Keith, and anyone else with a blasting cabinet like this... if you install a very fine steel mesh, like a window screen size, on the inside of the viewing window, it will basically last forever because the grains of media don't fit through the holes to etch the glass. I did this to my blasting cabinet and it was a great upgrade.
I don't have any business watching this but this guy is such an easy going easy to watch person that I just stuck through it and watched the entire thing.
I just picked up a blast cabinet, used, locally. No labels or information, but it is exactly the model Keith has! It has a badly cracked window, but otherwise sound. Thanks, Keith! I will contact the guy and get a set as I restore this cabinet for use.
Nice upgrade!! Of note, the plastic lens is supposed to be on the bottom of the glass to protect it from getting hazed by the sand. It basically does nothing on top.
I purchased the deluxe upgrade kit from Tacoma Company over a year ago and I have no complaints. It worked so well for me that I decided to buy another Harbor Freight blast cabinet and upgrade it as well. I use mine cabinet for my business so it gets used five days a week. With two cabinets I can have White Star #3 in one cabinet and Glass Bead #75 in the other. I have dealt with Tacoma Company for a couple of years now and purchased many items and I'm very satisfied with all my purchases. Good product and company.
+Steve S I have been using my cabinet more over the weekend and I am still amazed at how well this thing works with the upgrade! Thank you Mike Tacoma for providing such a great product!
I was not expecting to watch the full 38 minute video, but I did; great job. I saw the exact same blast cabinet at Harbour Freight. I really wanted it but it was just a few inches too small for my parts. I left the store disappointed and empty handed. After watching you drop your deck a few inches, you gave me hope. I'm headed back to the store to see if that mod would give me the space I need. Thank you!
Flicking through UA-cam, and found I definitely need to do these mods..... to the cabinet that I don’t own yet! Thanks for taking the time to make this! 👍
I upgraded my HF blast cabinet with the Tacoma kit about 3 yrs ago. The best thing I ever did. I love the way it works. I can blast most things at 40psi. The foot pedal is awesome. I also did some other mods to my cabinet to make it a very versatile tool.
Good video Keith. Very informative. Thanks for posting and i am starting on my cabinet build this weekend. Looks like a tank engine in the museum, very nice. Cheers from Texas
Hi, Keith - Thank you SO MUCH for your efforts with OWWM and VM! I'm the guy who wound up with that brand-new-in-the-crate 1950 Boice-Crane model 1400 jointer sold on your Classifieds section a few years ago. Your mods to this cabinet inspired me to throw down my 10% off coupon this past Sunday for this blast cabinet. Spent 45 minutes on the phone with Mike at Tacoma, and emerged a believer. Thanks again Keith! -Mike Fink ('DeFinkster')
I would never have thought there would be an upgrade kit for a blasting cabinet. :-) Very good and exceptionally well described and discussed. Thanks very much for your efforts to share this, Keith.
I know this video is old, but is BY FAR the best video for installing this kit. Most others are 8+ parts of 30 minutes or more and dont tell you what to even do. they are great for completely unrelated and mostly useful info. an install video for these upgrades could easily be done in 20 minutes. maybe a bit more if you add in the screen and shelf mods.
Btw, I forgot to mention this earlier, thank you for the recommendation for the Deluxe Upgrade Kit with Tacoma Company. I also spoke with Mike and ordered the same kit. Since then I have also ordered several blast medias from him. Thanks to your video, I am a long time customer with Tacoma Company.
One useful upgrade is adding the largest receiver tank you can score (most hobbyists and many professionals don't know they exist or why), and preferably placing it next to your blaster so you can run a short, large diameter air hose from tank to blaster. Another upgrade is a vacuum with a dust separator, modern plastic venturi style separators being dirt cheap.
I have large hands and have had difficulty getting them in and out the gloves especially when the cabinet gets warm. I have found a secret that works. I put on a pair of very thin (almost see through) plastic gloves before sliding my hands in the gloves. The sweat and perspiration don't contact the rubber of the glove. Easy on on easy off! Be glad to send a picture! Thanks for your video.
I've done a few reckless setups in my life so far, but no matter if i see it on video or do it myself or see someone do it near me...hole saws on tiny objects on drill presses give me the chills. And the funny thing is i've never had an incident because i go out of my way to secure the work piece. So seeing you cut that little red door, i was "nope, nope". Odd things aside, great work on putting some functionality in this cabinet, i subscribe to this idea where you take a decent but not shining example of the "breed" and upgrade it where you can. It's a heck of a lot cheaper than buying the big bro of that cabinet. Man they overprice those. Great job on this one, certainly going to put it in my list of to-do things.
Its amazing how much they want for sheet metal box. If I grow out of my small Tractor Supply one, get some sheet metal from the local salvage yard and use my cheap HF MIG welder.
Hi Keith, another upgrade that I saw was to use a rivet gun to put “captured nuts” on so that you could remove the screws without needing to hold the nuts inside the cabinet.
That's a pretty cool upgrade. After dropping a nut into the sand during a glass change I used a nutzert kit and did away with trying to do the awkward stretch to hold onto the hardware whilst swapping glass.
Keith Very informational video. One upgrade I did on mine was to replace the screws and nuts on the glass frame with RivNuts. They are like a threaded poprivit. I purchased the kit from Harbor Freight for around $16 after the discount and additional RivNuts onlineOn the 2 bottom corners of the frame I added 2 screws from the onside that protrude up and hold the glass from dropping while installing the frame. I used wing nuts on those 2 studs. After breaking one glass , I slipped a piece of plastic tubing over those studs to prevent another accident.
We stuck some window protecting plastic film available in rolls of varied widths. It works quite well as a peel off system. We tried stacking 4 layers at first, as in dirt bike goggle peel offs, to allow a worn film to be peeled away revealing the next layer. The company Uline rings a bell but I'm not certain. The same film was used to protect helicopter windows during rebuilds. It lasted long enough that we forgot about doing it until a newer guy tried cleaning it with MEK followed by acetone. Not a good idea. On the oldest cabinet there's a hinged, for cleaning, 1/4" mesh screen about 1/2" from the glass and it seems to work well at deflecting the media. You forget you're looking through it after a while. Enjoyed your video, thanks for letting us into your shop.
Keith I have had my blasting cab for close to or over 30 years there is no a day that goes by that I don't use it. I use what they call potters sand when I want a very fine finish like say magnetos before I rebuild them. I have also used it to blend in the scratches on the cast iron pistons as. I remember when I first got mine I was un happy because it would work some times other times nothing would come out un till I came up with a type of gun that worked fore me I fine tune each sand tube I make. any way I use mine more than any other tool in my shop. So glade to see you do a video on this. Thank you Keith.
Randall Moore Thanks Randall - I am excited with the upgrade for sure. So you rebuild magnetos.... I can think of a few around the museum that could probably use some work, including the one on that John Deere tractor we used in the last video....
I will have to look into this for ours at work. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. Holy cow, those are the thickest knives I have ever seen. Thanks.
Great video! Thanks for the information! I just purchased one of these (still in the box!) with these modifications in mind. I love your shop, over the top!
4 years later, the website is still "just a placeholder". I talked to Mike years ago about a kit. He is very knowledgeable, but honestly, there is no reason these kits cannot just be put together and ready for sale on a website, ebay or amazon. I would like Mike to know (if he ever stops in here) that there are a ton of people like me that just don't like making that call. I just want to buy the kit. Put them out there, you will sell a lot more. I am finally getting ready to make the upgrade and these kits are still not easily available. So, I watched this video again, got my list of parts and ordered them on Amazon individually. And yes, probably making the call would have taken less time, but like most shop type people (target audience in this case), I don't like talking with people I don't know, not the social butterfly. And a business that doesn't care enough to make the purchase process easy, doesn't get my business. It should be easy to give a business money, not an obstacle course.
@keithRucker There's a bit of entitlement in these comments. Typically if there's something that I want to learn... I do. Hard or not... Convenient or not. I apply myself and get it done, no bitching period. There are amazing opportunities if the work is put on the other side! Honestly... That's why I'm glad that some of the real information is still super hard to find! Excellent video! I saw another comment suggesting that he didn't intend on watching the entire video but did.... I second that✋
Great upgrades Keith. I've found keeping your bead media nice and dry helps a lot. Dry it in the sun if it gets moisture at all, like spread it out on a clean tarp in the sun or heat source. :-)
Keith I found that using "Saran Wrap" over the inside of the sacrificial lens works great, protects and lasts along with a cheap easy change out. As you said, nothing more frustrating then when a blast cabinet doesn't preform or when the unit works well and you have to wait on your compressor....I solved the compressor issue with the purchase of a 27cfm. At wide open, the compressor will fill the tank and shut off while supplying the blast unit! Enjoyed the video! Chuck
outsidescrewball Fortunately, the museum has a huge air compressor so there is no shortage of air when I am out there. Now at home, it is a different story - which is why the blasting cabinet is out at the museum! I might have to try the saran wrap trick!
