Sandblasting

[Tim Cleveland]

I have always really liked the look of sandblasted bowls and hollow forms but really have no idea what exactly I would need for it or how much $ I would be looking at spending to get set up for it. Or does everybody just take their stuff to an auto body shop or someplace similar to get it done. Any help with this would be much appreciated.

Tim

[Ryan Baker]

You can get a small sandblaster suitable for such tasks from places like Sears or Harbor Freight for somewhere in the range of $15-$40. You need an air compressor too if you don't already have one.

[Gary Max]

Many years ago I enjoyed restoring old lamps. A 5hp two stage compressor and a sandblasting box ran me about $3,000.00 to set up.
I would look around and find someone who has this set up and work out a deal with them.
They cost very little to operate.

[Dave Schell]

I bought this unit from Harbor Freight to sandblast a Sand Rail I was building and it worked great. Although it does require a significant amount of compressed air.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=40925

[jim carter]

i do alot of sandblasting and i dont use air. i have a dewalt 3750 psi pressure washer with a sandblast attachement from northern tool. to use air, you need volume so you need a large compressor. i can use any size media. i mostly use #3[about 1/8" diameter] washed and kiln dryed sand. about 1/8" diameter. because the sand is washed and it is mixed with water before coming out, its safe for outdoor blasting.

[Tim Cleveland]

Thanks for all the input. A couple more questions, though. This may be a dumb question, but will the abrasive media that I use (sand, garnet, etc.) change the appearance, and what woods are typically used?

Tim

[jim carter]

i only sandblast the thin bark off manzanita. never tried on a bowl. it pits the wood. sounds like you should use a media thats very small for what you want. try on scrap wood to get the effect you want. how close you hold the nozzle to the piece will make a difference on the look.

[Dick Strauss]

Open-grained woods like walnut, oak, and ash can be a problem. I was using a black AlOx media that left my ash with a really strange black cast on the end grain.

Take my coments for what they are worth...I didn't really know what I was doing. Possibly a coarser grain of media could better avoid the discoloration issue I ran into.

[curtis rosche]

cheap sand blasting. bury the bowl in a container of sand. then place a little bit of C-4 or other locally availible explosive in (ONLY A VERY LITTLE) then ignite. presto. sand blasted

[Tim Cleveland]

cheap sand blasting. bury the bowl in a container of sand. then place a little bit of C-4 or other locally availible explosive in (ONLY A VERY LITTLE) then ignite. presto. sand blasted
LOL, Curtis

Thanks for the help everybody. I will probably look into getting set up for sandblasting from Harbor Frieght, since there's one nearby. I really like the idea of being able to use my pressure washer (especially since I would be doing this outside) but I don't think that 2500 psi will be enough. Thanks again.

Tim

[scott schmidt grasshopper]

go find the local radiator shop. they will have a sand blaster for the repairs they do . I am not sure which grit mine uses but with just little puffs/ blasts? it does a great job. I do mostly elm due to the wide banding of the winter/summer wood. works great but you have to pick out the little black specks afterwards, ( not that bad really) takes me about 5 minutes to do a large 14 inch bowl (outside only) boy it sure makes the bowl absorb more walnut oil. good luck

[jim carter]

the 2500 would work with fine sand. im using #3 so i need more pressure. that attachment is $60- $70 . i dont know if its in their online catalog but they will send you 1 in the mail that does. they send me their catalog about 4 times a year. the closer you hold the nozzle to the work, the more it will take off.

[Tim Cleveland]

Thanks for the info Jim, having been told that, I think that this is probably what I will go with.

Tim

[Eric Magruder]

Tim,

I've used a large wire brush, and a rotary brush attachment in a drill, to remove pulpwood from works. It gives the wood a weathered look. Just work the brush along the pulpwood in the direction it takes, not cross grain. I like the hand brush better than the drill attachment, it gives better control over how much is removed. Sometimes less is better than more. Give it a try before you buy the heavy duty stuff.

[jim carter]

no problem. it works just like a gold dredge. the water pressure creates a suction that sucks the dry sand through a 8' hose and out the nozzle with the water. the attachment replaces your wand and screws right in.the other end of the hose has 2 metal tubes welded together. one is for the sand pickup and the other is air intake. every once in a while the sand will stop coming and its that air intake filling up with sand. i just tap on it with a screwdriver until the sand falls out. you might not need to worry about it with the smaller sand. i have a plastic garbage can that i fill with sand and use right out of it. also, i know of a way to recycle the sand to get rid of the wood particles.