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Harbor Freight Blasting Cabinet Review

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Topic: Harbor Freight Blasting Cabinet Review
Posted By: amundaza
Subject: Harbor Freight Blasting Cabinet Review
Date Posted: Jun/17/2009 at 3:19pm

Hey guys,

Just finished putting together my Harbor Freight blasting cabinet and put 50 lbs of glass bead into it.  Cleaned up the Holley Street Dominator intake really nice, so I decided to try it on the GW aluminum rims.  Check out the pics of BEFORE and DURING blasting.  AFTER pics to follow later.

 

**** BEFORE PICS ****




 

**** DURING PICS ****

 








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Sincerely,

Greg Taylor



Replies:
Posted By: billd
Date Posted: Jun/17/2009 at 3:29pm
What are you running for air - pressure and CFM.
I've got a HF cabinet.
My only negatives:
the chinese light lasted a few months then fried,
The gun wore out and HF laughed when I went back for parts - even nozzles.
So I put a better gun in it and it's like new.
Worth it, IMO.


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Posted By: amundaza
Date Posted: Jun/17/2009 at 3:56pm
I'm running a 60-gallon 6.5HP Campbell Hausfeld compressor that puts out 125 PSI pressure.  I think it's 6-9 CFM, but that's from memory here.  It's a new compressor that was given to me.
 
My cabinet came with extra nozzles for the gun, along with extra film for the window & light.  So far I am pleased with it.


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Sincerely,

Greg Taylor


Posted By: billd
Date Posted: Jun/17/2009 at 4:02pm
Ah, probably keeps up better than my sears 20 gallon 3 hp unit! LOL. It's about 25 years old.

Can't wait to get the wiring in the barn for the other compressor............ 60 gal 5hp.

I go through a few of those window films.
I can indeed recommend that blast cabinet - may not be the same model, but it's hard to screw up a steel box with a door and window!  It does seem amazingly solid.


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Posted By: amundaza
Date Posted: Jun/17/2009 at 4:07pm
Originally posted by billd billd wrote:

Ah, probably keeps up better than my sears 20 gallon 3 hp unit! LOL.
 
 
Yes it does ... that's what it replaced ... 220V Craftsman 3HP unit, like yours.


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Sincerely,

Greg Taylor


Posted By: sidewinder
Date Posted: Jun/17/2009 at 5:00pm
I got the same one harbour Freight sells and the light lasted a few weeks.....found another one on ebay and now thats dead too.... I seem to have a lot of leaks.....glass beads leak at the seams.  I took it all apart and tried sealing all the seams with clear silicone but it still leaks.   last but not least the gun sucks.....works....doesn't work....etc..etc..  I think I need a better blast gun but when I went back to get one they didn't have any.  Haven't used it in a while but with the plans to strip the car this winter for a total repaint I should expect to be blasting lots of parts for painting and powder coating.  Anyone know what gun I should look for???   that seems to be the biggist issue... 
I have a nice compressor...125PSI with a 60gal tank so it should work well.....Ermm.


-------------
Chuck Page ,AKA Sidewinder
1968 "BLACK CHERRY" Javelin
Previous owner of 2013 Heritage Cup winner 1970 BBO AMX




Posted By: pacerman
Date Posted: Jun/17/2009 at 6:32pm
I have a Campbell Hausfeld gun and just order a couple of boxes of new ceramic nozzles for it last week online.  UPS should deliver them any day.  I think the website was something like allaircompressors.com for the nozzles.  The may list the gun too.   Man a good nozzle makes a difference and you don't waste so much air.  Joe

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Happiness is making something out of nothing.


Posted By: billd
Date Posted: Jun/17/2009 at 7:44pm
Amen - size nozzle according to your compressor and media. and when it wears, replace it!

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Posted By: turbo
Date Posted: Jun/17/2009 at 8:07pm
you really need to go to great lengths to keep your supply air dry.  Even your 6horse 60 gallon compressors will start spewing moisture even under moderate use.  You won't be sorry if you have dry air.  

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they call me Capt RETIRED!


