Trevor
Congrats, you'll love your new cabinet. That is if you don't die of
Silicosis. If you MUST use sand you should wear a FULL mask with an airline
and a little fan sucking in fresh OUTSIDE air to breath through the hole in
the side of your shop that you cut for the airline and fan. Not really a
big deal, but it might let you live longer. Silicosis is sorta like
Asbestosis, you get to wear an oxygen line in your nose and carry around a
oxygen tank for a few years before you die. . . . . you been told.
Move your compressor air intake or get a GOOD filter for it. I think I'd
move the cars out or cover them while you blast. No big deal about hand
tools though (IMHO)
Other media available
GLASS BEAD; Good for most things, buy a lot of it. It'll clean a head so
pretty you'll never want to paint it. Also for things like welding prep and
Glass etching.
ALUMINUM OXIDE; Lasts forever. Use on cast iron parts like water pumps,
manifolds for rust removal
WALNUT SHELLS; it's a soft abrasive for gentle paint and carbon removal.
also for internal parts. The idea is any left will break down with little
damage to engines and transmissions
SILICONE CARBIDE; Very sharp, great for heavy rust, and heavy welding prep.
Expensive though.
POLY ABRASIVE; this stuff is very gentle. You'd use it at a low pressure to
strip paint or powder coat from fiberglass, thin metals, really any fragile
surface. Also very expensive.
Buy a sifter for when you recycle the media.
George Procyshyn
----- Original Message -----
From: Trevor Boicey <tboicey@brit.ca>
To: <shop-talk@autox.team.net>
Sent: Friday, May 07, 1999 2:58 AM
Subject: Sandblast cabinets
>
> Well, I bought a sandblast cabinet last week from
> Princess Auto. Princess Auto is a Canadian chain of
> tool and knickknack stores famous for their monthly
> sales.
>
> I have it installed and running, and it seems
> to work well.
>
> Couple of questions from a novice.
>
> What abrasives should I be using for different
> jobs? I bought a bag of sand because it was cheap
> and it seems to work really well on the usual surface
> rust. I am curious what other abrasives I can
> use for different purposes.
>
> Safety... the sand I bought says "Less than
> 1% silica-free". Yes, I agree, that doesn't
> make grammatical sense, but they seem to be saying
> it's a low silica sand. A little bit of dust
> escapes around the lid seal during use. What
> sort of health concerns and I in for if I
> breathe it?
>
> ...related to the above, what will this dust
> do to my other tools and cars parked in
> the garage? My compressor air intake is rather
> close to the sandblast cabinet now, should I
> be concerned?
>
> Any tips welcome.
>
> --
> Trevor Boicey, P. Eng.
> Ottawa, Canada, tboicey@brit.ca
> ICQ #17432933 http://www.brit.ca/~tboicey/
> "Dod's a detective?" - Ajax
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