My five horse two stage compressor works overtime keeping up with sand blasting. Does someone have experience with the sand blast attachment for a power washer?
How can that be?
I think Ive seen it on u tube
Done all the time in industry. They are called water blast or wet blast cabinets. Dan
Who makes them? I didn't know that type of system was available for the average consumer.
But what do I know.
From memory some checking was done a few years ago at a Portland supply shop. I did not see the demonstration on barrels but as I remember the system was an attachment to the wand not a blast cabinet. When the vender said my 2500 pound washer was to small I gave up the idea but now have a 3500 pound washer. It might have been a Karcher brand.
The attachment goes on the end of the wand and pulls the sand from the bag. the trick is to keep the sand dry. I just put a small hole in the bag to stick the tube in. Your parts will turn brown from rust so I use POR15 or One Step
Thanks Nicholas, Any particular brand or good place to shop? Will my 3500 pound power washer likely do the job on T parts? media type? any further information is helpful!
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_8520_8520
Watch video! But this is a summer time job because you can not stay dry.
Very helpful site and good reviews. Oregon weather at the coast is wet. Lots of free sand available if its not to dull for use. Thanks again!
I suppose if you're blasting concrete or pieces of pipe it works ok but that looks mighty slow cleaning AND you're using a lot of water. The video doesn't show what it looks like after the flash rust takes over from the chlorine in the water. I've used my pressure washer to clean dirt and grease off parts but I dry blast it after that. I wouldn't use that on sheet metal.
What works in Oregon might not work in Texas! Don't know but I will find out! made a mistake once or a hundred times so for the price its worth it at least on hogs heads and heavy parts,
sheet metal is your area. Take care!
Paul
An old rule of thumb is 4.2 cfm per HP at 100 psi
That would give you 21 cfm if your compressor is a commercial type and not a light duty unit. You may find that the nozzle has opened up from use (consumes more air) and replacing it may fix the problem. Just food for thought,
I use a 5 hp compressor with an 80 lb pot and works well.
I have also used a pressure washer with a blast attachment and really didn't care for the flash rust clean up.
Thanks Mike, Yes my compressor is the commercial type and yes the nozzle has opened up. The pressure pot parts are not available with the company out of business.
1.8 miles from the Pacific with salt air constantly moving in rust is an issue with every thing even inside a gas heated shop with tools and machines. Tourists, game, and salmon love it!
My thinking was hooking up a water hose and starting a pressure washer with rain gear and face gear might be easier then dealing with media blowing around. I might be better off changing my pressure pot to one parts are available.
Another way that would work for most T parts is I have a large blast cabinet that could be modified for inside shop use.
Its starting to look like the been there done that boys are not in favor of using this system.
After some thought the 70.00 tool with shipping will be bought. There is a large difference in a 2500 pound washer and a 3500 pound washer. My 2500 pound one was used after commercial grade grease remover was brushed on a very nice block and pan. What ever that stuff on those parts is it takes a cup brush in a side grinder to remove it. My electrolysis tank removes rust but not grease so flash rust could be removed that way I guess.
The tool is likely not US made but I have had good luck with tools sometimes not made in the US
I will post on what was found!
Ordered the attachment today the first thing found was the spray nozzle is not included. So to start its a hundred dollar bill if the attachment fits one of my three wands. If not its twenty more.
You will not need a spray nozzle!
Nicholas,
Are you saying the sand simply comes out the tube diameter?
I have used a 2,500 PSI high pressure water washer using sand on several occasions. It does very well on cast items. A simple venturi is used in place of the water nozzle, purchased at the local pressure washer store. A plastic hose connects to the venturi nozzle and draws dry sand form a container and uses the sand with the 2,500 PSI water to remove the rust. Be careful as about 5 minutes after the cleaning process, the metal begins to surface rust and must be cleaned and primed immediately. On heaver castings, it does a good job. Especially frames. I do it in the yard out back and the sand and water simply go into the grass.
Thanks Tom, That's what I am expecting. A quart sprayer will be ready after a part is blasted and blown dry for quick protection. Sand here is cheap at 2.00 to 5.00 a yard delivered. One part I have to work out is what type of screen to screen the sand with for larger hunks plugging the system. If it takes to long to get to the part blasted the part will go into the electrolysis tank. Its going to be changed to a watering trough to hold an entire engine and transmission. The sand here is very fine and might work on sheet metal. It will be an education.