Posted By: poormansMACHINE
Date Posted: Jun/17/2009 at 8:25pm
Originally posted by sidewinder sidewinder wrote:

  last but not least the gun sucks.....works....doesn't work....etc..etc..


If you're blowing out condensation, it'll also clog up the blaster.


Posted By: 71SC360
Date Posted: Jun/17/2009 at 8:43pm
This is the one I have... ( http://www.tptools.com/p/2709,53_960-T-Sandblasting-Cabinet.html - http://www.tptools.com/p/2709,53_960-T-Sandblasting-Cabinet.html ) I've had it for about two years now but I have yet to hook it up. It's a brand new, 2 year old rig. The problem is I haven't hooked up my compressor (a 7HP, 60 gal model). I' was having problems with the electricity in the shop and haven't taken car of it yet so the compressor and SB cabinet were put on hold...


Posted By: amundaza
Date Posted: Jun/17/2009 at 8:45pm
Yep, got a drier installed on the compressor, which "helps".


-------------
Sincerely,

Greg Taylor


Posted By: amundaza
Date Posted: Jun/17/2009 at 8:52pm
Originally posted by 71SC360 71SC360 wrote:

This is the one I have... ( http://www.tptools.com/p/2709,53_960-T-Sandblasting-Cabinet.html - http://www.tptools.com/p/2709,53_960-T-Sandblasting-Cabinet.html ) ...
 
 
That looks purdy nice!


-------------
Sincerely,

Greg Taylor


Posted By: jeremy0711
Date Posted: Jun/27/2009 at 10:23am
If you do a little FYI on the air compressors then it will tell you like it did me that you need to have atleast 25 feet of tubing before you get to the blasting cabinet to reduce moisture on equipment. I have an 80 gallon setup in the corner with a regulator on it. I have ran pvc tubing all around the garage. I have additional regulators on each end of the garage with a moisture trap on them. It is 30 feet length on both lines. A moisture trap right off the compressor is about useless. It does trap some but it misses more do to all the compressed pressure. I had one there in line and it doesn't do any good no matter what. I do capture water on the outer traps. It doesn't trap a lot of water. It will amaze you in the difference. It made a big difference when I laid out the lines throughout my garage. I had a mud mess trying the DA right off the compressor. I don't hardly have any issues with the terrible humidity in my area along the river. It cost me about 50 bucks in tubing, valves, and hardware to mount. I had a hookup on regulators and traps though.


Posted By: Wrambler
Date Posted: Jun/30/2009 at 11:40am
Build moisture traps into the bottom of any vertical runs.
Even though I did not need to go there. I ran mine out of the compressor and up to the ceiling then dropped it back down to the first line disconnect.  There are vertical extensions going down to floor level everywhere one of my lines has a vertical drop or rise. Placed a ball valve at the bottom of each drop. Each vertical looks like a side ways T with the vertical continuing down to allow debri and rust or moisture to drop down out of the air stream.
  My shop is 44' from my compressor and I get zero moisture in the trap at the shop!
It is wonderful and worth every minute it took to run the pipe!
I got a bunch of 1.5" iron pipe free, so I bought a cheap piper threader and went to town!

On topic, I have a Harborfrieght blast cabinet like the one mentioned.
Nice cabinet for the dollar, plan on replacing the gun, not very good.



-------------
Wrambler
69 AMC Rambler
4.0L, 5 speed
2015 Grand Cherokee Limited
2019 Chrysler 300


Posted By: ehmc
Date Posted: Jun/30/2009 at 3:03pm
To get moisture out you need to cool the air - so as was said earlier a moisture trap at the tank/compressor outlet is useless/ waste of time.
Run metal lines to cool off the air better.
I plumbed my whole garage with 1/2" copper plumbing pipe for my air system.
You guys need to get rid of those cheap plastic "tear offs" and make up a window frame that holds a piece of "sacrificial" glass up against the existing window.
Have your local hdwe store cut you some pieces of old window glass - works great instead of soft plastic.


