Help with Sandblaster

[Bob B.]

Hi all,

I have the Scatblast 960 sandblaster with 4-foot cabinet. I have 100 psi with a 60 gallon compressor but, of course, this drops with use. I am probably using too fine glass beads. But the problem seems to be that there doesn't seem to be hardly any sand coming out of the nozzle. So little that I can't see it. I have emptied and strained the sand. I can sandblast a tiny area at a time, but a large piece will take forever like this! Could the sand pickup hose be partially clogged? If so, how do you get to it to unclog it? Or?

Thanks,

Bob

[Joe R.]

Re: Help with Sandblaster

Hi all,

I have the Scatblast 960 sandblaster with 4-foot cabinet. I have 100 psi with a 60 gallon compressor but, of course, this drops with use. I am probably using too fine glass beads. But the problem seems to be that there doesn't seem to be hardly any sand coming out of the nozzle. So little that I can't see it. I have emptied and strained the sand. I can sandblast a tiny area at a time, but a large piece will take forever like this! Could the sand pickup hose be partially clogged? If so, how do you get to it to unclog it? Or?

Thanks,

Bob

Hi Bob:

I think there is something wrong with your gun or pickup. I use the finest available glass beads, "size AH, 170-325 US Seive," and do not have problems with flow. Also, 100 psi should be fine.

If things start out well but degrade as your compressor falls behind, that would suggest an air supply problem. However, from your description, it sounds like the glass bead flow is slow from the very start.

Sometimes moisture in the compressed air causes a clog in the pickup jet inside the gun. You can usually clear this temporarily by blocking the air outlet of the gun and pulling the trigger. That forces air backward through the pickup path and will usually clear the clog. You should see substantial air flow out the pickup tube when you do this.

Usually, though, moisture clogs develop after several minutes of continuous use, rather than presenting themselves at the outset. There are several ways to remove moisture from the air supply to help prevent this problem.

You don't say whether you have had this problem all along or if it is a recent issue. If you have had trouble from day one, there may be a problem with your gun. See if you can borrow someone else's gun or try yours on their system to determine whether the gun is the problem.

[Michael L.]

Re: Help with Sandblaster

My gun will do this every once and a while. I thump the side of the hopper to make sure the media is getting to the pick up tube. I'll also put my finger over the nozzle opening, then pull the trigger. I'll see a "burp" in the media and it flows fine after that. Give the "burp" a try...

[Rainer S.]

Re: Help with Sandblaster

I had similar problems with my sand blaster. I found, I had too much sand in the pick-up area. This resulted in the air "stalling" and not picking up the sand, no matter what media I used (fine, cource).
I emptied out much of the sand and it started to work fine.
You need just enough sand in the bottom P/U area to have a continuous flow. Make sure, you do not accumulate lots of sand in the upper area, where the grid lays. Otherwise all of a sudden, you will be out of sand.
I ended-up shedding those areas with sheet metal, to make all the media drop down for pick-up.
The less sand, the better...


Rainer

[Harmon C.]

Re: Help with Sandblaster

To clean the nozzle remove the pickup hose and put the nozzle against the outside of the pickup hose and blow it out. Then put the nozzle in the pickup tube and blow it out. If this does not help remove the gun and take it apart and see if their is a clog in it. The tip you are using could be too large for your compressor. If you have rusty parts you may need to use black magic or a different media. I have four types of media glass beads, black magic, walnut shucks and plastic beads and one of them is right for most any job. Glass beads at 100PSI will work very slow on some parts. I use more pressure if needed.

[Tommy F.]

Re: Help with Sandblaster

My blast cabinet ( from Harbor Freight ) was supplied with several different ceramic nozzles....I was using #8 glass bead with no luck....I tried a smaller noz with MUCH better results. I'm not sure if the ceramics "wear out", but the tip change ( and a smaller load of media in the hopper ) make things go a lot faster.

Tommy

[Bob B.]

Re: Help with Sandblaster

Hi all,

Wow! Now I've got a lot of things to try. I appreciate everyone's responses!

Bob