Keith Rucker - VintageMachinery.org I've found florists celophane to work very well as the sacrificial surface. You can get 'tear-off' packs from some suppliers like the racers use on windscreens or visors. The big improvement I made to my home made cabinet was to add an eductor to the bottom. The line from my foot pedal is split, with one leg going to a second pressure regulator and then feeding into a nozzle in the mixer. I set the regulator to just a few psi and it fluidises the media greatly improving pickup. I show the setup in one of my videos, I'll link to it in a reply.
A screen made from black fibre window screening material will prevent the glass from being 'blasted'. Make it taut and install about 1/4" below the glass window. Sand will bounce off of the screen and the glass will not be 'blasted'.\ Black will not deter visibility.
Keith Rucker, They make self adhesive plastic sheets that stick to the inside of the view glass. When they get damaged, just peel it off and stick on a new one. Keeps the glass new for a good long time. Great video!
Thanks for all your videos Keith. I'm waiting for Mike to get back with me about my blasting cabinet upgrade. I built it from plans and components supplied by TP Tools. While it does a good job, I was convinced to call Mike, after watching your video and hearing you comments on the improved performance the upgrade kit made. Much appreciated, Mike
I would put a 90 degree elbow on the back of the gun for the air hose. This will put both hoses side by side for easier moving the gun. Looks like a good kit. I like the foot pedal.
My upgrades on my old HF cabinet. Skat blast gun and pickup tube kit. LED sealed tube fish tank light that runs all the way across the inside of the tank (works awesome). Water separator in the front where i plug the air hose in. A $2 yard sale shop-vac with an extension hose running to the back of my property. I use soda media instead of sand. Sand shatters into a fine glass mist. Not good. Even with my respirator. I cut an old window screen to place inside the tank to catch anything big that may have fell off or bolts ive dropped. I use mine outside because it never fails to get some sort of dust everywhere. Finally i run a floor fan blowing on me that pushes away any dust and keeps me cool in the summer months. The most expensive item was the gun and pickup tube kit. The rest was super cheap or free. Ive used this setup for years and blast mostly old car parts etc that I sell or use. These tanks are perfectly fine to use. A large compressor is a must!
I believe you had the protection sheet on the wrong side of the glass. It’s supposed to keep the glass from being etched then you just replace the plastic sheets. I have the same cabinet I might get one of those kits. Thank you. When the suction hose would clog on me I would push the tip in my hand hit the trigger and it would blow the the hose out.
I used the same kit. Mike is great guy to do business with. It appears we both added a few new hole saws after buying this! Additionally, I added a few more upgrades such as a expanded metal shelf and blow off gun from TP Tools, a new light/switch/power cord assembly and used some old bed frame and casters to make it moveable.
I plan to add wheels to the base so I can move it outside to cut down on dust accumulated in the shop. Nice build thanks for the video.merry Christmas.
Looks like some much needed and good quality upgrades Keith. When you took the plastic lens off the glass I was yelling at you...NO...that goes under the glass! LOL Blast cabinets can be a pain in the ass, lucky for me I have a nice high quality unit that don't need much attention the amount I use it. That was cool seeing the "aftermarket" upgrades though! Adam
Abom79 The funny thing about the glass on that cabinet is that it was already installed from the factory when I got it. They put in on backwards before I ever got it! Makes you wonder about the quality of some of this cheap stuff we import from China..... All in all, I think this is a very good upgrade to the blaster. You are very fortunate to have that very nice high end cabinet in your shop!
As said by others, here in, the plexi-glass sheet on the out side of the glass is there way (cheaper than tempered glass) of making a safety barrier. We suggest removing the plastic and using no other layer than a single strength sheet of (through away) glass under the existing layer of double strength. Of course, a layer of tempered or laminated safety glass would be better for this permanent layer, but two layers together is very tough and hard to break, at least more than one at a time. The clarity is the best this way. Any plastic layer, even brand new, is not as optically clear as glass, scratches easily and does do the static cling number, quickly making it very hard to clean with out pretty quickly obscuring the surface.
Abom79 I have the same cabinet & it had 2 pieces of plastic - one on the top & an replaceable one on the bottom. It came with a pack of replaceable bottom plastic units. It's possible that the original plastic sheets got lost along the way. The cabinet is fine, although the gloves go south in a few years and the exhaust is crappy. The gun, however, is really, really bad. We've been through several as well before I moved to my current shop where they have a huge industrial unit (something like 5' x 4' capacity...).
This was REALLY helpful, Keith! Thanks! I haven't needed a blaster yet, but as I acquire more and more Craigs List shop tool finds, being able to de-rust as quickly as you showed at the end would make for a GREAT upgrade to expanding my shop. For about $200 for the base HF/TS cabinet and about $400 for the deluxe upgrade, this looks to be a reasonable addition at some point. All I'd need to do is find a few more old cast-iron table saws or planer/jointers to refurbish and resell, and it would pay for itself!
We always had a thin piece of plastic sheet between our glass and cabinent.. Like they use on those projectors of old you wrote on with a pen, clear.. Best way i can describe it.
I have the same Harbor Freight blasting box. Over the years, I've identified all its flaws. Replaced the blast gun once because the aluminum (die cast) seam broke. Replaced the high pressure hose, with a stronger hose because the original one kept blowing off the fitting regardless of how many times I tightened the clamp. The sheet metal seams leak media everywhere! Still gotta dissassemble, clean and seal all the mating surfaces with new seals and most importantly, run beads of caulk everywhere. The foot operated air pressure controller is appealing. Must also look into a better system to keep the media fine particles in the box and not escaping into the vacuum unit I have. I saw one video of installing a baffle, but I think Harbor Freight has a filter/vac unit that attaches to the outside. Lot's of good ideas to upgrade my blaster thanks to your video. Still, for the price I paid, no complaints, but can only make it better. Thank you again.
Keith I would always put a plate ( about 3/16 thick and about 5 or 6 inches smaller than the size of your screen) onto the top of the screen. It would distribute the weight of heavier parts aand it also made it easier to move the part around while blasting it. The media was still able to fall to the bottom. Just an idea that works. Thanks for all your videos. I really enjoy them.
....great show, and a nice walk thru on the upgrade and how it works. Have the same unit in my shop and it never has worked really well.....appreciate the info.
Rick L So far, I am a very happy customer. I will be interested to see how well it is still working in a year, but I have a lot of confidence that it will hold up much better than that cheap junk that came with the cabinet!
Hello Keith, Very handy tool that blasting cabinet and it saves a lot of time to undo rust, but a pity that those cabinets are so expensive as you told. Mostly I use the old fashioned way with a steelbrush and sandpaper to undo rust but not the finest work to do. Thanks for the interesting video and many greetings from Roel !
RoelTyros I think that I have used just about every method under the sun to remove rust, but blasting is by far the quickest and easiest way to get the job done!
Hi Keith, I will make one little sugestion that you might allready know .about every week fire it up to keep the media from turning to stone and requiring more maintenance than necessary sence it is located outside. I like what I see hope you get meany years of good service out of it.
James Parker Which is why I always "drain" the media out of the cabinet after use and store it in water tight plastic tubs. I will also sometimes drop light down into the bucket overnight to dry the media out between uses.
Keith- nice video. I might suggest you consider putting a right angle fitting on the back of the gun so you can route both the media and air hose together and you won't have that big loop of air hose banging around in the cabinet.
TP Tools puts out a great Asian blast cabinet upgrade kit. Works like a charm and you can even order carbide tips instead of ceramic. Foot pedal or trigger operated guns are available. They also stock heavy duty gloves to replace the cheapo ones that come with the cabinet.
Thank you for taking the time to make this video. I am planning to build a shop and will soon be in the market for a blast cabinet, and this information will be invaluable in giving another angle to perhaps control some costs..
Arlyn Smith The cost of one of these blasters plus the upgrade kit will cost you some cash, but I do believe that the combination is still a lot cheaper than some of the high end blasters out there.
You seem like a very nice person and SMART and I love the Train in the background. My Grandson would love it too. I like to etch glass dishes and am looking for a more economical way of doing it rather than the cream. Thanks for the video how to. :)
I placed a fine mesh screen from Mcmaster-Carr under my glass works great. I also cut the back down both sides and across the top, bent the section out about 30 degrees and then filled in the gap on both sides and top. This allows you to lean 17" rims back for better viewing.
i think one of the more important mods is sealing the cabinet better so you're not breathing in the fine dust and loosing blast media on the floor. no one seems to either have the problem or care. i had media spewing from between the trap door bracket and the funnel when in operation. i also had fine dust seeping around the glass and armhole gaskets, as well as media and dust going through a gap between the door seal and body near the back leg. the cabinet is not only cheaply built but also a health risk. even if you dont use actual sand the any fine dust going into your lungs at alarming rate is not great either. first time i used it my breathing was noticeably harder for the rest of the day. i been trying to seal it up but a new week spot shows up.
@@sweed7777 you are correct. There are sacrificial plastic films that are installed to the inside glass surface. If you look at the part of the video where he takes the window out, you see a dirty rectangle on the glass, this is from the double sided tape from the missing plastic films that collected dust.
