On Thu, 07 Aug 2008 16:39:51 -0400, Michael Horowitz
wrote:

I came upon a Clarke sandblaster gun, filled it with abrasive, ran the
pressure up to 100 PSI and tried it out. this is a syphon type blaster
that looks a bit like a paint sprayer.

I know when spraying paint folks advise you to have something in the
line to dry the air. Is a dryer necessary if I'm spraying abrasive?

Has anyone had results they were please with using a sandblaster gun?
- Mike


I spent weeks and weeks and weeks bead blasting my Auster Fuselage.
most of the time is spent waiting for the compresser(s) to pump up.
3 compressers Tee'd together work almost manageably to give near
continuous air. if you are doing it this way a good trick is to alter
the control valves so that they kick in at different pressures. just
by listening you can tell what pressure you have.

a better source is a trailer mounted diesel compressor, the type you
hire. these deliver full pressure on a continuous basis. I suggested
this to one of my mates. the bugger bead blasted an entire fuselage in
1 day.

moisture you will see as a dark spot in the centre of the bead spray
on the tube you are beading off. if you get the dreaded dark spot then
you should try the combined water traps pressure reducers in the line.
some people use 2 or three of them, placing them between line
sections. the dark spot is caused by condensation and will often
develop corrosion overnight.


you will need to replace nozzles on a regular basis. I machined
myself up nozzles in nylon that worked as well as the original ones.
you can tell when they need replacing because the internal passage
wears out oval and you lose the volume of beads you need.

you are wearing protective gear right?
a good timesaver is to cover the faceplate with some thin transparent
plastic. this will fog up gradually as the bounced beads abrade it.
you just tear off the transparent plastic and replace it. saves
stuffing up the mask's actual faceplate.

be sure to wear breathing protection.

Stealth Pilot