Good Idea/Bad Idea? - Air Compressors

[el_simo]

Hey guys,

Ive a quick one for you more experienced heads here. Im spending money on sandblasting at the moment and still have to get my frame done. I was gonna use nitromors but thats another issue. My question is would it be more economical to buy myself an air compressor and blast gun cutting out the middle man. Ive noticed my guy used very high power when blasting my casings leaving me in a rut whether to rough them up with sandpaper again or powder them.

Ive seen compressors out there ranging from 115 euro up to 400/500. What type of power should I be looking for? Ive no idea what would be best for blasting the likes of frames/casings etc. Thoughts? Also how easy is blast media to come across? Im thinking glass beads would give me that raw aluminium look but again im going into this blind as its my first project.

Thanks lads !


Si

 

[tv321406]

you need a very substantial compressor to beadblast a frame in any reasonable amount of time... even just to run a small blast cabinet size gun, you need a compressor that puts out a lot of cfm's. I would say just pay to have it done unless you are building a lot of bikes... it is always nice to be able to do it yourself though!

 

[crazypj]

Just look at SCFM, nothing else really matters
I have two small compressors (too small )
They are fine for inflating tyres and use of small air tools (or 'burping' bolts loose) plus I'm going to try paint spraying soon
For good results sand/bead/grit blasting, get at least 14~20 SCFM@90 psi
It will probably be pretty slow unless you use very small diameter nozzle's
I'm going to try 1/8" when everything dries out (we had 48hrs of rain, garage flooded again, only about 1/2" deep though)
Professionals use around 80~600 SCFM @ 100PSI (depending on outlet size, 3/4" ~ 1.5")
This is a really helpful site, even has plans for DIY pot blaster (they use less air)
http://www.sandblasterinfo.com/

 

[AlphaDogChoppers]

I have a 7 horsepower, 3-phase screw type compressor for blasting. When I am using my large blast cabinet, it is running at about 70% duty cycle. Blasting takes a shitload of air!

 

[el_simo]

Great thanks guys, got a bit more knowledge now to make an informed decision. Would love to do the whole project myself but some things are just beyond the scope of my small shed and sitting room !

Thanks for your help as always lads