@Marcus Keeler yes, the outside has a plexiglass sheet to protect you and your face. mine shattered and i was glad the plexi was there. the inside is supposed to be protected by a replaceable taped on Mylar film (www.tptools.com/SearchResult.aspx?searchPhrase=mylar+film%29%29 click on the "abrasive blasting" tab). thats how every cabinet i've seen has was set up, and i used to be a professional sandblaster.
@@SekTauBand every blaster I've used has the plastic film on the inside and the glass outside. I've been blasting for 18 years in plating shops, I've never seen the plastic on the outside.
I use a couple of tempered glass screen protectors designed for iPads vs plastic or sacrificial glass. The screen protectors shed dust and resist scratches, last 5yrs (in my case) and typically cost ~ $5.
Couple other upgrades for these cabinets. For the glass you can buy tear off mylar sheets like the racers use to protect the glass, easier than needing to tear apart the cabinet every time. Another trick is to replace the bolt/nut system on the glass retainer with riv-nuts in the cabinet. That way you don't need to reach inside the cabinet to remove the retainer (I also used them for the glove rings). For folks who don't use their cabinet a lot there is an extra step that can help make the media easier to deal with. When you get done using the blaster, drop the blast media out into a sealed container. That will help keep it dry between uses. For the vent system a shop vac works somewhat. I opted to make a cyclone for my cabinet and used one of the smaller dust collectors sold by HF. Made it much easier to see what you're doing.
***** I had never heard of "rivnuts" before - I am going to have to look into that after a quick google search! I can see where those would be very handy. As for dropping the media, I do that every time I use the blaster, it really helps keep the media in better shape. I will also drop a light bulb into the bucket the night before I am going to use it to help dry out any moisture in the media. As for dust collection, I am actually going to be making some more upgrades in that area soon....
You can find a low cost version at HF www.harborfreight.com/45-piece-threaded-insert-riveter-kit-1210.html They are aluminum inserts but they work OK for stuff you won't be taking apart weekly. A lot of the supply companies sell similar kits. I keep aluminum, steel, and stainless on hand in a variety of sizes. They are great to create threads in sheet material. Steve
Hi Keith, That's a great update for your blast cabinet! I also liked the support piece that you made for under the screen. It seems like that is also a necessary item unless you always work with light gauge materials. Thanks for sharing! -mike
Thanks for doing this video, I was using my harbor freight twin to this yesterday on a ford gas tank and it really has limited room, poor lighting, and the siphon gun is big and award to use on the left side of the cabinet. Needless to say after that project I was ready to build a bigger one but I really don't have the room to put one. This gives me hope for mine.
Hello Keith from the UK, I bought one these blasters for £185 delivered to my door about a year ago. Mine came with plastic film like pieces with sticky rubber on to attach to the inside of the screen. I run mine at 150 lbs sq, inch, I use an ordinary domestic hoover but it has to be a bagged type, recycle types only live for hours. I use an exterior light from a desk lamp on mine, but the light is hopeless, thinking about rigging up something like yours one day, my outer plastic "glass" is melted too! I blasted a small 125cc motorcycle frame in mine too, but had to keep opening up to move it around. I use aluminium oxide medium in mine, I used to use block paving sand, but contains silica and can give your lungs silicosis if breathed in in quantity. I welded two sets of large swivel type wheels to mine, it's so easy to manouvre now, especially with a cwt. of medium in it! Dryness of air etc sometimes makes static which causes the medioum to stick to the plastic outer screen, I wipe with a damp cloth occasionally, always enjoy your very interesting videos thank you, David.
David Dale My blaster came with the plastic film pieces as well, but I found that I was always getting dust behind it making it very hard to use. I ended up just not using them after that. With a new piece of single strength glass only costing about $5, I will probably just change the glass instead of fool with the film. In fact, I am probably going to be doing another upgrade soon where I make glass changing easier in the future! Also more upgrades to the dust collection.
That certainly looked like a total overhaul of the blast cabinet. Sometimes when you get a new tool it turns out to be "almost good" especially from some companies that sell imported tools if you know who I mean. Their is certainly no "product give away" from the import companies. Thanks for sharing.
I'm installing a very comparable cabinet this video is very interesting to me I like the sand injector you installed , it is much better than the original setup I duplicated it with a1 inch tee and a succession of pipes welded together with an internal angle of 6 degrees turned inside to make a funnel to the abrasive hose and I used a 3/8 steel tube coming from the opposite side of the tee to make the air makeup . I used rivnuts to eliminate the problem of reaching nuts from the inside to remove or install the glass I installed a fine mesh screen to remove large chunks that can clog the blast gun
I have the cabinet from HF and it has been a total pain in the butt since I got it. I extended the pick up tube to have 1/2" clearance from the dump door and used some 8" wide strips of rubber sheet attached to the wall to allow the media do actually get back to the bottom of the hopper. The hoses and sacrificial glass I keep spares of to cut back on down time. The next order of business is a better evacuation system over my shop vac.
Keith Rucker - VintageMachinery.org That would be nice. In 2 weeks I will be getting a larger upright air compressor on 3 phase. I am hoping that I will be able to run it off of the same static phase inverter that I am running on my Bridgeport just not both at the same time. I have been having to piggy back 2 contractor size 110 volt compressors just to be able to keep up with the demand for air.
Very interesting video. I also just completed an upgrade on my own cabinet (identical style just under a different badge). For my own upgrade I actually bought a standalone 20gallon pressure pot system and then fed this into my cabinet, using the cabinet as a media collector essentially. Makes for a really powerful and efficient setup but my needs are somewhat different from yours since I am blasting wood.
caskwith I don't think that blasting wood would be a problem with this setup, but at one time I even considered putting a pressure pot on this cabinet when I was so frustrated with it. Hopefully this setup will work just fine.
Keith Rucker - VintageMachinery.org Oh I am sure it will work great for you, I can visibly see the improvement over the other system that cabinet uses. For me I am not cleaning the wood I am texturing it to bring out the grain on wooden pipes so there are some major improvements using the pressure pot system, I am still earning though how to get a good definition and detail without blowing a hole in the side of the pipe! haha.
Good video. We placed an Oneida Dust Deputy between the cabinet and the shop vac. It keeps the filter from getting plugged and allows you to salvage the media. The Dust Deputy is a great item to have for other uses too like sanding sheetrock. Adding more light to the cabinet is a great idea too.
The best and cheapest upgrade is the pressure control valve. Run the compressor 120 to 150, set the valve to 90, and your air supply is effectively constant. Second, add a second mesh screen lower in the hopper, to catch bits. 3rd, cut and weld a gap in the top screen, so it’s removable without needing to unclip hoses. As for lube, silicone spray is most effective. I use it all the time for rubber mountings like exhaust, air filter, etc. As for the cabinet, it’s the same one I have, a generic self-assembly one. I fitted a cheap vacuum cleaner into the left side fitting. Works wonders.
Maybe you already know this, but one thing that I have found that helps the sand flow when it seems to be clogged or just not flowing as well as I'd like, is to plug the end of the gun against something and step on the pedal making the compressed air blow back through the sand. I just do this every few minutes while using it to keep the sand flowing. I'm not sure what kind of setup the cabinet the I have access to has but I know it's an older industrial unit.
jeff edison Yes, I did that a LOT with my old setup as the suction tube was always getting clogged. I did not have to do it a single time with the new setup the other day I was using it!
I have wanted to upgrade mine. Might consider the kit. The main thing is the siphon gun takes lots of air just to pull the media effectively. I run mine way to high so even with glass bead it gets a bit aggressive and shatters th glass into talc. I bet it uses less air. I don't think mine will work much below 60psi. Running 40PSI would allow my compressor to stay well ahead. The only change I would have done with the kit is to add a right angle fitting to the gun so the air and media lines point the same direction.
awesome video bud I going to buy the same blaster this weekend and so thank you for the how to video on this I found the upgrade just bought it on ebay thank you again keep up the great job
Very nice, and even though I haven't seen what literature they sent you, it sounds like they were just like IKEA furniture instructions, LOL! It being years since I had a very frustrating blast cabinet at my bodyshop, I too would love more info online to help with decision making and such. I know for certain it would improve their sales, though I'm not sure if they are ready for that or not. Thanks for sharing the refit on your page as I'm sure anyone getting minimal paper instructions will benefit from this video(I would!) too. See you when I see you...Aloha, Chuck.
Knolltop Farms Thanks Chuck - as I said, everything you need to know is in the instructions, some of it is just not as obvious as it probably should be.... As for seeing you, I am pretty sure I saw your name on that list, so maybe I will see you sooner than later!
Yes you will, I was just trying to be sly and not spill the beans before Stan got the invite out...it was hard to keep from bursting at the seams, I tell you what! Yeehaw!
Thanks for bringing this to our attention Keith! I checked EBay and they have nothing listed, I'm thinking they may need to get some sets listed as I'm sure there are other people like me that have the same set up and are going to be looking for this upgrade. Especially with you bringing this to the attention of your UA-cam followers.
Fierofreak01 Just give him a call - the phone number and email is listed at the end of my video. It is best if you talk to him first anyway as he can help determine what you really need.
