Yet another sandblast question

[Bob Kline]

Would this do the job of engraving bottles and glasses? I have a dust collector and a compressor. What else would I need?
Thanks again,
Bob


http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93608

[Rags Alan Ragland]

Bob
First if it is a syphon flow you will need a lot of air pressure and a lot of it.
Second you will not be able to collect the used agrigate and you will drive yourself nuts recollecting the stuff.
It will be very dusty and depending on the agrigate could be hazardous to your health.
By the time you refit this cabinet you will have spent as much as if you bought one already good to go.
good luck on your task. I have one from Rayzist and love it. I to do a lot of bottles with boxes. I just did four for a high school reunion and they went for $200.00 each at auction. Normally I charge $125.00 per unit and have them standing in line for them.
Dr. Rags

[Gary Hair]

I have that exact cabinet and it works great! However - it is a siphon feed system and that will NOT work well for the items you want to etch. You really need a pressure system. The good news is that you can still use that cabinet. I have a 40# pressure pot from HF and a small pencil blaster by Cyclone, both are used in that cabinet. I use the PP to blast rocks and metal and anything large, I use the pencil blaster for most glass etching/frosting. The PB was about $100 and the PP was about the same. I use 180 mesh aluminum oxide in the PB and 70 mesh in the PP.

Wait til the cabinet goes on sale, I got mine for 199. Same with the PP, they go on sale for about $89 or so - $119 normally.

PP - http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=34202

PB - http://www.mytoolstore.com/cyclone/bb100.html - many people sell them, this is where I bought mine.

Gary

P.S. Check out cuttingedgesandcarving.com - you will find a great resource there for sandcarving!

[Richard Rumancik]

Did you check out the PAB gun suggested in another thread of yours?

http://www.pabblaster.com/PAB%20Gun.htm

This gun is a lot more ergonomic for what you want to do. The ball valves you often get with a siphon system are poor for artistic blasting. Only tolerable for cleaning automotive parts. The pencil blaster suggested is cheaper than the PAB gun. Maybe it won't cut as fast. The compressor requirements for a siphon gun are much greater tahn for a pressure pot gun. Even if you have a compressor big enough it means more noise, more run time etc. They just don't use the energy of the compressed air efficiently.

Don't confuse the PAB gun for a cheap siphon gun. A siphon gun will have 2 hoses, one for air and one for abrasive. It sucks up the abrasive due to the venturi effect of the rapidly moving air. The PAB gun (and pressure pot ball valves) use one hose for pressurized abrasive from the pressure pot.

[Gary Hair]

The pencil blaster suggested is cheaper than the PAB gun. Maybe it won't cut as fast.

Absolutely right - the PB is not for deep carving. The PB is a self contained unit, the PAB is an add-on to a pressure pot. The PB is really for fine work, you can even do a bit of freehand carving with it. I don't have a PAB, but I have only heard good things about it. I don't think that it's as finely controllable as the PB, I think they have two different purposes.

Gary

[Bill Cunningham]

I have virtually the same cabinet
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=78927&d=1199845300

Mine came in a flatpack, and had to assemble it myself.. If the HF one is like that, as your assembling it, run a bead of silicone caulking along all the joints before you put in the screws. 180 grit is pretty fine, and without sealing the seams, your going to find little piles of AO/carbide/sand etc under the machine.. Also, if a light is a accessory, buy it, their cheap and worth the 10 bucks or so.. I have a 4" vent line running out a vent in a window to help clear the dust and keep pressure buildup from forcing the grit out any missed seams.. I bought mine on sale from Princess auto in Canada, for 150 (Canadian) dollars.. I don't use it much (yet) but it works.. I'm hooked up to a 13 cfm 60 gal vert. compressor which supplies all the air needs for the shop