Posted By: billd
Date Posted: Jun/30/2009 at 3:39pm
I don't mind the tear-offs at all. Been no problem for me here. IMO, it's a lot easier to replace a plastic sheet once in a while as opposed to removing glass and dealing with the dust that gets between and storing the glass, etc......... (I also use more double-stick than the stock sheets do so I don't get dust between that sheet and the glass).
On mine, the top doesn't open so it wouldn't be too easy to maneuver glass into position.

Around here, you need to drain the compressor every 30 minutes tops if using it very much.
I got a good 1/4 cup of water from my compressor every 15 or 20 minutes in the past month while blasting and painting.
I rigged a length of pipe at the bottom of the tank to let water settle into that instead of sitting against the tank. If the pipe rusts, so what. I have a ball valve at the end of the pipe pointing to the floor drain.
Ideally, you have a trap and filter at the end of each drop. Schedule 40 works great and is cheap and light to work with. You also have 0 oxidation or corrosion. I don't like metal simply because it DOES cool the air, and then the moisture condenses in the pipes......
I've seen 10 years use on plastic and 10 years use on metal pipe. The plastic was in great shape, the metal was a mess inside............. and the water condensed in the cool pipe in the winter and froze and plugged the lines. We had some real issues with metal pipes at the shop filling with water when they got cold as it acted like a still..............
I'm going schedule 40, 3/4" to the top, then drop 1/2 down to my bench and between the doors and will have traps and filters at the bottom end of each drop. If I recall schedule 40 is good for over 400 psi.
(it will be just like a fellow nearby who does sandblasting and painting for a living, (and has a compressor that fills his tanks up to 200 psi in under 2 minutes. He showed me his compressor and pipe and filter setup going to his paint booth and he loves it. Been trouble-free for several years))

Them's my opinions on the subject anyway.

jeremy - that setup sounds like the fellow I was talking about........ his works great. No moisture issues. No, a trap at the compressor is indeed worthless. The idea is to grab the moisture from the air as it expands and cools................. near the end.


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Posted By: Wrambler
Date Posted: Jun/30/2009 at 6:01pm
One note to remember with pvc. Do not place it where it can be struck or damaged.
Especially when cold. I've seen the shards when a pvc pipe froze and shudder to think what those same shards could do.
   Yeah my iron pipe may rust, but the shop I worked at in 1980 is still running on the same pipe they installed in the 1970's. Part of the key to long life is the vertical drops and making sure the horizontal runs do have drainage taper to keep water from puddling.
   YMMV, I basically did it the way I did because the pipe was big and FREE!
 My tank has an extension like you use. I bought brass pipe for mine, no corrosion in the pipe!
My compressor is outside and even though I know the pipe must have frozen several times over in the last 10 years it has never cracked or leaked.


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Wrambler
69 AMC Rambler
4.0L, 5 speed
2015 Grand Cherokee Limited
2019 Chrysler 300


Posted By: billd
Date Posted: Jun/30/2009 at 7:26pm
Exactly right on the iron pipe - no low spots - water will settle. A slight slop to it on the horizontal.
Damage is one reason I'll be going straight up, and over, then down. Won't be exposed to vehicles, etc. Will be protected by other things.

A compressor outside here needs to be heated. The boss moved ours outside when I worked there and he build an enclosure and put in a small electric heater......... They don't like to work so well when the HIGH is 20 below.

We had a copper pipe - it was actually the copper flexible tube like gas line, and it blew up one day. BANG! Ripped 'er wide open and scared the @#$% out of us!


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Posted By: Artisan
Date Posted: Sep/03/2009 at 4:01am
    I just posted in tools about this, and no, I am not a rep for them,they do work dam good
http://www.mediablast.com/light-duty-siphon-blasters.asp - http://www.mediablast.com/light-duty-siphon-blasters.asp
http://www.texasblaster.com - http://www.texasblaster.com
 
 


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Regards,
Artisan


Posted By: amundaza
Date Posted: Sep/29/2009 at 7:06pm

I started blasting the stock steel Wide Track FSJ rims, which were donated for the Guatemalan GW build. Here's the pics ... more to come.

I'll be powdercoating them once they are cleaned up good.