Keith, you know they make mylar film for the inside to protect your glass, right? TP tools, and Eastwood both sell it. it isn't cheap, but it's less than new glass every few weeks. one thing i do in addition to the mylar is several layers of stainless steel screen oriented in different directions spaced away from the glass. it helps slow down and deflect the sand and has little effect on visibility.
I have the same cabinet in the UK but the upgrades are not available here, I need to make my own as the media keeps sticking in the tube needing blowing back. I also want to make an air cleaner tube across the glass to keep it from etching too much. Good ideas for me to follow , Many thanks
Using a heavy duty expanded metal like what is in my Eastwood cabinet could eliminate messing with the wire screen and it cut correct should just set where you want it and no other bracing under it. You might have to add 4 little blocks so it would always fit in the same location every time. In my cabinet it fits right where the bottom starts to angle towards the bottom. I have had a lot of very heavy items on it and have never had and problems. Not every one has a welder handy but will most likely have a cutter that could cut it to fit. Great informative video you have made and I will be posting that on my powder coating forum that I am a member of. The use of the hole saws are a must and I have them all but not every one so that will be an added cost for some guys for sure. The only other mod that you should have made for the bottom glass would be to make some sort of track for it to fit into for easy replacement. As soon as I run out of the glass protectors I had made I will be doing that to my cabinet.
+Keith Rucker - VintageMachinery.org 1/8" looks to be what is in mine. Even the local man here that builds BQ grills uses that for the charcoal to set on but his is flatter where mine is not and makes it a little stronger.
Keith....What was the style of the LED Lights you got at Lowes. I too have the same Blasting unit. On the window...I used 10-24 x 1-1/4 machine screws from the backside and a nut to the cabinet....then drilled the plastic frame...thru holes....now I use wing nuts on the outside of the frame. Thus the window can be removed easily for cleaning and blowing out the cabinet out doors. Thanks for the lighting help...
Keith, That baffle on the suction outlet is effectively a capture hood - the slotted opening - and a duct. The air velocity in the duct needs to be at ~3,500 ft/min minimum to significantly entrain the dust... which you may well have done, as the cross-sectional area is roughly equal to the area of the hole which hooks up to your vacuum hose. The only advantage that I can see is that it will now draw from the slotted opening at a lower level in the cabinet... that's a double edges sword, since that's both closer to your work, and moving the air at a speed similar to what it will see in the hose downstream. Suction fields are much weaker than blast fields - a jet from a duct will persist approximately 10 duct diameters out from the mouth, while a suction field at the same flow rate into a duct opening with the same diameter will only have an effect to a single duct diameter's worth of distance into the space. Bottom line: If this inlet results in less loss of media to the exhaust, it's because the opening ends up further away from your work and the dust getting blown around by the nozzle, and not due to slowing down the air at the inlet. If you find that you are still losing a lot of media to the exhaust, make a new shroud with twice the cross-sectional area - or even 4x = 2x the width and 2x the offset from the wall - or PM me and we can discuss and I can size it more exactly for you to get the air velocity down below 2,500 fpm at the open end. I used to do this for my day job - and, I still consult / moonlight in industrial ventilation... Regards, Eric
chemech Eric - a lot of information there - and quite honestly most of it was way over my head! But I get the drift of what you are saying. I have talked to Mike where I got the kit from and he has actually made some other suggested things I need to do with the dust pickup, including one thing that I did wrong with my install. I will likely have a follow up video with a few more modifications to the cabinet soon!
Keith Rucker - VintageMachinery.org Keith - That sounds interesting! Also, when I finally got to see how you are using the blaster, it became evident that you are holding the parts quite high in the cabinet, and the jet of air from the nozzle (gun) is often aimed at the location of the offtake's hole through the cabinet, or even over it... In such a case, the baffle will block the stream of media from being blown directly out the vent, and reduce the loss of grit. You may still want to fine tune things... Eric PS - I've done a *LOT* of Industrial Ventilation engineering over the years - I tend to get a bit carried away with my enthusiasm!
BTW, you should look at getting some steel grit. Locally I got #50 for $45, and it can be used 1000-1500 times. Just run it through a screen when it gets too filled with gunk. Lot less dust than sand.
another upgrade no one talks abought is higene i have a small shop with 5 guys using the bead blaster some asshole had a wart on his finger now everone has wart or or two on there fingers now i order throwaway dr exam gloves i also change the box gloves on the 1st of every month small price to pay
That looks like a really useful upgrade Kieth. As I was watching you assemble the gun, I wondered if a right angle connector or swivel banjo connector on the air hose would make the gun easier to use. The air hose wouldn't stick out as far in back.
l wilton I talked with they guys who sold me the gun and they tell me that the elbow will slow the air down as it goes through it and is not a good idea. It looks good on paper but in application it can be troublesome.
That plastic cover was probably just there as some kind of shatter protection. Dan Gelbart says the best glass to use in a blasting cabinet is the scratch resistant type used over the scanner in a supermarket checkout. That man is a smart as they come, check out his videos, he's got the finest machines on youtube.
I actually looked for those checkout counter scanner "diamond" coated glass last year after Dan Gelbert showed his installed in his blast cabinet and said they can be had for "cheap". I quickly found out that "Cheap" for a billionaire like Dan isn't cheap for an ever age guy like myself. Chris
Interesting video, looks neat to have a floor pedal. I have the same cabinet but I don't have any problems with it except the lighting witch is crap! If you get problems with a seized up gun try use less amount of sand in the cabinet, don't fill it to the top it will pack and jam. I also use a automatic timed valve in the bottom of the compressor witch opens for 3 seconds every 5 minutes and blows the water out if there is any. And ofc a water/oil filter on the air line. And make sure you use the right air pressure. The air gauge should state the recommended air pressure for the gun while you are blasting and not the pressure of the air hose.
Keith, I suspect the design for the blast cabinet with the glass on the bottom and the plastic top is to allow the plastic to absorb any glass fragments from blowing out and hitting the user. Might be worthwhile to have plastic on the top layer still.
Keith, and anyone else with a blasting cabinet like this... if you install a very fine steel mesh, like a window screen size, on the inside of the viewing window, it will basically last forever because the grains of media don't fit through the holes to etch the glass. I did this to my blasting cabinet and it was a great upgrade.
I don't have any business watching this but this guy is such an easy going easy to watch person that I just stuck through it and watched the entire thing.
I just picked up a blast cabinet, used, locally. No labels or information, but it is exactly the model Keith has! It has a badly cracked window, but otherwise sound. Thanks, Keith! I will contact the guy and get a set as I restore this cabinet for use.
Nice upgrade!! Of note, the plastic lens is supposed to be on the bottom of the glass to protect it from getting hazed by the sand. It basically does nothing on top.
I purchased the deluxe upgrade kit from Tacoma Company over a year ago and I have no complaints. It worked so well for me that I decided to buy another Harbor Freight blast cabinet and upgrade it as well. I use mine cabinet for my business so it gets used five days a week. With two cabinets I can have White Star #3 in one cabinet and Glass Bead #75 in the other. I have dealt with Tacoma Company for a couple of years now and purchased many items and I'm very satisfied with all my purchases. Good product and company.
+Steve S I have been using my cabinet more over the weekend and I am still amazed at how well this thing works with the upgrade! Thank you Mike Tacoma for providing such a great product!
I was not expecting to watch the full 38 minute video, but I did; great job. I saw the exact same blast cabinet at Harbour Freight. I really wanted it but it was just a few inches too small for my parts. I left the store disappointed and empty handed. After watching you drop your deck a few inches, you gave me hope. I'm headed back to the store to see if that mod would give me the space I need. Thank you!
Flicking through UA-cam, and found I definitely need to do these mods..... to the cabinet that I don’t own yet! Thanks for taking the time to make this! 👍
I upgraded my HF blast cabinet with the Tacoma kit about 3 yrs ago. The best thing I ever did. I love the way it works. I can blast most things at 40psi. The foot pedal is awesome. I also did some other mods to my cabinet to make it a very versatile tool.
Very nice. That valve does so much. I just did mine and it literally multiplied the volume. Thank You
Good video Keith. Very informative. Thanks for posting and i am starting on my cabinet build this weekend. Looks like a tank engine in the museum, very nice. Cheers from Texas
Hi, Keith - Thank you SO MUCH for your efforts with OWWM and VM! I'm the guy who wound up with that brand-new-in-the-crate 1950 Boice-Crane model 1400 jointer sold on your Classifieds section a few years ago. Your mods to this cabinet inspired me to throw down my 10% off coupon this past Sunday for this blast cabinet. Spent 45 minutes on the phone with Mike at Tacoma, and emerged a believer. Thanks again Keith! -Mike Fink ('DeFinkster')
I would never have thought there would be an upgrade kit for a blasting cabinet. :-) Very good and exceptionally well described and discussed. Thanks very much for your efforts to share this, Keith.
Bruce Boschek Anytime there is a substandard product being made, somebody out there will find away to improve it!
