Sandblaster own hands for a weak compressor

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The main components of the sandblaster

A home-made sandblaster is assembled on the basis of typical schemes, which differ in the way the sand is applied to the contaminated workpiece. Despite the existing design differences, the nodes for both variants are the same:

• Compressor. a device for forcing the air mass;
• a receiver needed to create the necessary air supply;
• abrasive tank;
• gun. the main device designed to feed the abrasive mixture on the surface to be cleaned;
• hoses.

In order to increase the continuous running time and to maintain the blasting pressure it is advised to equip the sandblaster with a moisture separator. When using a plunger compressor, an oil filtering system should be installed in the air inlet.

The machine, regardless of the assembly pattern, forms a joint outflow of air and abrasive. With the pressure assembly, sand is pressurized and fed into the outlet nozzle where it is mixed with the air supplied by the compressor. The Bernoulli effect is used to create a vacuum in the blast channel in ejectors. The sand is fed into the mixing zone under the action of atmospheric pressure only.

The existence of many variants of sandblaster manufacturing schemes is explained by the possibility of its creation from materials that are at hand, often seemingly unnecessary. To understand the essence of the process it is enough to consider the general principles of assembly.

Sandblasting from a blowing gun and bottle

The most popular algorithm for making a sandblaster suggests using a blasting pistol in combination with a bottle. To boost the pressure, you also need to take a low-powered compressor.

Preparing the bottle

As in the previous case, the plastic bottle must be converted into a reservoir for the abrasive. The algorithm is as follows:

• A ring is cut from the neck of the container and the bottle is clamped in a vise.
• In the hardest part of the vessel, in the place of the former plastic strip, a through hole is drilled.
• Insert the purge gun nozzle into the prepared holes to verify that the dimensions are correct.

Select the diameter of the drill bit according to the width of the tip. It must not slide freely through the holes.

An alternative suggestion is to drill through holes directly into the rigid cap of the bottle

Blow gun treatment

The blowing gun is excellent for spraying abrasive and requires minimal rework. Necessary:

The hole made after the construction is assembled will receive the abrasive mixture.

The hole in the gun nozzle is made closer to the connection point between the tip and the tool

Assembly of the sandblaster

After refining the blowing gun and bottle, all that remains is to put the sandblaster together:

• Pour the abrasive into the container.
• Screw the cover back on if it is removed.
• Insert the nozzle of the gun into the holes of the bottle and seal the leaking places with hot glue.

Next, the blower is connected to a compressor and start the device in operation. The bottle should be on top of the gun when using the sandblaster so that the abrasive under its own weight can sink down and flow into the nozzle.

When working with home sandblasting from a bottle, you need to use the finest sand possible

How to assemble a sandblaster from a bottle

To make a sandblaster, you will need to make a nozzle in which the sand particles will be accelerated to work.

Here it should be noted that when actively used nozzle will gradually deteriorate due to high friction, so you can immediately prepare a few such tubes for further work.

A very important point. the sand for sandblasting must be dry, wet sand will block the nozzle and nothing will work.

Types of designs

Types of sandblasting units differ depending on the task at hand. If it is necessary to treat glass decoratively, it is desirable to use a sandblasting chamber. To clean parts, an open-type device is used. Open-type sandblaster (depending on how the abrasive is fed) is divided into several varieties:

The pressure apparatus supplies air inside the unit, as well as in the dispenser of the container with sand. The air flow will move and then the compressed gas will flow into the hose with the nozzle. The nozzle will set the shape as well as the pressure of the jet. This machine is usually used in order to treat large surfaces, and it can work for many hours.

The injector machine differs in that the sand and air will move through different hoses. This will create a small pressure that is suitable for short-term work.

Used Compressor Equipment

When deciding which compressor equipment to buy to spend less money, many people decide to buy a used compressor. Acting in this way, you should be very responsible for the choice of equipment so that you do not end up in a situation where you have to constantly repair your compressor system. It should also be borne in mind that a compressor that has already had time to work for some time, can not provide the characteristics that are listed in the data sheet on the new equipment. This is due to the fact that any used equipment is subject to natural wear and tear, which certainly affects its efficiency not the best way.

The advantage of buying a used compressor is that you can buy a more powerful unit for less money

Used compressors also have higher fuel consumption, which increases the cost of sandblasting. Do not discount the fact that such equipment can fail at any time, which will not only lead to additional costs for its repair, but also to disruption of deadlines, and this is very critical in many situations. The average normal operating life of compressor equipment is 7-10 years, so the purchase of a compressor that has already worked for such a period is simply not reasonable.

Feasibility of the operation

This method of obtaining a sandblaster has advantages, but is also not without disadvantages. Among the advantages. huge savings through “untouchable reserves”, getting a complete sandblaster for personal use. The device power is not unimportant, as self-made device often turns out more productive than factory-made structures. At least the budget models.

