DYI Sandblasting

[mscher]

I have a garden tractor blade, with some surface rust, that needs restored.

Want to take it to bare metal.

Can anyone suggest a reasonable-priced abrasive blasting setup for home shop use? What type of abrasive is best to use?

I already have a decent compressor, with enough air to at least run air tools.

Thanks

 

[Ares596ZP]

Re: DYI Sandblasting

I picked up a 40lb Pressurized Blaster from Harbor Freight. Has worked fantastic for me. I have a 5HP 30G compressor that does alright with it. Edited link. Whoops...

 

[JCF350]

Re: DYI Sandblasting

First define decent compressor how much air will it flow? Gonna be taking lots of breaks if it won't flow over 11 CFM really need more like 15 - 20 CFM

Plenty of low buck kits out there along with the finer grades of blasting sand,
Sears, Harbor Freight and such.

A good cup brush on a grinder works real well too as this is not a large project.

 

[JCF350]

Re: DYI Sandblasting

I picked up a 40lb Pressurized Blaster from Harbor Freight. Has worked fantastic for me. I have a 5HP 30G compressor that does alright with it.

http://search.harborfreight.com/cpisearch/web/search.do?keyword=sand+blaster&Submit=Go

correct page

 

[mscher]

Re: DYI Sandblasting

I might be low with these capacities.

8.6 CFM @ 40 PSI
6 CFM @ 90 PSI


Needs to be blasted to get into every nook. Would like to restore the blade to near factory condition.

Maybe I'll check to see how much a pro wants, to clean it.

 

[tommays]

Re: DYI Sandblasting

I did craig list and got a nice box for 200 dollars it needs new gloves NOW

I have a lathe and just made nozzles with a small orfice to keep the air flow at a level my small compressor could handle makes the metal perfect for primer

 

[MrBigStuff]

Re: DYI Sandblasting

I bought one of these for doing small jobs or if I needed portability- http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00916706000P

But for one blade, I would strip it with a sander w/flap disk or cup brush.

Buy a small bag of Play Sand. It's very clean and consistent. Wear a respirator! If it's hot and humid, you'll want a water separator on your air line.

BTW- this is one of the most demanding applications for a compressor. You need a lot of volume (cfm) and a good sized tank to do any significant amount of sandblasting.

 

[thefairlaneman]

Re: DYI Sandblasting

I might add that using play sand even though it works well REQUIRES a good resperator because it contains silica. I use it sometimes in an enclosed blast cabinet but then I have a vacum exhaust pulling all of the silica dust out into a wet vac coated with oil to collect the dust. With an outside blaster be sure the wind is blowing it away from you and then use a mask.

 

[Scaaty]

Re: DYI Sandblasting

That small of a job gets farmed out to a blaster for a few bucks...(and 6CFM not enough anyway)

 

[KRS]

Re: DYI Sandblasting

Small job = Campbell Hausfeld suction feed sand blasting gun ($12 wal-mart).

It sucks, but you only have to use it a little while.

Use it with a bag of sand.... but be sure to use a respirator and wash off. The silica in sand is hazardous to breathe.

Good luck!

 

[newbie4life]

Re: DYI Sandblasting

I have a big upright 220 air compressor -- it doesn't have enough capacity to sand blast well. I purchased the pressure pot sand blaster, about a 5 gallon capacity. I have sand blasted with this, and it worked, OK. Not great, but OK.

There are other things to throw in this equation....... You will have sand everywhere... your yard, driveway, and let's not forget, your undershorts. I sandblasted a grader blade for my farmall cub and when I changed my underwear a week later, I still had sand in them.

 

[bjcsc]

Re: DYI Sandblasting

Tractor blades are supposed to be surface rusted. Move some dirt around and it will clean right up. Anything you put on it (paint, etc.) will come off the first time you use it anyway...just like wax on the bottom of a boat ...

 

[Scaaty]

Re: DYI Sandblasting

Are you doing a "restore" on it? Friend of mine many years in the small engine repair (works small engine repair Sears 28 years, and has probably 15 lawn tractors he's restoring...just picked up an old Deere...real "classic")
And a friend here that is a old time "steam engine/tractor/truck" freak.
If ya just cutting grass, a waste. If a Restore, new blades are out there.
Ya need to say/tell us why this is so important? Heck, I got an old Snapper "Comet" rider, made 70's, and still walks through the wet tall grass here PNW in the wet spring zero problem.
Again, why the "picky" here?

 

[mscher]

Re: DYI Sandblasting

Sorry, I should have been more descriptive.

This is the is the 4-way hydraulic front snow blade, for a JD 318.

This tractor and it's attachment's $ value seem to be going only one way - up.

I'm not concerned really with the blade's face or edge, which will lose paint anyway, through use, but mainly want to restore everything else, back to complete paint (yellow and black) and new decals.

There is some surface rust, including in the nooks and crannies, that cannot be wire brushed or sand-papered, which is why the sand-blasting is needed.

This is a working tractor and blade, but I see no reason not to take care of it.

 

[Scaaty]

Re: DYI Sandblasting

Sorry, I should have been more descriptive.

This is the is the 4-way hydraulic front snow blade, for a JD 318.

This tractor and it's attachment's $ value seem to be going only one way - up.

I'm not concerned really with the blade's face or edge, which will lose paint anyway, through use, but mainly want to restore everything else, back to complete paint (yellow and black) and new decals.

There is some surface rust, including in the nooks and crannies, that cannot be wire brushed or sand-papered, which is why the sand-blasting is needed.

Well ...my take...

Spent 44 years Illinois with the snow and salt. You will be long gone, or hell will freeze over anyway, or a worn out motor ..also say that "snow is pretty abrasive too ..before that blade goes bad. Never seen all my years a snow blower blade "rust out".. go bad?, never.
But do what ya gotta do..think ya wasting time on a non-event here..

 

[KRS]

Re: DYI Sandblasting

Most corner rust is cracked welds.... hopefully not the case here but a likely scenario.

Good luck with the resto and where's the pics