I cut the fine blasting sand, which wasn't "cutting it", with Aluminum Oxide. So far I have about 26-lbs of AO cut into 100-lbs of sand. I may add more, after I buy it, since the steel rims can handle the extra abrasion of the aluminum oxide ... I also need to blast the new Dana 44 axles for my Grand Wagoneer.  It is now blasting paint/rust off A LOT quicker.



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Sincerely,

Greg Taylor


Posted By: zwiedee
Date Posted: Jul/01/2010 at 8:40pm
I picked up one of these cabinets from summit wanted a black one, used silicone on all seams to keep it from leaking, works good.  Took a few hours to assemble by myself but can't beat it for the price.  Just wondering where everybody buys their glass bead, I got mine at Tractor supply 34.99 for 50 lbs. 


Posted By: jeremy0711
Date Posted: Jul/01/2010 at 11:51pm
My HF cabinet works great.. Yeah the light went to $hit but I bought my bachelor pad then so the bathroom lights went in it which were porch lights and a 110 light switch went into the top panel for juice. Went to Lowes for a saw dust collector on clearance and bought a slide valve to control the suction. As far as the gun...Yeah the tips went out a long time ago. No they aren't available except online...I have a ton of air line fittings with threaded ends to go into your tools...which I slightly shave down the threads on the grinder and call it a day. Works great and is cheaper than the real McCoy. Glass beads are the best. Last bag I got was 25 bucks here for 50#. I like to use a combo of sand and glass beads. Get yourself a glass cutter and keep those old window panes.   It will pay off. I run about 165 psi through mine so it clouds the glass up pretty good. I bought mine a long time ago and it was like 160 bucks. Man, they have went up now.


Posted By: amundaza
Date Posted: Jul/02/2010 at 7:56am
I have since upgraded to a bigger gun, since I bought the cabinet.  It now has 1/2" air supply all the way from the compressot, to the foot control, and up to the Bad Boy Blaster gun inside.  It works A LOT better than the puny HF gun that it came with.  Yesterday, I upgraded from a 10.3 SCFM @ 90-PSI compressor, to an 18.1 SCFM @ 90-PSI compressor.  It will be interesting to see how it works now.  The smaller compressor just couldn't keep up with the CFM requirements of the BIG gun.
 
Here are pics ranging from puny HF gun/hose, and old (blue) to new (tan) compressor.
 









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Sincerely,

Greg Taylor


Posted By: jeremy0711
Date Posted: Jul/02/2010 at 10:08am
Looks good...nice upgrades...makes me wanna go out and buy a new gun now.


Posted By: amundaza
Date Posted: Jul/02/2010 at 12:28pm
Originally posted by jeremy0711 jeremy0711 wrote:

Looks good...nice upgrades...makes me wanna go out and buy a new gun now.
 
 
Here's the link to the gun kit ...
 
http://cgi.ebay.com/FOOT-CONTROL-GUN-SANDBLASTING-BLAST-BLASTING-CABINET-/310230252141?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Sanders_Sandblasters&hash=item483b29fa6d - http://cgi.ebay.com/FOOT-CONTROL-GUN-SANDBLASTING-BLAST-BLASTING-CABINET-/310230252141?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Sanders_Sandblasters&hash=item483b29fa6d


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Sincerely,

Greg Taylor


Posted By: amundaza
Date Posted: Jul/02/2010 at 3:16pm

Just fired up the new compressor.  0 - 140 PSI in 3:13 ... way faster than the old CH compressor (probably 8-10 minutes).  It is also WAY QUIETER than the CH compressor ... probably 15 decibles or so.  I set it on a HD rubber anti-fatigue mat, which is working well.