There are also disadvantages that need to be evaluated:

• not every household will find a powerful “swag” compressor, and its purchase would cost a pretty penny, so savings with a capital letter will have to forget;
• Not all home masters know how to use a welder, sometimes you need a drill, a lathe;
• low-quality components. a guarantee of rapid failure of the product;
• The slightest mistake, failure during assembly is fraught with injury.

Sandblasting with their own hands can not be attributed to adventure, but before you take up the cause thoroughly, it is better to soberly calculate the forces, capabilities and potential consequences.

Components for a home-made sandblaster

To assemble a sandblaster with your own hands, as mentioned above, you need to prepare all the components of such a device. Some of them can be found in your garage or home workshop, and some can be purchased at any construction market.

One of the important elements of the sandblaster is a container from which the abrasive will be fed into the system. For the manufacture of such a container is suitable for an old gas cylinder, which is made of quality metal and perfectly withstands even significant mechanical stress (by the way, from a gas cylinder can be made and a receiver for the compressor, if the latter is not equipped with it).

For the filling hole you can adapt the lid from an old fire extinguisher

In order to fill the container for abrasive material, it is necessary to weld to a metal cylinder a piece of pipe at the top of which for the convenience of filling is fixed a special throat, used as a funnel.

Particular attention should be paid to the choice of compressor when making a sandblaster with your own hands. High-quality and reliable compressor units, which may be suitable for equipping such a device, are quite expensive, so if you want to save money on their purchase you can make a compressor with your own hands, using inexpensive components.

In particular, for the manufacture of mini-compressor, the power of which will be quite enough to perform sandblasting in the home, you can use ready-made compressor heads from the brake pneumatic drive cars ZIL (130-157) and MAZ. Such heads must be equipped with an air receiver (it can be made from an old gas cylinder), a drive motor, and a frame on which all elements of the construction will be fastened.

Self-made compressor on the basis of the brake compressor from the car ZIL-130

To equip the homemade sandblaster, the assembly process of which is well demonstrated by numerous videos on the Internet, will also require:

• ball valves, which should be of high reliability and durability (which is why it is better to choose such products from trusted manufacturers);
• A reinforced rubber hose (at least 14 mm in diameter) that can withstand high pressure and constant exposure to abrasive material;
• a gas hose through which compressed air will be supplied, not yet mixed with abrasive material (the diameter of such a hose must be at least 10 mm);
• The sanding process is carried out by means of the hose connection to the system elements and the collet type clamps;
• FUM-tape, which is needed in order to ensure the tightness of the connection of all elements of the construction of homemade sandblaster, working under high pressure.

Complete set of parts to assemble the system: from the nozzles to the desiccant

How a sandblaster works and its diagram

You can’t build a sandblaster completely from homemade parts, so you’ll need to buy some parts before you start.In principle, the sandblaster is similar to a paint gun. It consists of a compressor that delivers an air stream, line, in which the sand enters and the nozzle, ejecting filler in the direction of the surfaces to be treated. The machine itself can have an impressive size if you need, for example, to clean a brick wall from paint traces, or compact if it comes to the delicate work of engraving on glass.

In addition to the three main elements, which have already been mentioned, the circuit of the device includes a receiver, a system of valves, electric relays and hoses. To fill with sand you need a main tank.

The general scheme of sandblaster

As you can see, all the components of the device can be bought or manufactured separately, which means that the task. to make a sandblasting unit with their own hands. is feasible.

Working principle

Guns that are used for sandblasting are now commercially available and can be purchased by anyone. Meanwhile, such devices, if they are of high quality, cost quite a lot, and those that can be bought at a low price are not of good quality and are not able to last for a long time.

To sandblaster blower will cost you inexpensive, you can make a homemade device. The design of such a device is distinguished by the top location of the tank, has a number of disadvantages, which are compensated by a sufficiently high performance and low cost. A self-made pneumatic gun, despite its simple design, allows you to effectively perform sandblasting operations on various surfaces, their cleaning from old coatings, traces of corrosion and various contaminants. Such a device can be used for matting glass, as well as for degreasing surfaces.

The construction of a self-made blasting gun

Homemade sandblaster, like any commercially available device, operates according to the following principle. The abrasive material, which is mainly used in the form of fine sifted sand, under the influence of the air stream produced by a compressor, the reinforced hose is fed to the nozzle and comes through its hole to the treated surface. Due to the high pressure of the air flow that moves the sand, its particles are reported significant kinetic energy, which contributes to the effectiveness of the operation.

A gun used to blast sand cannot operate autonomously: it must be connected to a compressor by special hoses, which will create high pressure in the air stream. It is also necessary to provide a supply of sand to such a gun, which is in a separate hopper.

The operating principle of the sandblaster

In order that the homemade air gun could function properly, a technical system is formed, consisting of a compressor, hoses, tanks, taps and dispensers. Particular attention should be paid to the quality of the sand used, which must be cleaned and sifted through a sieve with fine mesh. If you neglect this requirement, contaminated or too coarse sand is sure to clog the nozzle of the gun, and it will not function properly.