tomaxcars Posted January 17, 2006 Share Posted January 17, 2006 Hi Folks, We are in the process of rebuilding the bodywork on an RRC - bodywork from 3 sources - and replacements in the usual places inner / outer sills + A pillars etc. Usually we send our stuff to a local company who shotblast and 2-pack prime the components (Chassis etc.) but it's not convenient to go lugging the entire side of a 2dr RRC to them. So it would be extremely useful to have a unit in the workshop for topically cleaning areas to assess condition for repair - and also for quickly cleaning rocker covers / ancilliaries. Having investigated this a little more most industrial suppliers provide "pressure-pot" units which seem to need 80cfm Free Air Delivery or more which is only attainable with a diesel compressor - needless to say I don't want to shell out for one of those. I have been looking at the hobbyist models - which use 8-11cfm FAD - which is roughly what our 3hp 150litre compressor is putting out - and I was wondering does anyone have any experience with these "hopper" type models? We don't mind putting in the time to get the items cleaned - but I want to know if they are effective (e.g. would cleaning a rostyle take 1/2 hour or 2 hours?) Links to examples: Ace Grit Systems - "blast it clean" from the magazines - http://www.acegrit.co.uk/acegrit/gritblaster/ SIP Hopper unit - http://www.toolsnstuff.co.uk/product_info....82177270a87542b Sealey unit - looks similar to ace system - http://www.toolsnstuff.co.uk/product_info....82177270a87542b Any insights much appreciated. Cheers, Andrew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ripley Posted January 17, 2006 Share Posted January 17, 2006 they are painfully slow work, with a very small fan, we have a small blaster but hardly ever use it for that reason, Guildford Dave on this forum has a massive industrial pressure one forsale i believe, dont know how much, but it may be worth a pm, as its only taking up room in my brother workshop, but you would need easy 80cfm to run it. regards graham Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbarton Posted January 17, 2006 Share Posted January 17, 2006 Ace Grit Systems - "blast it clean" from the magazines - http://www.acegrit.co.uk/acegrit/gritblaster/Any insights much appreciated. Cheers, Andrew. I use the ACE on a daily basis. I use a Clarke 14cfm compressor with the regulator set to 80 psi (the running pressure drops to about 60 psi), nothing smaller will do. You need cold dry air. You must use an approved grit, sand is NOT approved. (Health & safety). I have done a few mods to mine to clear stoppages without dismantling it each time. Blast hose, T-piece, nozzle, top gasket, eyebolts and nuts are all consumables. A full pot lasts about 3/4 hour, the area you can clean depends on what it is coated with. It won't touch powder coating. You need good protection, I use an upturned bucket with a hole cut in for vision and a plastic carrier used to seal the neck. This hole is covered with a piece cut out of a plastic Netto coke bottle, held in place with masking tape and replaced regularly. Breathing air is supplied by a Metro heater blower (Kept well away from the dust) connected to the bucket by pump suction hose and vacuum cleaner pipes. I re-cycle my grit; if you can, get the version with a valve in the grit feed, when the grit gets very thin it just blows straight out. You must seperate dust from the grit. Too much dust softens the impact, is a nuisance and limits visibilty. I have a lamp on the end of the blast pipe to illuminate the work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwardatherton Posted January 18, 2006 Share Posted January 18, 2006 I use an upturned bucket with a hole cut in for vision and a plastic carrier used to seal the neck. This hole is covered with a piece cut out of a plastic Netto coke bottle, held in place with masking tape and replaced regularly. Breathing air is supplied by a Metro heater blower (Kept well away from the dust) connected to the bucket by pump suction hose and vacuum cleaner pipes. Come on Roger, show us a picture, I could do with a good laugh today!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbarton Posted January 18, 2006 Share Posted January 18, 2006 Come on Roger, show us a picture, I could do with a good laugh today!! I just knew someone would come up with that one. I'm sure the people in the houses opposite rent out their upstairs rooms to see me emerging from the dust and noise with a bucket on my head! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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