Media blasters

[CLL]

My son is looking to buy a media blaster(sand/corn cobs/walnut hulls). Does anyone know of a good one for the price?

[Burlkraft]

What size?

[Gary_C]

Is that like one of those paint guns that you mark the media as liberal or conservative?  ???

;D

[Warbird]

 

[Ironwood]

I have had TIP sandblasters for years, the company sold everything to SkatBlast I believe, due to potential silicosis lawsuits. I knew the owners and did some R&D/ product testing for them years ago. Their line was VERY nice for small to medium operations. There is also a new media blaster for "soda" which is much more $$$ as  the tolerences for the equipment are much tighter. Those Soda blasters are a whole different animal. The soda explodes on contact with very little damage to even painted soft handmade brick. They are great for reclaiming / historical work and the soda is completely environmentally safe, so let'er fly.

Ironwood

[CLL]

Burlkraft he is going to restore several old 52-54 chevy pick-ups and my Henry J.

[Burlkraft]

A Henry J EH?

We need some pictures of that  ;D  ;D  ;D

I too have a TIP blaster. I have read about the soda blasters and they are supposed to be the hot ticket.
With that much blasting ahead, you are gong to need something that will get the job done.

Nuthin' like being under the hood on a 90° day and having your blaster work at about half speed  :-\  :-\  :-\

I would prepare to spend a few extra dollars on a good unit.


Just my thoughts  ;D  ;D

[Dana]

I have a TIP blaster also. I haven't used it much since getting out of the auto body business. Where are you all getting the ceramic tips for them if the company sold out?

[Wudman]

I have a 100# TIP unit.  It is a good machine, but it is an air hog.  I tried to run it on an under sized compressor and it was a slow process.  Be sure that you have enough compressor to run whatever you settle on.  It is a well made piece of equipment and I have no complaints.  I bought it to restore an old Ford pickup. I've had it for about 15 years.  I think it was in the $300 range when I bought it.

Wudman

[Larry]

I think they are all air hogs...the one I had could bring my 80 gallon 2-stage IR compressor to its knees...not good.  Sold the blaster and let somebody with a rotary screw do my blasting.

I was thinking about buying a small soda blaster to restore old machines but somebody told me they will remove paint but won't do much on rust.  Is that what you guys have found?

[Ironwood]

I think the soda blasters are for paint removal mostly, especially shine on old brick/stone structures. No abrasive, just soda ash which explodes on impact. I talked to one of the owners of a really large company providing those blasters to the trade.

As far as TIP, I bought one of the "lifetime" metal tips years ago. I think I still have some ceramics around somewhere. I helped product test the cougar valve years ago. I did the signs for the TIP store years ago. As far as availablity, call TP Tools in Canfield Ohio and ask them the # for the company which they sold the business to. Notice it is "TP", not "TIP" technically not he same business due to the whole silicosis scare years ago, no one wants the liability. You could not find a better/ smarter guy than Fred Ziwicker (the owner). I havent seen him in 15 years, but a great guy.

Ironwood

[Don_Papenburg]

Call  Marco    at 1800 BLAST IT   for all of your blasting needs. 
You want the tungsten carbide nozzles  they last a loongggg time.   I used to use ceramic I could go through three a day .  The tungsten carbide lasted a good two years  But it was wore out by then.
Get a  Sure-Flo grit valve  on any blast pot you purchase .  You will be a glad you did
A Bullard 88 series blast hood  is the best  you can get .  It has a smaller lens and is easier to shade the outer edges so you can see on sunny days. 
Make your own blast pot  from a propane tank  All of mine are except for the first one a 100#  TIP    I used a two hundred gallon tank for my first homemade  blaster.  and a thirty gallon for a small pot I had planned on useing for plastic then I made a larger one from a 500 gallon  tank.

[CLL]

Thanks guys   CLL