What is the smallest air compressor for sandblasting cabinets?

O

ome

Forum Guest
Register Today
What is the smallest air compressor recommended for sandblasting metal projects?

Hi guys,
i have seen many posts on having the wrong size compressor for even small sandblasting cabinets.
I would like to consider the purchase of a two stage 60 gallon air compressor.
I would like a medium sized cabinet, 36"w by 55" high, by22.75". Grizzly G0472
i was looking at an eaton air compressor over the HF model.
Any advice on if and how well this setup would work?
thanks,
Jon
 
Look for the requirements of the blast cabinet. They will be specified as air consumption. So many CFM @ so many PSI(G). Make sure the compressor is capable of putting out that much as an absolute minimum. I wouldn't be comfortable with a compressor less than 125% of the consumption of the cabinet. That would be a minimum, especially if you intend to run the cabinet quite a bit. Of course, many people chose to lower the pressure, and hence the CFM that the cabinet consumes. Using more than about 75 PSI(G) tends to break up glass beads, if that is what you are using. That simply creates more glass dust mixed in with whatever you are blasting away. Generally a waste of air too. If you shoot sand, it will break up and there is more dust to contend with.

What you don't want is a compressor that will run continuously while you blast. It may be that you only need a gentle cleaning, say....with crushed walnut shells. They should be shot with low pressure, and you can get by with a smaller pump. Kind of depends on your intended use, your wallet, your electrical capacity, and your future planning.
 
Operating a sand blaster (or any high usage air tool) needs to be figured at CFM (cubic feet per minute) and on a large cabinet to gain the best usage probably 15CFM and above will be needed. A small 20 gal tank will drive a gun, it just wont drive it very long. A 60 gallon tank with a 2 stage compressor should put out something in the 15-20CF range.

HF's large blast cabinet is another one of their hidden treasures - its well made, its cheap, and it just works well for a cost of around $200 and you can probably wiggle in one of those 20% off thingies. I have their cabinet with a 60gal tank and a compressor driving 19CFM and I can blast for long periods - the compressor is running constantly, but im getting a good blast of air
 
Look for the requirements of the blast cabinet. They will be specified as air consumption. So many CFM @ so many PSI(G). Make sure the compressor is capable of putting out that much as an absolute minimum. I wouldn't be comfortable with a compressor less than 125% of the consumption of the cabinet. That would be a minimum, especially if you intend to run the cabinet quite a bit. Of course, many people chose to lower the pressure, and hence the CFM that the cabinet consumes. Using more than about 75 PSI(G) tends to break up glass beads, if that is what you are using. That simply creates more glass dust mixed in with whatever you are blasting away. Generally a waste of air too. If you shoot sand, it will break up and there is more dust to contend with.

What you don't want is a compressor that will run continuously while you blast. It may be that you only need a gentle cleaning, say....with crushed walnut shells. They should be shot with low pressure, and you can get by with a smaller pump. Kind of depends on your intended use, your wallet, your electrical capacity, and your future planning.
Thanks Tony,
I will be using walnut shells as well as using glass beads. I assume I can always limit the psi but not go beyond the limited output of the air compressor chosen.
Thanks,
Jon
 
Operating a sand blaster (or any high usage air tool) needs to be figured at CFM (cubic feet per minute) and on a large cabinet to gain the best usage probably 15CFM and above will be needed. A small 20 gal tank will drive a gun, it just wont drive it very long. A 60 gallon tank with a 2 stage compressor should put out something in the 15-20CF range.

HF's large blast cabinet is another one of their hidden treasures - its well made, its cheap, and it just works well for a cost of around $200 and you can probably wiggle in one of those 20% off thingies. I have their cabinet with a 60gal tank and a compressor driving 19CFM and I can blast for long periods - the compressor is running constantly, but im getting a good blast of air
Thanks,
I like HF , and would probably get it over the Grizzly because of your positive experience. HF 5hp is rated at 15.9cfm @90psi. A Quincy has the same specs.
Did you have any leaks, or was everything sealed well.
I hear mixed opinions on their 5HP dual stage 60 gal air compressor.
Do you like any particular 5hp dual stage air compressor?
since we have a basement workshop, the smaller and lighter the better. Most seem to be 72"H
And between 400 - 600 lbs.

thanks for any advice,
Jon
 
Me ramblin on again, but the water plant next door we do support for has, Im guessing but four 500 gal tanks looks like up in the 400's ? volts
three phase. Has its own transformer & sub station. Not only that, it also has a 450 hp Cat diesel in there. As far as running, they run
just about every 5 min. This building is a good 1/8 mile away from the main plant. Everything in the plant is neumatics. Boy if I could only
tap into that thing (after midnight). The kicker is, all controls are regulated at 80psi. and 200psi at the compressor. I think they are
rotory compressors? (they are enclosed). I wouldnt worry too much as far as running, our bought new in 1939 IR 80 gal two stage is still
tickin.. especially with air die grinders, it has no rest.
 
I first bought the small bench top cabinet from HF and was - well, underwhelmed. I patched and modified on it till I still use, keeping aggressive Black Diamond in it. So later HF ran the large cabinet for $199 and I had a 20% sooooo. I had little to nothing to do to set this cabinet up, a few minor leaks, and I wasnt to crazy about the gun and replaced it. One thing, you almost HAVE to have a vacuum system to pull the dust out of the cabinet - you just cant see inside. I used an old shop vac for a good while, but have since got a dedicated vac system from Enco -- now this thing WORKS, no more dust. I keep glass bead in the big cabinet. This blast cabinet has become one of my top 5 tools in the shop, love this thing!

My compressor is a 25yr old 5hp Sandborn, Replaced the motor 4 yrs ago & had to replace the pump last year, was using oil and slinging it. Fire ants got into the pressure switch and had to replace it... I use it quite a bit, especially when sand blasting, it'll run constantly then.
 
I noticed nobody mentioned the air nozzle. Bead blast cabinets are sized by what you want to put in them. What size item do you want to blast will determine what size cabinet you need. The air requirement will depend on what size nozzle you use. The smaller the nozzle the less air you need. The smaller nozzle will take longer to do the same job as a larger nozzle, but if it isn't a rush job, or you're paying someone to blast by the hour, it will do ok. Check out this sight, especially the nozzle match chart.

https://www.texasblaster.com
 
my humble opinion is: table top blast cabinet needs 5 hp, blast cabinet like you describe it would be great to have a true 7-1/2 hp. its still not a fast process.
seems the most popular compressor is 5hp, 3600 or 3450 rpm motor on an 80 gal vertical tank. dam noisy but least costly. brand ? too many to list and they are all over the map for $$$. location has a lot to do with that as they are heavy and difficult to handle.
 
Why everybody thinks they need a two stage compressor I don`t know. A single stage two piston will give twice as much air as a two stage. It will only go to one hundred and fifty pounds but most shops do not need more than that.
 
Back
Top