There are at least two different ceramic nozzles available matched to the type o f sand being used. The smaller the tip the more concentrated the stream.
Anther advantage of the water system is it does not generate any heat as the water cools any friction caused by the sand contacting the metal. And the safety equipment needed for protection is easier because there is not respiratory dust generated like with the dry, compressed air system.
It would be interesting to know how the 2,500 PSI water pressure compares to 130 PSI dry system as far as working force goes. It sure seems faster with the water.
Paul: The sand "MUST be DRY". then use "One Step"
http://store.interstateproducts.com/products/Rust_Converter?gclid=CJOs5-XB8L4CFW NqOgodKlEAdQ
Thanks again Nicholas, Its so much easier to ask questions then jumping into the dark with folks who have been there. Yes the sand will be dry there is several ways for me to do that but it will take a few try's to get it right. I am anxious to see what might be possible on projects set aside because of rust and grime.
Paul, after you give the unit a few tries please let us know how it worked out for you.
here in Taxafornia it is very costly to have things blasted.
I know and have done work for folks that have bought small, cheap sand blasters but none seem to work. And they need too much air.
Aaron, I will post my experience with the method with a 2500 and 3500 pound washer on this thread as they are found. 54 here overcast looks like a 62 high. Hope sunny California folks are not burning up today!
Not to rain on the parade, but. One reason the cost of sandblasting is high is getting rid of what the blaster removes. Most old paint contain a four letter word that begins with L and ends with a D. Just letting that run off into the grass may pose a problem when you try and sell the place. If someone tests for that word and finds it, you will a hard time selling the place. Dan
Good point Dan. My bride was born on this property sixty three years past. We are not likely to leave unless there is a earthquake. Sheet rock, tapeing mud, popcorn ceilings before 1980,have a word starting with A and ending with s. Empty oil tanks are another great selling point. Even the sweat fittings on copper had the word you mentioned. This is not a commercial enterprise.
I just finished cleaning a 1919 engine. Used purple power and a steam cleaner. Did it three times. It still could not clean off the grease/dirt from 95 years. Some of it was the consistency of hard cork. Used an old wood chisel, putty knife, screwdrivers, several steel brushes. Maybe a sandblaster would have been the best way? Going to paint it this weekend.
I received my sand blast attachment from Northern Tool in the link above. Took a magnet and went over the parts. Most are plated steel so they will rust. Rusting will slow down sand pickup just like clam guns and shovels are hard to push in sand with rust on them. The blast nozzle its self looks like brass with an insert I did not remove. Both my pressure washers use the larger snap connection not supplied so today I will see if an adapter can be found.
I was wrong the blast attachment works on both my pump wands no adapter is needed.
Going to Home Depot for play sand that is dry and 100 pound bag is about 8.00 Anxious to see how this hummer works. Its made in China.
Picked up a hundred pound bag with a small hole for 4.25 they even put a heavy plastic bag over it. Played with my small pump for an hour, It cut through that 600 weight or whatever it is and worked fine until the pick up tube needed to be re set. Tomorrow I will put the sand in a bucket rather then laying on its side in the back of my van. Critters got me up at four barking at something in the yard so done for the day!
After a nap and re reading the specks on the attachment it became clear my problem with pickup is volume of water through the small pump. The specks are minimum 3 gallons per minuet. My pump is 2 1/2 gallons per minuet. Pressure is well over the 1800 psi minimum.
Tomorrow the big pump will be used.
Sounds good.
Could not get my bride to quit G sales today to many good deals. Got a late start. Solved the sand pickup it was not what I thought it was so will explain later. The pan used as a test is now clean inside and out. That stuff on the engine must be ninety year old hard dry undercoat. More after tomorrows G sales---- Would I buy the attachment again? Yes!!
In the link above one of the customer reviews said the pickup hose needed replacement it was to soft. The hose is eighteen feet long reinforced soft plastic. When under suction the hose was closing off causing sand to stop flowing and you could not see it.
On the short term I cut six feet off the hose and hooked it up. The difference was day and night sand was easily pulled out of the bucket I had put it in. To close to the water blasting a storage plastic bin was put over the bucket to keep splattering water out. Found if the sand blast part changed to just water the pickup wand had pulled sand out to the bottom of the bucket.
