I snagged an old icemaking machine from the trash, gutted the compressor,
cut two 5" holes below the angled top door for the gloves ( that's what makes
them perfect for this conversion ! ), cut out a viewing hole in the
stainless door and mounted plexiglass over it, and of course, the inside even
has a built-in light for viewing. I didn't finish this project yet, but now
that I own my own house, I"ll bring it up from storage to do so.
Plywood wouldn't be hard to work with, neither would cardboard. That's
right, get one of those cardboard boxes a refrigerator comes in, cut some
holes for your arms and viewing, install some gloves and plexiglass viewing
window, and voila, a cheaply made, readily replaceable container that 's big
enough for fenders. As long as you don't direct the sand right at the
cardboard point-blank at close range, it could last for years, as long as it
doesn't get wet. Plus it's lightweight and easily moved, you could even make
it foldable to store flat when not in use. Don't laugh, even if you have to
replace it frequently, there's lots of those boxes at any appliance retail
store, I see them fill the dumpsters with them all the time. All you really
want is something to contain the sand and rust residue, and this is perfect.
Make sure you cut ventilation holes, though, or the backpressure from the
sandblaster will exit the holes surrounding the viewing port or glove area. I
tried sandblasting inside a huge box on a dock once, with no top, that
worked ok, but the back-blast soon had me covered in sand and dust. Good luck!
Jerry Casper
aka Mr. Cheapo
oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
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