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Anyone have a pressure pot sandblaster??

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10K views 22 replies 16 participants last post by  Smokin408  
#1 ·
Pressure pot sandblasters from Harbor freight, Eastwood, Northern Tool are all the same. A friend bought one at Harbor Freight, he messed around with it for 6 months, never could get it to work right. I was at his shop one day and saw it sitting there, I told him I was thinking about buying one, he said take that piece of crap with you, you can have it, it doesn't work for shit. I took it home and tried it , he was right, it didnt work for shit. I searched the internet, revues were terrible, but some had ideas on fixes for it. The best idea was to replace the nozzle with one from Kennemetal. The new nozzle was $45. But wow what a difference, that thing will blast a hole in solid steel now. I have to tell my friend about it, he may want it back.
 
P
#5 ·
No fucking reason at all to buy a new gun.
I’ve been using Hf pressure blasters for over 20 years .
It’s simple all you need to do is plumb in an agitator at the bottom of the tank and it’s non stop. .
 
P
#8 ·
All you have to do is drill and tap (1) 1/4” pipe bund to the bottom of the tank very near the outlet and plumb that line up top to the manifold. Done fucking deal.
Continuous blasting nonstop.
Ditch the original hose and change it to a super good 2 wire hydraulic hose.
10 years later it’s still going strong.
 
R
#10 ·
I have one and have not had an issue with it. Have blasted a car frame and a bunch of suspension parts with it. For what I needed it did he job and cost me less than taking it out to be done by someone else. Oh one issue with it. The handles/ wheels axle assembly fit like shit.
 
P
#12 ·
If you have a menards near by the best media that I have found is called black blast.
It’s ground up clinkers from the burner stack in coal fired power plants.
Low free silica and it cuts terrific.
This could take for ever to explain but I ditched the gun that comes on the machine and replaced it with a 3’ length of 3/8 pipe. That way you are away from the ricochet zone.
 
G
#14 ·
The nozzles that come with all the cheaper units are junk. This is the part I was talking about. This nozzle will last most car guys a couple of years before wearing out.

www.ebay.com

Large Ceramic Sandblaster Nozzle Assembly: C1 Nozzle Tip, Ball Valve & Holder | eBay

Replace your existing nozzle holder with this system utilizing large 3-3/4" nozzles! This is a great solution for converting your Harbor Freight, Clarke or other garage sized blaster into a better system with this long-lasting nozzle.
www.ebay.com

This one item will turn the cheaper units into a real sand blaster if you have a decent compressor. All you have to do is keep moisture out and strain your media.
 
#15 ·
Owned a TP blaster since the mid 90's. Bad mofo.... Key points are...... If the quality of metal is compromised, it will poke a hole in it. If you don't have a 2 stage compressor, expect some downtime. And the media will find every crack and crevice of the human body. If you have moisture in your compressed air, it's gonna suck wind when using it.....

Otherwise they do the job and definitely make for a clean surface on anything metal...

JW
 
#16 ·
I have one from, I think TPI-the orig trigger sucked, bought what they call their cougar valve, has an internal like ball valve. It needs rebuilding now, doesnt shut off all the way. I have used play sand, but if it has set in the sun, the plastic causes moisture, which doesn't help, lol. Started using the coal stuff from Tractor supply, expensive, but kicks ass, no dust. You really need a large comp. if doing larger stuff.
 
1
#18 ·
those chinese ones are what they are, they work ok, but some up grades make them alot better. mostly its the valve at the bottom......... then if you upgrade to that pinch valve it removes the dead mans valve where media clogs up the tip.

i had a schimdt pressure pot years ago, it had a micro valve for media flow, and a large piston that clamped the hose closed at the tank to stop media. it was a bad ass setup and i used a 185cfm diesel to run it.
 
J
#21 ·
Proper CFM, pressure and dry air are the three major components of a proper working blast set up. Next is the right combo of media/tip size. Clemco and Schmidt make some of the best professional pots, but as others have said, a little tweaking on the cheap pots will make them work for hobbyist use. Also, there is a few videos on YouTube that will explain the auto air valve and Thompson valve on bigger pots. If your cheap pot is not set up this way, rig them up so you can meter the abrasive with the Thompson valve and use the auto air valve to “choke” the pot which flushes an overloaded blast line that has gotten constipated and started chugging because it has gotten too full of media for the air to pick it up and get it moving. Tweaking the flow of media with the Thompson valve can help you compensate for being on the edge of proper air supply.
 
#22 ·
S
#23 ·
Buy actual black beauty grit nice and clean. Most Napa's have it. That crap from TSC and Menards is full of dirt. Total garbage. Black Beaty brand gets more done twice as fast. So it may cost more per bag but is cheaper in the long run. The only thing I had to do to my HF pressure blaster was to put a regulator feeding it with no more than 120psi or it would malfunction shutting off. Have used it a lot over the years. No problems, didn't change anything.
 
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