wheezing and nonspecific respiratory ailments. Some epidemiology studies have shown a potential connection with lung cancer in those professions with high exposures to respirable silica.
Reply:There is a group on Yahoo that is PA_Blaster that is hosted by Rob Berkel who likes to invent stuff.  I bought his plans for his PA Blaster (PA stands for Pressure assisted) and it works great.  With just a few dollars in materials you make this thing, I made mine from an old propane cylinder that I cut the top off of and inverted back into the tank.  Welded it up and welded a plug at the top so it can be sealed after filling.  His yahoo group has a bunch of pictures of guys who bought his plans and made blasters and I don't know of one of them that wasn't happy or impressed with the results.  I've recently converted mine over to do Soda Blasting which really only required necking down the feed tube to the Tee at the bottom so as to not over feed the soda.  If you search for PA Blaster you should come across it.  You guys have an advantage because you have welders most of the trouble the guys run into is getting someone to weld their inverted ends back on.Michael
Reply:I used to try to make alot of things. Then time became more important then saving money.  WIth that said, If you want to make one , i'd suggest you get a look at someones siphon blaster and another pressure blaster.  Then decide. You would have to buy certain parts anyway to  make one yourself. If you didn't, you'd probably end up with a bunch of scrap metal that would do much of anything. Or maybe worse, if you pressurize it.Why reinvent the wheel, when there's some great ideas already out there. If you're a good welder, pick up some extra jobs and buy one with the money you earn. You'll know that one will work well.   I started with a siphon blaster and then bought a pressure blaster.  The siphon blaster used a lot of sand and doesn't do much compared to a presure one.
Reply:Someone already stated an important fact, but it does merit repeating.DRY AIR IS A MUST.Use your air dryer/ filter from your plasma if you have to. Use a refrigerated dryer...and don't use silica sand. I use copper slag. Get it at brick/rock/sand suppliers.Lincoln Power Mig 210MP MIGLincoln Power Mig 350MP - MIG and Push-PullLincoln TIG 300-300Lincoln Hobby-Weld 110v  Thanks JLAMESCK TIG TORCH, gas diffuser, pyrex cupThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 101My brain
Reply:I've used both the pressure and the gravity feed units. Go with the pressure! It makes a big difference. It's much faster (if you like to be stuck in a hood and have sand in every nook and crannie of you and you clothes it won't matter) than the gravity feed. "Every choice you make will effect at least one other person"
Reply:Hers a pic of the one I built works great got the nozzle from a discount tool house  fittings and valves were aquired ,propane tank from dump .http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e5...y/HPIM0287.jpg
Reply:Originally Posted by jamlitOk how sandblasting works. Their are two types of sanding blasting units, pressurized and gravity type. Gravity types are not as efficient as pressurized units as the air needs to do more work and the air flow is more restricted. This type of unit uses a venturie tube to draw in the sand without allowing the air to enter the hopper. verturies are where the pipe size gets smaller the back to it normal size. As the air is force through the small pipe is causes a high vacuum at the point where the pipe goes back to its regular size. This is where the sand is introduced. the problem with this type of unit is that due to the verturie and the air needing to draw the sand into the line, it takes allot more air and at a higher pressure to do the same job as the pressurized hopper setup. One other point for this type of unit is that you are very limited to the length of the sandblaster line, The longer the line the resistance, which can change the path of least resistance even with the verturie.With pressurized units the air line in allowed to stay the same size removing the venturie restriction and the hopper has the same pressure as the air line. these pressures equal each other out and lets gravity do its job and sand can fall into the air line. these units are the preferred unit for people with small compressors and large high pressure commercial units. Hope my long babel here helps.