I know that pan would have taken me half a day slinging clumps of debris all over with a side grinder and not nearly as clean or as good as the attachment did.
For this job I don't think the expensive one step is necessary all though on sheet metal I would use it.
A one dollar squirt bottle from the dollar tree was filled half and half with solvent and ATF then squirted on the pan while still wet. When the mix hit the pan beads of water ran off. Its sat outside in salt air for two days and still just a slight browning of the pan.
A 1/2" harder rubber hose like a water hose will be installed, I don't know the length yet. If the sand comes through to fast a 1/2" ball valve will be installed.
About the only thing I can see that might be an issue is the snap connection extending the washer wand with weight on the end. Metal fatigue will get to it with wand moving.
I am sure my smaller 2400 pound 2 1/2 gallon per minuet washer will work fine just slower then the big one.
I got lazy on a sunny day not using rain gear only eye protection. with the blaster end five feet away I still could feel sand particles hitting my face. WEAR EYE PROTECTION!
I now know why that pan had a coating so hard to remove. Looking at it this morning the area on the outside around the drain hole a pin hole was visible not seen with that heavy coating. The inside is not badly rusted. Salt on the road I guess. One of my other four dips will be much easier to blast.
Once in a while you find something well worth having for the right price. This morning I blasted a very dirty hogs head inside and out. On a timer it took fifteen minuets even with reloading play sand from Home Depot. Under 5.00 worth. I will try to post some pictures but having trouble under standing this system.
Lets see hat this looks like! Hogs head on end setting on SS
Picture test
Still cant get it right!
Picture test
Getting better, inside hogs head and bucket used for sand Hogs head was pressure washed off after blasting then a coat of ATF and solvent sprayed on.
Lookin' good!
Today is one of the main reasons I am fooling with this setup. Logically as easy as the six foot hose pulls sand from a bucket I think it will pull a slurry of sand water and detergent for pushing through the water jacket for cleaning.
I have heard of casting sand still stuck in those parts and I want a cool running engine.
Hope the overcast does not turn to rain.
After two nice days in a row its raining again with time to write this will be my last post on my opinion of this tool.
For its price is hard to beat for some things. I would use it to remove hard debris on parts you cant touch with a power washer.
On any steel parts the flash rust is much slower then iron parts but with the grease and oil gone a electrolysis tank will work well and the flash rust is not deep its more of a coating.
I blasted a head on the outside to bare metal then on the larger water ports blasted through several ways at different angles. Chunks of debris were blown out. Parts were set on a sheet of stainless steel to make it easy to see what was coming out.
On a pan thought to be perfect by the inside the blaster quickly exposed the outside with deep pits around the drain hole someone had tried to braze then coated the entire pan with a thick coating of something like undercoat. It had a pin hole all the way through the pan.
As bought you would not use it because of the pickup hose, it collapses with suction and sand will not come through it. The part of being able to switch from water only washing to soap dispensing to sand blast easily with the Karcher was great. The hose will be replaced with a 1/2" garden hose from a G sale for a few dollars.
I have plenty of area for debris to settle, two swipes of my tractor bucket will settle the sand in my drive way just making it better.
My five horse 2400 pound 2 1/2 gallon Karcher worked fast enough for me. The eleven horse 3500 pound is harder to handle and not necessary.
Media used was Home Depot play sand its dry screened and sanitary. On sale now four fifty pound bags 10.00 as I remember.
PROTECT YOUR EYES!! its easy to forget its not just water coming out a curved part might put the sand right back at you.
Paul, Blasting the hogshead, how did you keep the sand out of (or clean it out of) the pedal shaft holes? Did you just use the water through the power washer to clear them out? Not somewhere I'd want any sand, I would think. That's what kept me from blasting my hogshead. Thanks, Dave
I thought about that Dave but the rivets will be removed shafts taken out and springs O rings installed to keep oil from leaking on some ones nice driveway. I do lots of G sales and now make sure my 22 is parked in a place where drops of oil do not cause a problem.
Michael Seagers Ts set in a doctor clean hanger none of them leak a drop using this method.
Yep. I have the O rings also on all the pedal shafts. I didn't remove/replace the clutch arm, shaft, or ring, so they didn't get O rings. Thanks.