I know this video is old, but is BY FAR the best video for installing this kit. Most others are 8+ parts of 30 minutes or more and dont tell you what to even do. they are great for completely unrelated and mostly useful info. an install video for these upgrades could easily be done in 20 minutes. maybe a bit more if you add in the screen and shelf mods.
Keith of all the videos i watched assembling all the cabinets yours was the best. Thanks
Btw, I forgot to mention this earlier, thank you for the recommendation for the Deluxe Upgrade Kit with Tacoma Company. I also spoke with Mike and ordered the same kit. Since then I have also ordered several blast medias from him. Thanks to your video, I am a long time customer with Tacoma Company.
+Temuba They do a great job!
One useful upgrade is adding the largest receiver tank you can score (most hobbyists and many professionals don't know they exist or why), and preferably placing it next to your blaster so you can run a short, large diameter air hose from tank to blaster. Another upgrade is a vacuum with a dust separator, modern plastic venturi style separators being dirt cheap.
I have large hands and have had difficulty getting them in and out the gloves especially when the cabinet gets warm. I have found a secret that works. I put on a pair of very thin (almost see through) plastic gloves before sliding my hands in the gloves. The sweat and perspiration don't contact the rubber of the glove. Easy on on easy off! Be glad to send a picture! Thanks for your video.
I've done a few reckless setups in my life so far, but no matter if i see it on video or do it myself or see someone do it near me...hole saws on tiny objects on drill presses give me the chills. And the funny thing is i've never had an incident because i go out of my way to secure the work piece.
So seeing you cut that little red door, i was "nope, nope".
Odd things aside, great work on putting some functionality in this cabinet, i subscribe to this idea where you take a decent but not shining example of the "breed" and upgrade it where you can. It's a heck of a lot cheaper than buying the big bro of that cabinet. Man they overprice those.
Great job on this one, certainly going to put it in my list of to-do things.
aserta Got the same yucky feeling when Keith was drilling.....!!!
Yep, it's that last mm that catches on the teeth...lol. A large drill press vice or using a clamp will be safer.
At least I'm not the only one who sometimes cuts a corner, even when I know better!
Its amazing how much they want for sheet metal box. If I grow out of my small Tractor Supply one, get some sheet metal from the local salvage yard and use my cheap HF MIG welder.
Hi Keith, another upgrade that I saw was to use a rivet gun to put “captured nuts” on so that you could remove the screws without needing to hold the nuts inside the cabinet.
Yep, I did this with threaded insert rivet nuts. Huge improvement.
You have lots of good ideas Keith. All the best, Edgar
That's a pretty cool upgrade. After dropping a nut into the sand during a glass change I used a nutzert kit and did away with trying to do the awkward stretch to hold onto the hardware whilst swapping glass.
Chris Cramer I feel your pain - been there and done that....
Keith
Very informational video. One upgrade I did on mine was to replace the screws and nuts on the glass frame with RivNuts. They are like a threaded poprivit. I purchased the kit from Harbor Freight for around $16 after the discount and additional RivNuts onlineOn the 2 bottom corners of the frame I added 2 screws from the onside that protrude up and hold the glass from dropping while installing the frame. I used wing nuts on those 2 studs. After breaking one glass , I slipped a piece of plastic tubing over those studs to prevent another accident.
We stuck some window protecting plastic film available in rolls of varied widths. It works quite well as a peel off system. We tried stacking 4 layers at first, as in dirt bike goggle peel offs, to allow a worn film to be peeled away revealing the next layer. The company Uline rings a bell but I'm not certain. The same film was used to protect helicopter windows during rebuilds. It lasted long enough that we forgot about doing it until a newer guy tried cleaning it with MEK followed by acetone. Not a good idea. On the oldest cabinet there's a hinged, for cleaning, 1/4" mesh screen about 1/2" from the glass and it seems to work well at deflecting the media. You forget you're looking through it after a while. Enjoyed your video, thanks for letting us into your shop.
Keith I have had my blasting cab for close to or over 30 years there is no a day that goes by that I don't use it. I use what they call potters sand when I want a very fine finish like say magnetos before I rebuild them. I have also used it to blend in the scratches on the cast iron pistons as. I remember when I first got mine I was un happy because it would work some times other times nothing would come out un till I came up with a type of gun that worked fore me I fine tune each sand tube I make. any way I use mine more than any other tool in my shop. So glade to see you do a video on this. Thank you Keith.
Randall Moore Thanks Randall - I am excited with the upgrade for sure. So you rebuild magnetos.... I can think of a few around the museum that could probably use some work, including the one on that John Deere tractor we used in the last video....
I will have to look into this for ours at work. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. Holy cow, those are the thickest knives I have ever seen. Thanks.
Walter Plummer They are about 3/8" thick, which is pretty standard for bolt on knives like this.
Great video! Thanks for the information! I just purchased one of these (still in the box!) with these modifications in mind. I love your shop, over the top!
4 years later, the website is still "just a placeholder". I talked to Mike years ago about a kit. He is very knowledgeable, but honestly, there is no reason these kits cannot just be put together and ready for sale on a website, ebay or amazon. I would like Mike to know (if he ever stops in here) that there are a ton of people like me that just don't like making that call. I just want to buy the kit. Put them out there, you will sell a lot more. I am finally getting ready to make the upgrade and these kits are still not easily available. So, I watched this video again, got my list of parts and ordered them on Amazon individually. And yes, probably making the call would have taken less time, but like most shop type people (target audience in this case), I don't like talking with people I don't know, not the social butterfly. And a business that doesn't care enough to make the purchase process easy, doesn't get my business. It should be easy to give a business money, not an obstacle course.
I would buy it if it was simply on a website or ebay. I click and buy over 200 times
per year for my needs. No time for chit chat
It's like going to Wal-Mart and no prices on anything. Stop wasting peoples time. Wasting your own time too. Click and ship.
Easier to just build one. You can find the plans for free and build it with hardware store parts. I built mine years ago.
@keithRucker
There's a bit of entitlement in these comments. Typically if there's something that I want to learn... I do. Hard or not... Convenient or not. I apply myself and get it done, no bitching period. There are amazing opportunities if the work is put on the other side! Honestly... That's why I'm glad that some of the real information is still super hard to find! Excellent video! I saw another comment suggesting that he didn't intend on watching the entire video but did.... I second that✋
Great upgrades Keith. I've found keeping your bead media nice and dry helps a lot. Dry it in the sun if it gets moisture at all, like spread it out on a clean tarp in the sun or heat source. :-)
Keith
I found that using "Saran Wrap" over the inside of the sacrificial lens works great, protects and lasts along with a cheap easy change out.
As you said, nothing more frustrating then when a blast cabinet doesn't preform or when the unit works well and you have to wait on your compressor....I solved the compressor issue with the purchase of a 27cfm. At wide open, the compressor will fill the tank and shut off while supplying the blast unit!
Enjoyed the video!
Chuck
outsidescrewball Fortunately, the museum has a huge air compressor so there is no shortage of air when I am out there. Now at home, it is a different story - which is why the blasting cabinet is out at the museum! I might have to try the saran wrap trick!
Keith Rucker - VintageMachinery.org I've found florists celophane to work very well as the sacrificial surface. You can get 'tear-off' packs from some suppliers like the racers use on windscreens or visors.
The big improvement I made to my home made cabinet was to add an eductor to the bottom. The line from my foot pedal is split, with one leg going to a second pressure regulator and then feeding into a nozzle in the mixer. I set the regulator to just a few psi and it fluidises the media greatly improving pickup.
I show the setup in one of my videos, I'll link to it in a reply.
A screen made from black fibre window screening material will prevent the glass from being 'blasted'.
Make it taut and install about 1/4" below the glass window.
Sand will bounce off of the screen and the glass will not be 'blasted'.\
Black will not deter visibility.
@@EVguru did you ever find the link?
Keith Rucker, They make self adhesive plastic sheets that stick to the inside of the view glass. When they get damaged, just peel it off and stick on a new one. Keeps the glass new for a good long time. Great video!
Thanks for all your videos Keith.
I'm waiting for Mike to get back with me about my blasting cabinet upgrade.
I built it from plans and components supplied by TP Tools.
While it does a good job, I was convinced to call Mike, after watching your video and hearing you comments on the improved performance the upgrade kit made.
Much appreciated, Mike
+WMichael S I have been very impressed with the upgrade - it is so much better than what I started with!
I would put a 90 degree elbow on the back of the gun for the air hose. This will put both hoses side by side for easier moving the gun. Looks like a good kit. I like the foot pedal.
My upgrades on my old HF cabinet. Skat blast gun and pickup tube kit. LED sealed tube fish tank light that runs all the way across the inside of the tank (works awesome). Water separator in the front where i plug the air hose in. A $2 yard sale shop-vac with an extension hose running to the back of my property. I use soda media instead of sand. Sand shatters into a fine glass mist. Not good. Even with my respirator. I cut an old window screen to place inside the tank to catch anything big that may have fell off or bolts ive dropped. I use mine outside because it never fails to get some sort of dust everywhere. Finally i run a floor fan blowing on me that pushes away any dust and keeps me cool in the summer months. The most expensive item was the gun and pickup tube kit. The rest was super cheap or free. Ive used this setup for years and blast mostly old car parts etc that I sell or use. These tanks are perfectly fine to use. A large compressor is a must!
