Blast cabinet from water heater

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Has anyone built a blasting cabinet from an old water heater?   There won't be any pressure on it because I plan on using a siphon fed system for blasting.  Any ideas or tips would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks!Lincoln 175Monkey Wards 230v.  Stick
Reply:I saw a thread around here not to long ago.  A quick search might find it. Originally Posted by zapsterYou wanted to be the welder....zap
Reply:Sorry bout that the thread I saw was an oil tank.http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=115931 here the link anyways. Originally Posted by zapsterYou wanted to be the welder....zap
Reply:I'll check it out.  Thanks.Lincoln 175Monkey Wards 230v.  Stick
Reply:I have one made out of a home heating oil tank (250 gal).  There's a picture of it over in kolot's thread that Stukas posted the link to above.  Here are my suggestions:1)  If you're going to weld on any kind of flanges or portals, do that before cutting the related openings for them.  Rounded portions of tanks sometimes like to flatten out when you cut big openings in them.2)  Mount your light source outside the tank and have it shine through a window.  Try to keep the direction of the light as close as possible to the direction of viewing to avoid shadowing.  Our big Clemco blaster at work has a large viewing window and the light bar simply shines through the top portion of it.  The light bar has a rubber seal to keep it from glaring on the outside of the window.3)  Use real glass for your viewing window.  I use the glass from an 8 x 10 picture frame.  I want to say it's the MCS Industries "Format" line of frames where it's a minimalistic plastic frame and the glass has nice rounded-over edges and just snaps into the plastic part.4)  Make your gloves attach outside the tank.  Trying to hold gloves on a portal and tighten a hose clamp on them inside a tank is a PITA.  For outside mounting, the glove just sticks through the portal and then you roll a cuff back over it and put the hose clamp around that.5)  Put it on casters.  You're going to want to move it somewhere else sooner or later.6)  Don't overload with media.  If you get a lot of media above a siphon pickup, it can tend to "jam" and you get a pulsed output from the gun (i.e. it'll alternate between spraying air + sand and just air).7)  Put a good dust collector on there.  I've got a Dust Deputy from Onedia Air Systems.  Don't put the dust collection port too high on the tank or it'll be fighting gravity to remove the dust. Attached ImagesLast edited by dbotos; 05-30-2012 at 01:01 PM.
Reply:Originally Posted by HotRodTroyHas anyone built a blasting cabinet from an old water heater?   There won't be any pressure on it because I plan on using a siphon fed system for blasting.  Any ideas or tips would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks!
Reply:This is the foot pedal I have:http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/Fo...dblast-CabinetHad to put some different fittings on it.  Pic of the overhauled cabinet attached.  Still need to come up with a better viewing window mount.  It currently just slides in and I have to tape around the edges to keep it from leaking.   Attached Images