Re: Media blaster troubleshooting

[Butch Edison <waedison@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Wow, thanks Dave. I can see 2-3 things right away to check. First, my air pressure is at 120 psi. You and others have talked about the depth of the pickup tube in the media, so will try different things with that as well. I was using #70 grit aluminum oxide for general cleaning. Is that a good choice? 



No one has talked about the gun itself. Are there differences between brands. The reason I ask is that the Northern Tool cabinet came with a gun that only cleaned a circle of about 1/2",  I took the gun off my cheap Sears outdoor blaster and put it on. For awhile, probably 20 hours, it worked GREAT, cleaned about a 2" circle. It has a ceramic tip, but I don't know if it's worn out or not.  The NT gun was just pot metal, no ceramic tips. Any advice on the gun itself would be appreciated. 



Thank you to all who are contributing. It's very much appreciated. /Butch/Ferndale, WA 




----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Bailey" <bb64d440@xxxxxxxxxxx> 
To: 1962to1965mopars@xxxxxxxxxx 
Sent: Monday, July 19, 2010 8:07:21 AM 
Subject: RE: Media blaster troubleshooting 




I’ve used several different types of media / sand blasters over the years ranging from the (monster) industrial pressurized pot, gravity feed pot and the hopper cabinet gravity feed types. All have a similar learning curve for usage. And despite how simple they are operationally, you’re sure to experience a fit or two until you grasp what’s happening and how to “minimize” common problems. I can offer these suggestions for better (constant) operation. 
An air compressor - capable of delivering a “minimum” of 14 CFPM. More is always better. 
Dry air – All I use is a standard regulator w/ moister trap at the unit. This works well for me but I make sure to bleed off acuminated water every day or before each use, especially so, around periods of warm humid weather. But this should be done regardless. 
Air pressure at the unit - Depending on the media in use (coarse to fine) and the material of the item being blasted, I found between 60 psi to 90 psi. Works best (for me). 
Amount of media – Start by adding media to a few inches (3 to 4) above the pick-up point. Too little OR too much media and it will start off OK then soon begin pulsing sporadically or turn to just air. Add or remove media for good operation. The same symptoms will also start occurring as foreign debris accumulates (and it will) in the media. 
Hint, I’ve found with my unit from new, that I had to adjust or lower the pick-up tube level in the hopper. It seems to pick-up better and I use less (of that expensive) media to cover it. 
In my cabinet - I put a random sized (small) ¼” thick aluminum plate on the expanded metal work surface. This gives me a small solid surface to work on and provides an area for me to occasionally hold the nozzle squarely against to quickly “back flush” or clear debris from the pick-up tube with short bursts (only) when it starts displaying those pesty symptoms. That way I don’t have to be kicking the hopper. Additionally, I put a round rod down through the mesh surface long enough to reach the bottom and protrude as a handle at the top. I use this most of the time as a kind of “back rest” to help support larger flat pieces while blasting but also to occasionally stir the media, closing the little “crater” that forms at the mouth of pick-up tube. That little “crater” happens as the media is being used meaning the media itself is actually reducing in size to the point that you no longer have the same level you started with. Which tells me I’m starting with the right amount. I then will either add a little more fresh media OR empty and refill depending dirt accumulation or what I’m doing at the time. 
Also, don’t be too quick to throw away that “used” media. If it began as a coarse grade it may well serve as good fine grade after being screened. I might even blend it with another grade. This can go a long way toward stretching out new material and it’s not quite as aggressive. 
Accessories – Interior lighting is a huge plus. 
As is a good filtering system. My cabinet as with most others comes with a (sometimes free?) dust collector, which in my opinion is just plain useless! I spent more time cleaning it than using it, only to quit working again after another five minutes! I’ve seen standard shop vacs work better and last longer. Myself, I bought a separate filter system for this purpose. It works really well and it lasts a lot longer between necessary cleanings. 
Breathing air quality!!! – I was using the cabinet for several hours one day soon after I got it, you know, anxious and all, with glass bead in it and later that evening I didn’t feel quite right. Suspecting, maybe the silica dust (?), and the next morning I found a lot of dust everywhere around the cabinet, on the floor etc. (Very slippery on a painted floor I might add). From then on I wear a painters respirator at the cabinet and have not experienced that since. A word to the wise!   
I hope this helps someone replace frustration (or worse) with actual enjoyment of their blast cabinet! 
I can hear y’all now, Why is it this guy can never explain anything in a simple single paragraph? I don’t know, wish I could. I’m not this talk-ative in person! 
  
Dave B 

  
> To: 1962to1965mopars@xxxxxxxxxx 
> From: waedison@xxxxxxxxxxx 
> Subject: Media blaster troubleshooting 
> Date: Sun, 18 Jul 2010 15:30:26 -0700 
> 
> 
> I bought a Northern Tool Media blast cabinet some months ago. It is way 
> smarter than me and it hurts to say you've been outsmarted by sand and 
> compressed air!. I have a large snap-on 7 HP 175 PSI 80 gallon compressor so 
> think I should have enough air. I'm trying to use 70 grit aluminum oxide to 
> clean some wheels. The thing barely draws for awhile, then it will work like 
> magic for a couple of minutes, then back to nothing or next to nothing. I've 
> tried changing guns, running the media pickup tube in and out of the media. 
> Nothing seems to work for more than a couple of minutes. I have an air dryer 
> in line with the media cabinet. 
> 
> If you've had some lessons learned with these things, please tell me what 
> you've found out through your use. This thing could easily end up in the 
> scrap yard, but I think it's probably something I'm just not understanding 
> about how to use it. 
> 
> Thanks for any help. /Butch/ Ferndale, WA 
> 
> 
> ---- 
> Please address private mail -- mail of interest to only one person -- directly to that person. I.e., send parts/car transactions and negotiations as well as other personal messages only to the intended recipient, not to the Clubhouse public address. This practice will protect your privacy, reduce the total volume of mail and fine tune the content signal to Mopar topic. Thanks! 
> 
> 1962 to 1965 Mopar Clubhouse Discussion Guidelines: 
> http://www.1962to1965mopar.ornocar.org/mletiq.html and http://www.1962to1965mopar.ornocar.com/general_disclaimer.html. 
> 
> 
                                                
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---- 
Please address private mail -- mail of interest to only one person -- directly to that person.  I.e., send parts/car transactions and negotiations as well as other personal messages only to the intended recipient, not to the Clubhouse public address. This practice will protect your privacy, reduce the total volume of mail and fine tune the content signal to Mopar topic.  Thanks! 

1962 to 1965 Mopar Clubhouse Discussion Guidelines: 
http://www.1962to1965mopar.ornocar.org/mletiq.html and http://www.1962to1965mopar.ornocar.com/general_disclaimer.html. 



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]


----
Please address private mail -- mail of interest to only one person -- directly to that person.  I.e., send parts/car transactions and negotiations as well as other personal messages only to the intended recipient, not to the Clubhouse public address. This practice will protect your privacy, reduce the total volume of mail and fine tune the content signal to Mopar topic.  Thanks!

1962 to 1965 Mopar Clubhouse Discussion Guidelines:
http://www.1962to1965mopar.ornocar.org/mletiq.html and http://www.1962to1965mopar.ornocar.com/general_disclaimer.html. 

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