I've had a blasting cabinet for about 6 years now, I used it alot when I first got it on VW builds for the first few years but I always used the cheap "play sand" style material. It never worked very well, always clogged, took forever to strip stuff as well, and simply beats the hellout of everything. But that all I could get for product around town. I pushed that baby off to the side a few years ago, I honestly was going to put it up on freecycle the other day as it takes up soo much space (its the large cabinet that places like HF sell and I built a rolling cart for it to sit on).
but I was in harbor freight as their is one in the county now, and they are starting to stock different blasting material so I bought a 20+ dollar little box of glass bead and hoped it worked ok for that kind of cash! Man, what a difference! I never knew it could be so good! I feel like a moron using that cheap crap all those years (thinking it was more the crappy cabinet bought at the rolling tool sale, not the sand). That thing is working smooth as butter, a part that would take me say 5 minutes before to blast clean, takes half that with the glass bead, dust is way down, and the part looks better when done.
Now I have to find some new sacrificial stick on clear sheets as mine have had it and I'm down to one tip as well. In a pinch I tapped saran wrap to the door so I could kinda see in there as I have now gone sandblast crazy again:thumbsup:
but I was in harbor freight as their is one in the county now, and they are starting to stock different blasting material so I bought a 20+ dollar little box of glass bead and hoped it worked ok for that kind of cash! Man, what a difference! I never knew it could be so good! I feel like a moron using that cheap crap all those years (thinking it was more the crappy cabinet bought at the rolling tool sale, not the sand). That thing is working smooth as butter, a part that would take me say 5 minutes before to blast clean, takes half that with the glass bead, dust is way down, and the part looks better when done.
Now I have to find some new sacrificial stick on clear sheets as mine have had it and I'm down to one tip as well. In a pinch I tapped saran wrap to the door so I could kinda see in there as I have now gone sandblast crazy again:thumbsup: