Hi All, does anyone have experience with the “blast cabinets” from Harbor Freight or from any other source that’s not too expensive and works? I’m starting to get serious on this 68 Camaro, (I can’t wait to drive it!!!), and just about every part needs to be cleaned up. The bench top model, around $120 bucks looks like it would do most of the stuff I need to clean. I’ve got a 5-horse speedair compressor so that should be enough, but in the ads at Harbor Freight they mention that some of the blast cabinets need a dust collector, do you really need one or can you get by without?

Hi Rick, slide over to the Body section and run a search on 'blasting' or 'sand blasting' and there are tons of notes on that topic. Id love to have one but need a compressor first. Im cleaing parts with brake fluid, sanding wheel on a drill, sand paper etc, it sucks, so blasting is next major purchase for me too. good reading.

I bought a bench top blaster from those noname places. I had to modify it a lot to get it working halfway decent. the plastic top is junk, using a homemade wodden one with glass window, which does not leak as much as the plastic one. The light is too dark, I put metal outdoor halogen light inside. I also built a exhaust system out of a flat air cleaner and computer box fans. I was cheap and they do work, you just have modify them to your tastes. Kevin

I bought a benchtop from Harbour Freight about six years ago. I really like it. My only complaint is that it is plastc (no problem) and the gloves would slide off the inside mounts in the cabinet. I ahve used the snot out of it and I used playbox sand as a medium. I know I could have used other blast material, but, the sand was already in the garage. It does take alot of air to use, but I learned how to regulate the air and make it last longer. Best thing I ever bought.

I built mine out of steel and don’t know how I ever got by without it. All you kneed is a small shop vac for a dust collector. I sealed mine too tight and imploded the glass window as soon as I turned it on… I’ve been using it without the vacuum until I make a regulator for the suction…

LOL!! sorry, just hadda laugh Geezer!
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I've got a home made cabinet, I cut two holes in the top to let air in. Many I've seen have a shielded hole in the rear panel near the top. You don't have much trouble with beads coming out of the holes because of air coming in.
I put a screen in the bottom just above the beads, so the suction line for the beads won't clog from debris.
I have a trap door on the bottom held by a coil spring, it makes changing beads easy.
David

I bought one of the Plastic Blasting Cabinets from Harbor Freight & Love it, I use a blasting media called Black Beauty & it is a real good, it dosen't wear out like sand or glass beads do, I have blasted every piece that I could get in it for my Camaro. I don't know how I made it without it. For the money I paid for it $49.99 It is the best investment I have made. ;)

Great, just the info I was looking for, I did a search in “body section” and read all the older post too. Now I need to look around Phoenix and see what the parts to “make your own” versus the cost of “new” trade-off is. I like that 55-gallon drum cabinet, lots of room. Also if I go with a new cabinet I’m thinking that the one’s that open from the end would be easy to make a “cabinet extender” if I had to get something long in there. Thanks for the help.

I bought the one from harbor freight when it went on sale. Works great! The only thing that I had to do was wire up a better light source. I have had to replace the glass a few times as it gets worn out after a while.

I saw MidLife Cruiser's cabinet last weekend. He used the wide clear packaging tape over the glass inside and then rips the tape off to refresh it, leaving the glass pretty clear. He boxed an area off about 4 x 4 inches since most of the blasting is done in a small area at a time. The rest of the glass area he sealed off with something solid. Maybe he will find this post and explain how he did it, but it saves on the glass replacement. cool idea.
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johnnyr,

Can you fit an intake manifold in the cabinet?

Peter

I have a medium size Eastwood company cabinet; no problems, seals well, works great. A little more money, but it is well made. -Dan

This thread got me interested on a blasting cabinet also, too tired of the paint removers itching, wire wheel on a drill and hours of sanding. Found this and think I'm gonna go with it, there got to be a bigger laundry tub. I already have an air compressor and vacuums are cheap. Take a look, it might work for you too. http://www.letterhead.com/steps/hines/

If you're a long arm guy like me, one of the most important aspects of a good cabinet are arm-hole placements. Some of them, the arm holes are so close to the blasting surface that you have to contort your risk to blast a cylinder head or other tall objects.

-dnult

If you use a shop vac, put a tee in the hose and allow some flow to bypass the cabinet. Most vac's have too much flow and you will suck most of the glass beads from the cabinet that way.
If you draw the minimum needed from the cabinet it will save the beads.

I bought a squirrel cage suction blower and mounted it on a baffeled swirl drum.
There is a neat baffle you can put inside the cabinet that will swirl the air and spin out the beads and drop them back inside the box.
David