I believe you had the protection sheet on the wrong side of the glass. It’s supposed to keep the glass from being etched then you just replace the plastic sheets. I have the same cabinet I might get one of those kits. Thank you. When the suction hose would clog on me I would push the tip in my hand hit the trigger and it would blow the the hose out.
That's a neat upgrade. Really like the foot pedal. Thanks for sharing
wade hicks The foot pedal is awesome!
Ah the old adage measure twice cut once! Thx for showing this a great improvement.
I would like to say that this gentleman was very knowledgeable and precise on his presentation I found it so good that I subscrfibed
Keith,
Very nice job on your repair.
I am notably impressed as usual. Please keep em coming.
Best regards,
Your friend, Cliff
Clifford Fender Thanks Cliff - just following instruction on this one. I am just glad that I found these guys!
I used the same kit. Mike is great guy to do business with. It appears we both added a few new hole saws after buying this! Additionally, I added a few more upgrades such as a expanded metal shelf and blow off gun from TP Tools, a new light/switch/power cord assembly and used some old bed frame and casters to make it moveable.
feedinc I still have a few modifications I want to do to this blaster. There will likely be a follow up video soon!
I plan to add wheels to the base so I can move it outside to cut down on dust accumulated in the shop. Nice build thanks for the video.merry Christmas.
+Eric King Thanks Eric - Merry Christmas to you as well!
Looks like some much needed and good quality upgrades Keith. When you took the plastic lens off the glass I was yelling at you...NO...that goes under the glass! LOL
Blast cabinets can be a pain in the ass, lucky for me I have a nice high quality unit that don't need much attention the amount I use it.
That was cool seeing the "aftermarket" upgrades though!
Adam
Abom79 The funny thing about the glass on that cabinet is that it was already installed from the factory when I got it. They put in on backwards before I ever got it! Makes you wonder about the quality of some of this cheap stuff we import from China..... All in all, I think this is a very good upgrade to the blaster. You are very fortunate to have that very nice high end cabinet in your shop!
As said by others, here in, the plexi-glass sheet on the out side of the glass is there way (cheaper than tempered glass) of making a safety barrier. We suggest removing the plastic and using no other layer than a single strength sheet of (through away) glass under the existing layer of double strength. Of course, a layer of tempered or laminated safety glass would be better for this permanent layer, but two layers together is very tough and hard to break, at least more than one at a time. The clarity is the best this way. Any plastic layer, even brand new, is not as optically clear as glass, scratches easily and does do the static cling number, quickly making it very hard to clean with out pretty quickly obscuring the surface.
Abom79 I have the same cabinet & it had 2 pieces of plastic - one on the top & an replaceable one on the bottom. It came with a pack of replaceable bottom plastic units. It's possible that the original plastic sheets got lost along the way. The cabinet is fine, although the gloves go south in a few years and the exhaust is crappy. The gun, however, is really, really bad. We've been through several as well before I moved to my current shop where they have a huge industrial unit (something like 5' x 4' capacity...).
Ditto
Mike, How can I order this kit? @@tacomacompany3387
Excellent how to video Mr. Rucker! Thanks for putting this up on UA-cam.
+Thomas Ainlay Thanks for watching!
the 90's are a great idea, I'll be doing that to mine when I can find the kit, thanks
This was REALLY helpful, Keith! Thanks! I haven't needed a blaster yet, but as I acquire more and more Craigs List shop tool finds, being able to de-rust as quickly as you showed at the end would make for a GREAT upgrade to expanding my shop. For about $200 for the base HF/TS cabinet and about $400 for the deluxe upgrade, this looks to be a reasonable addition at some point. All I'd need to do is find a few more old cast-iron table saws or planer/jointers to refurbish and resell, and it would pay for itself!
Sean Harrington It is indeed a handy tool to have in a shop doing any kind of restoration work.
Hi Keith, as luck would have I am about to get/build a blasting cabinet, so I will be getting in touch with the guy to buy an upgrade of my own.
We always had a thin piece of plastic sheet between our glass and cabinent.. Like they use on those projectors of old you wrote on with a pen, clear.. Best way i can describe it.
I ordered some media from them last week, but had I known they also sold the upgrade, I would have purchased it as well...thanks for the heads up.
jfpinkston Give Mike a call or email and he can help you choose the right kit for your blaster. He is most helpful!
I have the same Harbor Freight blasting box. Over the years, I've identified all its flaws. Replaced the blast gun once because the aluminum (die cast) seam broke. Replaced the high pressure hose, with a stronger hose because the original one kept blowing off the fitting regardless of how many times I tightened the clamp. The sheet metal seams leak media everywhere! Still gotta dissassemble, clean and seal all the mating surfaces with new seals and most importantly, run beads of caulk everywhere. The foot operated air pressure controller is appealing. Must also look into a better system to keep the media fine particles in the box and not escaping into the vacuum unit I have. I saw one video of installing a baffle, but I think Harbor Freight has a filter/vac unit that attaches to the outside. Lot's of good ideas to upgrade my blaster thanks to your video. Still, for the price I paid, no complaints, but can only make it better. Thank you again.
+Carl Spence As crappy as the import units are, they can be a good starting point to build a nice system.
Keith I would always put a plate ( about 3/16 thick and about 5 or 6 inches smaller
than the size of your screen) onto the top of the screen. It would distribute the weight
of heavier parts aand it also made it easier to move the part around while blasting it.
The media was still able to fall to the bottom. Just an idea that works.
Thanks for all your videos. I really enjoy them.
Tom Bellus Thanks Tom!
....great show, and a nice walk thru on the upgrade and how it works. Have the same unit in my shop and it never has worked really well.....appreciate the info.
Rick L So far, I am a very happy customer. I will be interested to see how well it is still working in a year, but I have a lot of confidence that it will hold up much better than that cheap junk that came with the cabinet!
Hello Keith,
Very handy tool that blasting cabinet and it saves a lot of time to undo rust, but a pity that those cabinets are so expensive as you told. Mostly I use the old fashioned way with a steelbrush and sandpaper to undo rust but not the finest work to do.
Thanks for the interesting video and many greetings from Roel !
RoelTyros I think that I have used just about every method under the sun to remove rust, but blasting is by far the quickest and easiest way to get the job done!
Hi Keith, I will make one little sugestion that you might allready know .about every week fire it up to keep the media from turning to stone and requiring more maintenance than necessary sence it is located outside. I like what I see hope you get meany years of good service out of it.
James Parker Which is why I always "drain" the media out of the cabinet after use and store it in water tight plastic tubs. I will also sometimes drop light down into the bucket overnight to dry the media out between uses.
Keith- nice video. I might suggest you consider putting a right angle fitting on the back of the gun so you can route both the media and air hose together and you won't have that big loop of air hose banging around in the cabinet.
Jeff Seward That sounds like a great idea!
TP Tools puts out a great Asian blast cabinet upgrade kit. Works like a charm and you can even order carbide tips instead of ceramic. Foot pedal or trigger operated guns are available. They also stock heavy duty gloves to replace the cheapo ones that come with the cabinet.
Thank you for taking the time to make this video. I am planning to build a shop and will soon be in the market for a blast cabinet, and this information will be invaluable in giving another angle to perhaps control some costs..
Arlyn Smith The cost of one of these blasters plus the upgrade kit will cost you some cash, but I do believe that the combination is still a lot cheaper than some of the high end blasters out there.
You seem like a very nice person and SMART and I love the Train in the background. My Grandson would love it too. I like to etch glass dishes and am looking for a more economical way of doing it rather than the cream. Thanks for the video how to. :)
+CherCherie Thanks for watching!
Very nice video. I get mine tomorrow. Will have to pause and do as i put it togethet.good trails to sir.dont worry about the negative people.
I placed a fine mesh screen from Mcmaster-Carr under my glass works great. I also cut the back down both sides and across the top, bent the section out about 30 degrees and then filled in the gap on both sides and top. This allows you to lean 17" rims back for better viewing.
i think one of the more important mods is sealing the cabinet better so you're not breathing in the fine dust and loosing blast media on the floor.
no one seems to either have the problem or care. i had media spewing from between the trap door bracket and the funnel when in operation.
i also had fine dust seeping around the glass and armhole gaskets, as well as media and dust going through a gap between the door seal and body near the back leg.
the cabinet is not only cheaply built but also a health risk. even if you dont use actual sand the any fine dust going into your lungs at alarming rate is not great either.
first time i used it my breathing was noticeably harder for the rest of the day.
i been trying to seal it up but a new week spot shows up.
The plastic goes on the inside to prolong the visibility of the glass.
It's mentioned in the video - wrong or right, the setup shown was as provided by the factory.
It goes on the outside to protect your face if the glass shatters
@@sweed7777 you are correct. There are sacrificial plastic films that are installed to the inside glass surface. If you look at the part of the video where he takes the window out, you see a dirty rectangle on the glass, this is from the double sided tape from the missing plastic films that collected dust.
