Sand Blasting
Turbo Mini Forums

Hi guys

I have borrowed a shot blasting cabinet from a mate of mine who bought it years ago but never used it. It's a Sealey SB970. My old man also bought a Sealey SB993 portable shot blaster.

I have had a quick go at using them but have no idea what the best setup is...

The old man bought the Sealey grit B/25KG and only just learnt that it's not suitable for the cabinet!

What type/size of grit should I be using and what nozzle size (small, medium or large) to clean up suspension parts, brake parts, subframes and possible body panels (I know you shouldn't use it on body panels but was going to give it a go gently). Also, what sort of PSI/BAR should I be using it at?

Speed doesn't kill, suddenly becoming stationary, now that's what'll get ya!

we use the stuff from machine mart but i've heard in the past it could be worth heading down to your local powder coater as he may well sell you a bag of something much cheaper.

As for noozzles, we find they wear out and the media looses velocity so I'd start with small and see how you get on

I bought a portable Sealey a few weeks ago.

To say it's pathetic is an understatement.

Although the handle/trigger assembly seemed to be blocked when I got it, air wouldnt even pass through. And the drilling from trigger to outlet is physically impossible to access to try and clear. I did get it moving some air, but the output wouldnt strip anything.
I'm guessing that isnt normal ?

When just pumping air, how free flowing should the trigger be ? or when blasting, just how much power should it have ?

9.85 @ 145mph
202mph standing mile
speed didn't kill me, but taxation probably will

I haven't used the portable one yet but the old man said it was ok, but not brilliant.

I find Sealey tools to be ok for certain things but when you get into more specialised area, they are crap.

Luckily I haven't had to pay anything for these two so going to give it a go for as cheap as possible.

Unfortunately, living in Jersey, we only have 1 or two sand blasting companies over here. I was going to try and do some research before I speak to them re material as they will probably be looking for business and put me off with costs of materials vs him doing it.

I had a look on this site (http://www.kramerindustriesonline.com/blasting-media.htm) and the stuff I have looks like the Silicon Carbide grit.

Looking on Machine Mart, they do glass beads (http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/20kg-glass-bead-abrasive), would this be better for cleanign up parts as the Silicon Corbide appeared to be more abbrasive.

Speed doesn't kill, suddenly becoming stationary, now that's what'll get ya!

I also find the more the grit is used the less effective it becomes

If your using it to remove rust, then forget glass beads, they do a nice job of finishing things, but theyre not up to the job of actually removing rust... might be alright for stripping paint off panels if you go very carefully and use very little pressure, but to be honest i wouldnt recommend it.

Silicon carbide, ali oxide etc will all work without too many issues, and all have thier uses.....

the more grit is used the less effective it becomes beacuse it breaks down, loses its sharpness as it were. Some grit suffers less than others, chilled iron doesnt break down so much, which means it lasts longer, and also as a result, creates less dust, meaning its easier for the extraction to keep up and keep the vis good...... that said, ive yet to come across diy kit that can handle reasonable sized chilled iron....

The other thing worth mentioning is dont use normal sand..... it really isnt suitable, although many people seem to like too.... google silicosis to find out why its a bad bad idea...... the amount of people that seem to reccomend it on forums without having a clue what theyre doing is scary!!!

As already said, for rusty areas etc, i would start with a small nozzle and see how you get on, with all of these sorts of blasters, velocity is your friend, try and set the media (if theyre is any adjustment on it) to a low setting so you get a lot of air coming out, but not an awful lot of grit if that makes sense.

Its always worth speaking to blasting/powdercoating companies locally, i have been known to give away bags of old (broken down) grit when we're done with it, it will often still be better than a lot of the stuff you will buy from machine mart et al, and its certainyl a lot cheaper (ie free!!) even if it does need a bit of seiving etc.....

And on the 7th day........... God created turbochargers!

I've got a Sealy SB993 and it works OK if you remember a couple of things

1. If the air regulator/filter isn't filtering properly and letting water in to the line, then this makes the gun clog up as it dampens the grit

2. It is only a portable blasting kit designed to be used for small areas, the air pressure from a normal compressor isn't high enough, and the pipe diameter is too small to pull through large quantities of grit
An industrial blaster will easily take the skin off your hands and also possibly distort large flat panels

As it does not have the high flow rate and large bore pipe, it will take quite a long time to do a large area

My advice is to use a course sanding disc on a large panel first to strip off the paint and then use the blaster to deal with areas of rust, and the awkward areas that the sander cannot get to

I mainly use mine to blast small components and awkward areas

I bought my Sealy 25KG bag for £12 from my local Motor Factors

Edited by ntm1275 on 27th May, 2011.

Thanks for the info.

I have tried using the silicone carbide on a bit of the turbo plate (think it was aluminum) and instead of cleaning it, it roughed up the surface.

Is this caused by using the wrong media on the wrong type of metal or is it becuase I was using it too close or too powerful?

Speed doesn't kill, suddenly becoming stationary, now that's what'll get ya!

Mine was the SB992

The little bit I did try. It felt like it would take forever to strip anything. I wouldnt have been overly concerned about putting my hand in front if it.

Grit does come out, but it's just poor. I stopped because I didnt want to waste a bag of grit and not actually strip anything lol

9.85 @ 145mph
202mph standing mile
speed didn't kill me, but taxation probably will

I'm lucky to have access to a couple of blasters at work. The small one uses white abrasive "sand" and is OK for very delicate stuff but slow for anything of any size.
The big one uses steel broken shot and is a monster, if you accidentally point it at your hand it hurts like hell even through the thick rubber glove. Makes cleaning awkward things a 2 min job!

9.85 @ 145mph
202mph standing mile
speed didn't kill me, but taxation probably will

the blast we use at work is 8th high/wide, uses steel shot get stuck inside and it ll skin you alive, not good for anything delicate though.

Audi s4 b5 - 470bhp & 486ft lbs

On 30th Apr, 2012 Brett said:
yeah stick the bit in and give it a wobble