 


 



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Sincerely,

Greg Taylor


Posted By: nightmistwalker
Date Posted: Jul/12/2010 at 10:21pm
working in the industry for over 30 years most of the shops i ran usually ran a big 10 horse compressers which were what i would call free run which means they only kick the compresser part one when alot of air is being drawn and most time are just free spinning,,doing alot of blasting or d/a sanding creates the most air draw and chance for moisture build up,,most shops switched to the new high pressure pvc pipe due to it does not heat up by air traveling thru it like the old brass or cast iron would do,,always run moisture traps before your tools if you would like your tools to last any length of time. on this big compressers i always suggested to the shop owners that we install dryers to route the air thru to help eliminate any heat and moisture from the lines which is the most effective way to maintain shop levels of air use,,but these are rather expensive and for backyard garages not really neccasary for the part time body man..lol

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trying to build a pro touring 1971 Hornet


Posted By: RamblinMan
Date Posted: Jul/13/2010 at 1:37pm
I have the HF blasting cabinet. I cut an opening in the top, used a piece of plexi to cover it (screws and silicone) and put a full width light on top. I tried it with my 33 gallon Craftsman oil-less compressor (a headache generator) and it was good for about 20 seconds before the compressor kicked in again. I just picked up a 30 yr old Kellog-American 5hp 80 gallon two stage horizontal compressor for $300. It can work up to 175# of pressure. I can now blast all day!
 
The thing weighs 530# and I'm still tring to figure out how to get it outa my pickup.


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The Right Reverend of Blessed Acceleration


Posted By: amundaza
Date Posted: Jul/13/2010 at 9:03pm
Originally posted by RamblinMan RamblinMan wrote:

 
The thing weighs 530# and I'm still tring to figure out how to get it outa my pickup.
 
Do you have an engine hoist cherry picker?  You could use that!


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Sincerely,

Greg Taylor


Posted By: RamblinMan
Date Posted: Jul/13/2010 at 9:14pm
Yeah, that's what I did. Thought it was too high, but I could lift it just enough. Built a skid with wheels to get it around back of the shed. This thing is rated at 21 CFM @ 100 PSI and it's built like a freakin tank! SWEET!

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The Right Reverend of Blessed Acceleration


Posted By: amundaza
Date Posted: Jul/13/2010 at 9:23pm
Originally posted by RamblinMan RamblinMan wrote:

Yeah, that's what I did.
 
Glad you gave it a try and it worked out for you!  Blast away, Mr. Sand Blaster!


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Sincerely,

Greg Taylor


Posted By: heyjavelin
Date Posted: Apr/10/2011 at 3:56pm
I have been using a HF cabinet in the shop for three years and it has held up well.  On my third light bulb and have gone thru about 50 tear-offs.  When the cabinet was new I had a number of leak problems then I hooked up a shop vac to the air outlet on the right side of the cabinet and I put an automotive air filter over the inlet port on the back (cover by a 4" plastic plug).  This has stopped all the leaks and made it much easier to see when blasting.  After about an hour of use I dump the blast media from the shop vac back into the blaster and keep on shooting. 


Posted By: nali
Date Posted: Apr/14/2011 at 12:00am
I use an extractor made from a dyer fan . It works great , so I can see quite clearly the job I do .

It s all made of junk parts , but it works :P

http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=448&u=12474091">

http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=449&u=12474091">


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No more car :)
Maybe a 1965 Ambassador Coupé someday .. If I can find a cheap one.


Posted By: Johnny Javelin
Date Posted: Apr/14/2011 at 8:50am
One thing to remember when blasting Aluminum wheels, if you plan on polishing any of the surfaces afterwards,DO NOT Blast them! I cleaned some wheels the same way then took them to a Machine shop that specializes in metal polishing and the Guy there advised me not to do that because the surface gets too distorted and cannot be polished correctly. As usual I had to learn the hard way, so I thought I would pass it along so someone else dosen't have to 

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Johnny Javelin


Posted By: jeremy0711
Date Posted: Apr/14/2011 at 9:38am
you could blast your aluminum with baking soda.

I have my cabinet hooked up to a Delta dust vac for a wood shop. I bought a slide valve for control the suction. I rewired the lights and use outdoor house lighting inside it that has heavy duty glass shelding. I also use old house window panes and cut them down for the window instead of plastic. I have plenty of pvc leads to each side of the garage with regulators and moisture traps to each hose reel. I am also using an 80 gallon Quincy comprssor. I could use a new gun as the tips suck to find. I have been using old metal line fittings from old projects as tips and they work great and last just as long and would cost less too.    



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