So I go to Brady

[Steve Wood]

to the dentist and decide to go to Tractor Supply to pick up some garnite blast media so I can quit dicking around with the control arm off the Challenger and blast it clean to get on with the show.

I get home and look for my old cannister sand blaster...that was Wednesday.  Could not find the damn thing so I decided I need a little sand blasting cabinet anyway...heck, I might use the thing twice in my limited lifespan that is left so the damn thing is down right essential, right?  But over night, one of my friends explains to me that is really not realistic so I go out on Thursday to look again...damn, found it!

So as I am looking at it, I notice it says 50 psi max on the side, but, I don't pay too much attention to that as I don't want to go look for a regulator.  I figure it is way under rated for safety and 75 ft of hose ought to drop the pressure anyway.

Find me a bucket to stick the arm in, fill the cannister with grit, even put some safety goggles over my glasses, and pull the trigger!  Pop goes the cannister as it turns into a balloon, for a split second, I feel the impact of the grit rebounding off the arm and attacking me like a million Lilliputians armed with AK's in a final assault, then all I hear is the hissing of air escaping from places it should not be leaking from and no more sand blasting...did have one shiny spot tho' and it was not the top of my head.

Oh, well, at least I can go buy a blast cabinet....onl y 99.99$ as I don't have to pay tax on farm equipment.  So that concluded Thursday.

Friday, after lunch, I go out and start trying to figure out how to assemble the thing and plumb it up.  This time I installed a regulator even tho it said it would handle 80 psi.   Did not have a hose barb of the right size on both ends so I used a quick connect male fitting in the compressior side of the regulator at the cabinent.  Plug the hose in and KAPOW!  Lound bang and something is beating the crap out of me in the stomach and chest.  Feels like a rattlesnake on steroids for all the hissing going on...either that, or Taylor's mother.


After I realize that I am not at an S&M party, I figure out that the hose blew off the fitting I rigged and is flailing me in revenge.

So that ends Friday.  Getting ready to drive 20 miles to Menard to Napa to see if they have a 1/4x 3/8 hose barb.  At least I can stop by the gun store and bs for a bit on the way back.

[Top Speed]

wow.  Now I don't feel so bad when shit happens to me!

[Steve Wood]

shit loves me

[daveismissing]

....

[Pyro6]

20/20 hindsight, wouldn't it have been cheaper to pay your closest machine shop to glass bead them? Not quite as much fun and exciting, but cheaper and less hassle. Just can't help but think how your flying shrapnel reminds of when we used to shoot 8" inch shells out of a 55 gal. drum filled with sand. At the York Fairgrounds, one of them decided to go off in the drum, drove the bottom of the mortar 10" into the ground, evaporated the drum,  and we were ducking a sandblast machine we didn't order. Anyway, glad you escaped injury free. Can just imagine you needing volunteers to feed the goats.

[Wrecked Em]

Drop by any time, you can use my blast cabinet.

[nocooler]

Damn Steve....I can only the mess that made.

Be careful shit like this will get the best of you when you don't expect it.

[Steve Wood]

No, it would not be cheaper to drive a 100 mile round trip to the nearest machine shop and then pay them to do it....not at the price of gas today not to mention that it would take two trips per arm as no one does such things on the spot any more

I got a pocket full of fittings now and I should be good to go as soon as I read the paper and do the cross word

[Pyro6]

I think I just got an idea how much out in the boonies you are. If I have to drive more than 25 minutes for anything I have to deal with road rage(mine).

[Steve Wood]

LOL...not enuf traffic most of the time for road rage...anyway, this works a lot better and the bouncing media do not sting inside the cabinet.   I should have bought a big cabinet when I moved out here and the floor was not full of stuff....but, a small one is good enuf for most things

When you get to the shouldas, I should have brought my parts washer with me and I should have bought a plasma cutter...hard to justify today

[Steve Wood]

damn, now it quit picking up material..it is not my week to succeed, it seems

[stevemon]

Check your suction hose for air leaks Steve. Blastng media going through ti will cause it to warm up & the clamp will get loose. Humidity will also cause loss of suction with some media as it tends to clump up.

[gbsean]

and you make fun of me with my mishaps

[Charlief1]

damn, now it quit picking up material..it is not my week to succeed, it seems

How many dryers do you have in line Steve. 2 works best but you need at least 1 and make sure it's big. If the line clogs put your hand over the nozzle and hit the trigger to back flush it. I have a big cabinete and it does clog up sometimes. I back flush it and if it keeps happening then I drail the compressor tank and dryer and go back at it. Hope that helps you some. :yawinkle:

[Steve Wood]

I think my mishaps are even more funny than yours, GB

Charlie...I got it going again...I think the quality of my dryer is not up to the job and moisture might be a problem...usin g the black diamond stuff which i think is garnet based...also, I noticed my harbor freight regulator was leaking around the adjustment knob....I did back flush it and eventually it begin to blow grit again...

gonna have to start at square one and rework the compressor plumbing, I think...not too mention draining the compressor which I have not done lately