@Marcus Keeler yes, the outside has a plexiglass sheet to protect you and your face. mine shattered and i was glad the plexi was there. the inside is supposed to be protected by a replaceable taped on Mylar film (www.tptools.com/SearchResult.aspx?searchPhrase=mylar+film%29%29 click on the "abrasive blasting" tab). thats how every cabinet i've seen has was set up, and i used to be a professional sandblaster.
@@SekTauBand every blaster I've used has the plastic film on the inside and the glass outside. I've been blasting for 18 years in plating shops, I've never seen the plastic on the outside.
I use a couple of tempered glass screen protectors designed for iPads vs plastic or sacrificial glass. The screen protectors shed dust and resist scratches, last 5yrs (in my case) and typically cost ~ $5.
😊thank you so much. You answered many questions in one video. Mainly I understood what you where saying. Appreciate it!😊
Couple other upgrades for these cabinets. For the glass you can buy tear off mylar sheets like the racers use to protect the glass, easier than needing to tear apart the cabinet every time. Another trick is to replace the bolt/nut system on the glass retainer with riv-nuts in the cabinet. That way you don't need to reach inside the cabinet to remove the retainer (I also used them for the glove rings).
For folks who don't use their cabinet a lot there is an extra step that can help make the media easier to deal with. When you get done using the blaster, drop the blast media out into a sealed container. That will help keep it dry between uses.
For the vent system a shop vac works somewhat. I opted to make a cyclone for my cabinet and used one of the smaller dust collectors sold by HF. Made it much easier to see what you're doing.
***** I had never heard of "rivnuts" before - I am going to have to look into that after a quick google search! I can see where those would be very handy. As for dropping the media, I do that every time I use the blaster, it really helps keep the media in better shape. I will also drop a light bulb into the bucket the night before I am going to use it to help dry out any moisture in the media. As for dust collection, I am actually going to be making some more upgrades in that area soon....
You can find a low cost version at HF www.harborfreight.com/45-piece-threaded-insert-riveter-kit-1210.html
They are aluminum inserts but they work OK for stuff you won't be taking apart weekly. A lot of the supply companies sell similar kits. I keep aluminum, steel, and stainless on hand in a variety of sizes. They are great to create threads in sheet material.
Steve
Hi Keith,
That's a great update for your blast cabinet! I also liked the support piece that you made for under the screen. It seems like that is also a necessary item unless you always work with light gauge materials. Thanks for sharing!
-mike
***** Thanks - I agree that the bracket should be a big help, particularly with the heavy stuff I am usually blasting!
Thanks for doing this video, I was using my harbor freight twin to this yesterday on a ford gas tank and it really has limited room, poor lighting, and the siphon gun is big and award to use on the left side of the cabinet. Needless to say after that project I was ready to build a bigger one but I really don't have the room to put one. This gives me hope for mine.
austinwagoncompany So far, I am very happy with this upgrade!
Hello Keith from the UK, I bought one these blasters for £185 delivered to my door about a year ago. Mine came with plastic film like pieces with sticky rubber on to attach to the inside of the screen.
I run mine at 150 lbs sq, inch, I use an ordinary domestic hoover but it has to be a bagged type, recycle types only live for hours.
I use an exterior light from a desk lamp on mine, but the light is hopeless, thinking about rigging up something like yours one day, my outer plastic "glass" is melted too!
I blasted a small 125cc motorcycle frame in mine too, but had to keep opening up to move it around.
I use aluminium oxide medium in mine, I used to use block paving sand, but contains silica and can give your lungs silicosis if breathed in in quantity.
I welded two sets of large swivel type wheels to mine, it's so easy to manouvre now, especially with a cwt. of medium in it!
Dryness of air etc sometimes makes static which causes the medioum to stick to the plastic outer screen, I wipe with a damp cloth occasionally, always enjoy your very interesting videos thank you, David.
David Dale My blaster came with the plastic film pieces as well, but I found that I was always getting dust behind it making it very hard to use. I ended up just not using them after that. With a new piece of single strength glass only costing about $5, I will probably just change the glass instead of fool with the film. In fact, I am probably going to be doing another upgrade soon where I make glass changing easier in the future! Also more upgrades to the dust collection.
That certainly looked like a total overhaul of the blast cabinet. Sometimes when you get a new tool it turns out to be "almost good" especially from some companies that sell imported tools if you know who I mean. Their is certainly no "product give away" from the import companies. Thanks for sharing.
cerberus About the only part that is left from the original setup is the cabinet itself! The rest of the components are just junk....
I'm installing a very comparable cabinet
this video is very interesting to me
I like the sand injector you installed , it is much better than the original setup I duplicated it with a1 inch tee and a succession of pipes welded together with an internal angle of 6 degrees turned inside to make a funnel to the abrasive hose and I used a 3/8 steel tube coming from the opposite side of the tee to make the air makeup .
I used rivnuts to eliminate the problem of reaching nuts from the inside to remove or install the glass
I installed a fine mesh screen to remove large chunks that can clog the blast gun
I have the cabinet from HF and it has been a total pain in the butt since I got it. I extended the pick up tube to have 1/2" clearance from the dump door and used some 8" wide strips of rubber sheet attached to the wall to allow the media do actually get back to the bottom of the hopper. The hoses and sacrificial glass I keep spares of to cut back on down time. The next order of business is a better evacuation system over my shop vac.
VEMWMIKE I am hoping to have some more videos down the road where I can talk about improving both of those things!
Keith Rucker - VintageMachinery.org That would be nice. In 2 weeks I will be getting a larger upright air compressor on 3 phase. I am hoping that I will be able to run it off of the same static phase inverter that I am running on my Bridgeport just not both at the same time. I have been having to piggy back 2 contractor size 110 volt compressors just to be able to keep up with the demand for air.
Very interesting video. I also just completed an upgrade on my own cabinet (identical style just under a different badge). For my own upgrade I actually bought a standalone 20gallon pressure pot system and then fed this into my cabinet, using the cabinet as a media collector essentially. Makes for a really powerful and efficient setup but my needs are somewhat different from yours since I am blasting wood.
caskwith I don't think that blasting wood would be a problem with this setup, but at one time I even considered putting a pressure pot on this cabinet when I was so frustrated with it. Hopefully this setup will work just fine.
Keith Rucker - VintageMachinery.org Oh I am sure it will work great for you, I can visibly see the improvement over the other system that cabinet uses. For me I am not cleaning the wood I am texturing it to bring out the grain on wooden pipes so there are some major improvements using the pressure pot system, I am still earning though how to get a good definition and detail without blowing a hole in the side of the pipe! haha.
I also upgraded with Mike's deluxe kit. I cannot recommend him highly enough. My cabinet is now a media blast MONSTER!!!
+lockbuilder Agreed - it does an excellent job!
Good video. We placed an Oneida Dust Deputy between the cabinet and the shop vac. It keeps the filter from getting plugged and allows you to salvage the media. The Dust Deputy is a great item to have for other uses too like sanding sheetrock. Adding more light to the cabinet is a great idea too.
+Gary Z I am wanting to put come kind of cyclone in there and have thought about using one of those Dust Deputy's.
The best and cheapest upgrade is the pressure control valve.
Run the compressor 120 to 150, set the valve to 90, and your air supply is effectively constant.
Second, add a second mesh screen lower in the hopper, to catch bits.
3rd, cut and weld a gap in the top screen, so it’s removable without needing to unclip hoses.
As for lube, silicone spray is most effective. I use it all the time for rubber mountings like exhaust, air filter, etc.
As for the cabinet, it’s the same one I have, a generic self-assembly one. I fitted a cheap vacuum cleaner into the left side fitting. Works wonders.
Maybe you already know this, but one thing that I have found that helps the sand flow when it seems to be clogged or just not flowing as well as I'd like, is to plug the end of the gun against something and step on the pedal making the compressed air blow back through the sand. I just do this every few minutes while using it to keep the sand flowing. I'm not sure what kind of setup the cabinet the I have access to has but I know it's an older industrial unit.
jeff edison Yes, I did that a LOT with my old setup as the suction tube was always getting clogged. I did not have to do it a single time with the new setup the other day I was using it!
Wow that is definitely a heck of an upgrade then. Wish they would do the same to the one I use once in a while. Lol.
I have wanted to upgrade mine. Might consider the kit.
The main thing is the siphon gun takes lots of air just to pull the media effectively. I run mine way to high so even with glass bead it gets a bit aggressive and shatters th glass into talc.
I bet it uses less air. I don't think mine will work much below 60psi. Running 40PSI would allow my compressor to stay well ahead.
The only change I would have done with the kit is to add a right angle fitting to the gun so the air and media lines point the same direction.
Scott Henion I like the idea of the right angle fitting - I might have to look into that.
This is probably way to late for u to respond but have u tried mounting the media to a bucket/hopper up top to use gravity to ur advantage
Worth a test drive, @@adamryan4137.
