Question about bead blaster

I have been building bits and spurs for a living for nearly twenty years and its past time for the old dog to learn new tricks.I have a bead blaster I bought from Harbor Freight about eight years ago and never have used it much and was wondering if others have had the same problem.When being used even at the very start it purges thru the gun and never keeps an even flow or really cleans anything.I tried 80 grit glass beads,I have no moisture in my lines and my compressor is a 6.5 horse 6o gallon tank ,10.5 cfm @ 90 psi.Line length is not a problem because I can sit it next to the compressor and still have the same problems.
I have thought about ordering a new gun from TPI but not sure if it is the problem.I have heard others using basically the same compressor as I am and say they are having great results.They say they can clean the excess solder right off easily.I use stay brite solder.
Any suggestions or am I wasting my time with a bead blaster.Thank you!

Howdy Tejas,

I get great results using probably the same set up as you. Anytime that I have had flow problems through the gun it has been a result of a blockage in the bead feed tube. I slip the feed tube off of the gun and then put the feed tube onto the discharge end of the gun and blow out the feed hose and tube. This usually fixes the problem. The gun basically works on a venturi system so there aren't any real moving parts.

I will say that I would keep after it until you get it figured out as it is a real work saver for me.

D.C.

Another thought! What size orifice are you using in the ceramic tip?

D.C.

Feed tube and hose were the first things i have always checked.I tried diffrent orifices.Still same problems.
TexasJake

Hello Tejasjake, D.C. is right on both counts, but here is something else to think about. There should be a hole in the in top of the tube that comes out of your hopper about a 1/4 inch hole to allow air into the sand line this creats a vaccume that sucks the sand into the gun. If there is not one there you need to drill one.

My blaster works better with the large diamater nozzle, I buy the carbide nozzle from MSC. In fact I bought the gun with the hose for about $30.00.

The way that I get an obstruction out of my line is to put my finger over the nozzle and pull the trigger this blows the sand back in the opposite direction and cleans out the line.
One other thought alliuminum oxide is cheaper and cuts better 150 or 180 grit will proberably serve you well.

Good luck

Ed

I may add that it does act like a restriction problem at the gun. When I lift the hose and tube up they will be full of glass.For some reason it seems to not be pulled thru the gun.More time is spent draining the tube.

I have built two blast cabinets of my own the most recent is a cadalac. But with out that hole in the tube it won't work.

Ed

Ed,my set up is a metal tube connecting to a rubber hose ,hose then connects to gun.If I understand right I should drill a hole in the side of the metal tube just under where the rubber hose starts?
This is a great site!

Texasjake, No. the hole must be on top on the tube or the sand will fall out the side. When it is working properly, you can look in the top of the hole and see the sand flowing through the tube.

Ed

Baking soda works pretty good for blasting stuff when you can't have glass or sand getting in the works. It's not very aggressive though.

blaster

I have a small valve teed in along the suction tube that will allow air to enter and mix with the media in the tube. Here are some other good tips. A good air dryer is a must and make sure that you have just enough material in the hopper so that the tube entrance is just covered by one inch of media. It will flow in easier that way. If you are going to do a lot of blasting on ferris and non ferris metals, try to use different medias for each.

Just wanted everyone to know I solved my blasting problem.I put the media in my mouth and blow it thru a straw.Works much better than what i was using.
Seriously,I bought a new blaster and it is much better.I can see now that there was a lot of problems with my old one.I still need to experiment with diffrent medias till I find the right type and grit.
Thanks for everyones help.

Depending on what you're doing as to what media will work best. AO (aluminum oxide) will last the longest as far as durability is concerned but if you're crapping it up removing paint/rust durability means nothing because there's no effective way to clean it so you'll be throwing it away long before its lifespan has been reached.

Glass beads break down quickly and won't be very aggressive at removing rust/forge scale after the first time it runs through the cycle.

Sand is usually the most cost effective. You can get regular blasting sand or the cheaper play sand, there ain't no difference but the price. No matter which you go with, run it through 26-30 mesh window screen prior to putting it in the blaster to remove all the oversize and crud that'll plug the system up.

If you're doing more scale & rust than anything else, invest in a hopper magnet, it'll catch about 90% of the magnetic waste and keep the media fairly clean.

Put a full-port 1/4" or reduced port 3/8" ball valve on the supply line lowering the pressure by choking off the air supply you can still run an aggressive media w/o and reduce the amount of work surface distortion. Reason I use a ball valve instead of a regulator is because the gun will get full pressure when you hit the trigger blowing out any media that may have collected in the nozzle eliminating the annoyance of clearing jams common to low pressure operation - once the air flow starts, the pressure will drop immediately because the supply is being throttled by the valve.

Iron shot will produce a matt finish much like glass beads but unless you have an automatic hopper mixer and dehumidifier, the slightest hint of moisture is going to result in you finding a giant lump of rust in your hopper.

Ground volcanic glass is more aggressive and durable than the beads but it's high cost and is not as durable as plain old sand.

If you want better aggression without the resultant rough finish, mix 30-50% screened sand with glass beads and throttle the pressure back a little but not too much.

Crushed walnut/pecan shell media doesn't last long beating it on iron but it sure leaves a silky smooth finish.