I hope you do an update on this in the future after some more use. I have never used a decent blast cabinet but I would love to have one!
bcbloc02 Will do!
Nice video! I added a "duststopper" from Home depot to my shop vac. Everything goes in the bucket and doesnt clog the filter.
awesome video bud I going to buy the same blaster this weekend and so thank you for the how to video on this I found the upgrade just bought it on ebay thank you again keep up the great job
Very nice, and even though I haven't seen what literature they sent you, it sounds like they were just like IKEA furniture instructions, LOL! It being years since I had a very frustrating blast cabinet at my bodyshop, I too would love more info online to help with decision making and such. I know for certain it would improve their sales, though I'm not sure if they are ready for that or not. Thanks for sharing the refit on your page as I'm sure anyone getting minimal paper instructions will benefit from this video(I would!) too.
See you when I see you...Aloha, Chuck.
Knolltop Farms Thanks Chuck - as I said, everything you need to know is in the instructions, some of it is just not as obvious as it probably should be.... As for seeing you, I am pretty sure I saw your name on that list, so maybe I will see you sooner than later!
Yes you will, I was just trying to be sly and not spill the beans before Stan got the invite out...it was hard to keep from bursting at the seams, I tell you what! Yeehaw!
Thanks for the video. I just got down building my blaster on my channel.
Thanks for bringing this to our attention Keith! I checked EBay and they have nothing listed, I'm thinking they may need to get some sets listed as I'm sure there are other people like me that have the same set up and are going to be looking for this upgrade. Especially with you bringing this to the attention of your UA-cam followers.
Fierofreak01 Just give him a call - the phone number and email is listed at the end of my video. It is best if you talk to him first anyway as he can help determine what you really need.
Keith, you know they make mylar film for the inside to protect your glass, right? TP tools, and Eastwood both sell it. it isn't cheap, but it's less than new glass every few weeks. one thing i do in addition to the mylar is several layers of stainless steel screen oriented in different directions spaced away from the glass. it helps slow down and deflect the sand and has little effect on visibility.
Love the clip, just purchased a new 18 cfm compressor 120 litre tank and want a blasting cabinet and used would be good.
I have the same cabinet in the UK but the upgrades are not available here, I need to make my own as the media keeps sticking in the tube needing blowing back. I also want to make an air cleaner tube across the glass to keep it from etching too much. Good ideas for me to follow , Many thanks
Using a heavy duty expanded metal like what is in my Eastwood cabinet could eliminate messing with the wire screen and it cut correct should just set where you want it and no other bracing under it. You might have to add 4 little blocks so it would always fit in the same location every time. In my cabinet it fits right where the bottom starts to angle towards the bottom. I have had a lot of very heavy items on it and have never had and problems. Not every one has a welder handy but will most likely have a cutter that could cut it to fit. Great informative video you have made and I will be posting that on my powder coating forum that I am a member of. The use of the hole saws are a must and I have them all but not every one so that will be an added cost for some guys for sure. The only other mod that you should have made for the bottom glass would be to make some sort of track for it to fit into for easy replacement. As soon as I run out of the glass protectors I had made I will be doing that to my cabinet.
+duke barron I like the idea of the expanded metal for sure!
+Keith Rucker - VintageMachinery.org 1/8" looks to be what is in mine. Even the local man here that builds BQ grills uses that for the charcoal to set on but his is flatter where mine is not and makes it a little stronger.
Thank you from Great Britain. We also have the same cabinet and appreciate your upgrade video , many thanks
Thank you!
Keith....What was the style of the LED Lights you got at Lowes. I too have the same Blasting unit. On the window...I used 10-24 x 1-1/4 machine screws from the backside and a nut to the cabinet....then drilled the plastic frame...thru holes....now I use wing nuts on the outside of the frame. Thus the window can be removed easily for cleaning and blowing out the cabinet out doors. Thanks for the lighting help...
Keith,
That baffle on the suction outlet is effectively a capture hood - the slotted opening - and a duct.
The air velocity in the duct needs to be at ~3,500 ft/min minimum to significantly entrain the dust... which you may well have done, as the cross-sectional area is roughly equal to the area of the hole which hooks up to your vacuum hose.
The only advantage that I can see is that it will now draw from the slotted opening at a lower level in the cabinet... that's a double edges sword, since that's both closer to your work, and moving the air at a speed similar to what it will see in the hose downstream.
Suction fields are much weaker than blast fields - a jet from a duct will persist approximately 10 duct diameters out from the mouth, while a suction field at the same flow rate into a duct opening with the same diameter will only have an effect to a single duct diameter's worth of distance into the space.
Bottom line: If this inlet results in less loss of media to the exhaust, it's because the opening ends up further away from your work and the dust getting blown around by the nozzle, and not due to slowing down the air at the inlet.
If you find that you are still losing a lot of media to the exhaust, make a new shroud with twice the cross-sectional area - or even 4x = 2x the width and 2x the offset from the wall - or PM me and we can discuss and I can size it more exactly for you to get the air velocity down below 2,500 fpm at the open end.
I used to do this for my day job - and, I still consult / moonlight in industrial ventilation...
Regards,
Eric
chemech Eric - a lot of information there - and quite honestly most of it was way over my head! But I get the drift of what you are saying. I have talked to Mike where I got the kit from and he has actually made some other suggested things I need to do with the dust pickup, including one thing that I did wrong with my install. I will likely have a follow up video with a few more modifications to the cabinet soon!
Keith Rucker - VintageMachinery.org Keith - That sounds interesting! Also, when I finally got to see how you are using the blaster, it became evident that you are holding the parts quite high in the cabinet, and the jet of air from the nozzle (gun) is often aimed at the location of the offtake's hole through the cabinet, or even over it...
In such a case, the baffle will block the stream of media from being blown directly out the vent, and reduce the loss of grit.
You may still want to fine tune things...
Eric
PS - I've done a *LOT* of Industrial Ventilation engineering over the years - I tend to get a bit carried away with my enthusiasm!
BTW, you should look at getting some steel grit. Locally I got #50 for $45, and it can be used 1000-1500 times. Just run it through a screen when it gets too filled with gunk. Lot less dust than sand.
Very nice product. How much for that model?
For years I had the same problem,...now I know where to look! Thanks!
chijpirijimbanipum I have used this new setup a few more times since shooting the video - so far, I am really liking the upgrades!
Great video Keith 👍
I'm more interested in the lights. Wish you would have shown that, and some part numbers.
YOU did a Great job on the upgrade!
+YANGNIMOG Thank you!
another upgrade no one talks abought is higene i have a small shop with 5 guys using the bead blaster some asshole had a wart on his finger now everone has wart or or two on there fingers now i order throwaway dr exam gloves i also change the box gloves on the 1st of every month small price to pay
That looks like a really useful upgrade Kieth. As I was watching you assemble the gun, I wondered if a right angle connector or swivel banjo connector on the air hose would make the gun easier to use. The air hose wouldn't stick out as far in back.
l wilton I talked with they guys who sold me the gun and they tell me that the elbow will slow the air down as it goes through it and is not a good idea. It looks good on paper but in application it can be troublesome.
nice blasting cabinet upgrades
David Howard Thanks!
That plastic cover was probably just there as some kind of shatter protection.
Dan Gelbart says the best glass to use in a blasting cabinet is the scratch resistant type used over the scanner in a supermarket checkout. That man is a smart as they come, check out his videos, he's got the finest machines on youtube.
I actually looked for those checkout counter scanner "diamond" coated glass last year after Dan Gelbert showed his installed in his blast cabinet and said they can be had for "cheap". I quickly found out that "Cheap" for a billionaire like Dan isn't cheap for an ever age guy like myself.
Chris
+stefantrethan
Try www.tptools.com/LensesandWindow-Components.html for lens protectors, also Grizzly sells them.
+WMichael S
www.grizzly.com/products/Large-Replacement-Films-for-G0707-G0708-5-pk-/T27300?Page&
Hi Keith,you might check into a carbide nozzle instead of the ceramic type, they are a little bit more expensive ,but last for a very long time.
douglas brown Yes, somebody else has also mentioned those. Something worth looking into for sure!
Interesting video, looks neat to have a floor pedal.
I have the same cabinet but I don't have any problems with it except the lighting witch is crap!
If you get problems with a seized up gun try use less amount of sand in the cabinet, don't fill it to the top it will pack and jam.
I also use a automatic timed valve in the bottom of the compressor witch opens for 3 seconds every 5 minutes and blows the water out if there is any. And ofc a water/oil filter on the air line.
And make sure you use the right air pressure. The air gauge should state the recommended air pressure for the gun while you are blasting and not the pressure of the air hose.
I imagine you are starting with a much better starting setup than what came in this import cabinet. The new system works perfectly!
where do you find an "automatic timed valve"?
Search on this, 121343212169 , on ebay and you get the idea.
Keith, I suspect the design for the blast cabinet with the glass on the bottom and the plastic top is to allow the plastic to absorb any glass fragments from blowing out and hitting the user. Might be worthwhile to have plastic on the top layer still.
x65535x I am pretty sure that was just put on backwards at the factory.