For anyone who does DIY projects, I couldn't help but smile when the cabinet hit the bench top. I can relate. All you can do is laugh and figure out a hack to make it work.
@@elorz007 that's engineering, they say it will work, we tell them no, they say do it, we do it. We tell them it didn't work. They say oh.. Then we do it the right way🤣
As an individual who basically sandblasts everyday (part of the job) I recommend a few upgrades to the harbor freight cabinet. First, silicone all the seams Second a steel pickup tube Third a gun with a tungsten carbide nozzle Check out McMaster Carr or a local abrasives distributor. Get rid of that 80g aluminum oxide in favor of 120g or finer. (Especially for bike parts) “Glass bead #8” will give a bright satin surface finish And ground cherry pits can remove paint from carbon fiber without damaging the carbon. 🤔🤯 Enjoy your new toy.
@@flowerasteroid6241 I’m an operations supervisor for a thin film vacuum coating machine manufacturer and job shop. We use and sell our machines to produce a carbon based, hard, wear resistant film that the industry calls “DLC”. We sandblast to remove this film from the machine parts in order to reuse them for the next process. We also use the sandblasting machines to prepare the surfaces of customer parts before process. Different media produces a different appearance. Our coating is conformal, so the sandblasted surface prep can visually change the appearance of the finished customer part. From matte to polished. Sounds fun. But it’s very tedious and detail oriented work. I also love building and riding fancy bicycles 😎 Basically if you want to sandblast all day look for a job in machine shop, powder coating or industrial thin film coating.
For soft metals, instead of sand, use Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate, you know, baking soda). Can buy "industrial grade" bags of it darn cheap, and it won't roughen up your finish so bad
Horror Fraught has walnut shell media, so for $30 I think this would be the first thing to try in the blast cabinet. HF also has soda blasters. IDK if soda works in normal sand blasters? The REALLY 'cool' thing is dry-ice blasting, but that equipment is NOT cheap. And as always, remember that breathing dust from sand or glass is not so good.
@@oapfu Soda works fine, but you do need to modify your collection process and run a cyclone catch before the shop vac (which is a good idea even with sand). Using something like a dust deputy or the like to convert a 5 gal bucket for that size is fine, as well as have a way to regulate the soda, which is cheap and simple with a couple brass fittings, gate valve and some extra tubing.
Or for soft metals like aluminum or stainless steel use glass bead i sand blast for a living and I blast a lot of good grade stainless steel that can’t be pitted bad
[Mechanical Design Engineer] Most chainrings are a 6061-T6 Aluminum, which are Type II sealed anodized after machining. Anodization is a plating process to prevent surface oxidation (corrosion) of the Aluminum. Most common color for anodization is black, but you can anodize in a huge variety of colors. When you blast the parts you are both removing this surface plating and changing the surface roughness of the part to varying extents depending on your blasting medium. Most bicycle chains are a carbon steel (much harder than aluminum). So the new aluminum surface will wear down to a smooth interface over time, but for a short time will add slightly more wear to the new chain during the break-in period - after installing the new chainring, clean the chain and sprockets excessively to remove the aluminum particulate being created to minimize wear. During blasting take caution not to excessively wear the teeth - they will be interfacing with the chain anyway and you want maximum engagement between the teeth on the sprocket and the chain to reduce uneven loading (which could lead to breakage in the chain). After blasting you will need a new surface treatment to prevent surface oxidation. Common "at home" methods might be powder coating or painting, However neither of these are a chemical bond, to they will be more prone to chipping/flaking during use. A very mild surface texture will actually help the powdercoating/painting from chip-out. Hope that helps. - J.
@@samuelmorris2450 They get more expensive the more you buy so look out for that. Having said that, i must say that my first full sus bike cost me £1200 in 2018. over £1000 and 4 years later and I now have a fully custom Vitus Escarpe worth £2250
@@samuelmorris2450 you got away cheap. Just dropped $3000 on a new Norco because it was available at my bike shop. I don’t regret buying any of my bikes. Regret selling a couple though. There are worst ways to spend money. Just go and ride it now, and make it worth every penny.
@@TraceyAllen Yeah... I was looking at some full sus bikes and I decided that I wanted a hardtail that I could throw around before spending over 2k on a bike. Also, I can't believe that I got so many replies so soon.
PRO TIP : when you're finished blasting, pull the gloves inside out and let them hang down on the outside of the cabinet. They will last twice as long and it's kinda gross sticking your hands back into soggy rotting gloves. You're welcome 😊
As an engineer I wouldn't recommend sand blasting structural parts or hardened surfaces. Sand blasting is great for insensitive parts for quick and visually pleasing results. But especially on soft metals like aluminium you can remove a non insignificant amount of material quite quickly. Additionally, the rough surface weakens the corrosions resistance and mechanical properties further. In rebuilds and restoration off high end cars and chassis we use dry ice blasting or professional chemical paint stripping. That being sad, you can get softer sodium bicarbonate or nutshell particles which are great for cleaning parts without being too harsh even on softer surfaces.
@@MousemanLV well I would say thats fine in most cases. But I would never blast any structural chassis parts especially on modern cars with space frame, shell or composite construction.
Ex wet blasting R&D engineer, you're very right, will definitely strip off any anodising, compromise the resin layer of carbon fibre and may blow through case hardening in the case of gears, not clued up on how exact bike components are finished but definitely something to consider
Hi, Seth, here is a tip for you: If you are sandblasting a metal part and you want to make it black/matte black you can use bluing liquid and it works flawlessly. It also saves weight, because you are not really painting, but you are oxidizing (not rusting) the metal, and it also prevents rusting :)
Bluing only works on steel, not aluminum. And depending on the type of steel there could be issues as well, common liquid blue doesn't work on stainless. Bluing alone doesn't prevent rust, it is a specific, controlled oxidization of the steel instead of a standard iron oxide rust forming on its own. normally there is a layer of oil rubbed into a blued part to protect it because bluing alone doesn't cut it There are other processes out there to turn other metals black ish but they aren't bluing. Brass black is supposed to work ok, some people I know used it on old paintball markers.
@@theshadows620 Cerakote is a good alternative. has become very popular in the gun industry to replace liquid blue. it's similar to powder coating, in that it's sprayed and baked on, but it's liquid, so it works on pretty much anything that can handle some time in the oven.
Hey Seth, try GLASS BEADS if you can get some. For restoring, deep cleaning and restoring parts. Won’t etch the metal like sandblast with coarse grit. I am a dental technician and we use both for different purposes in the lab. You would have to clean the bin each time though, or buy a second blaster. The other option, poor man’s cleaning medium is baking soda!
I know this isn't how it works, but I had a flash of a guy strapped to a table with a sandblaster strapped to his mouth. Kids, make sure you brush those braces or else...
In addition to glass beads keep the pressure lower for softer materials. We have a great big sandblasting cabinet at work (its got a 5 foot rotating tray inside) and we use glass bead media. Works great on iron/steel parts but we still have to lower the pressure and media flow when we need to strip aluminum or copper. It removes paint slower but your have less chance of removeing more than the minimum amount of metal. Also be aware that even glass beads will frost polished machine fits if you hit them with the sand blaster. Expect that you'll need to repolish anything you want to be shiny afterwards. If we need to be really gentle on a small part we just throw it in a vibration tumbler with corncob media. Just let it run over night and check them in the morning. repeat as needed till its clean. Does really well on small brass parts.
4:50 Toolmaker here. Ideally after a sanding like that we usually put parts in a wet deburr machine, that's basically just a tumbler that cycles your parts in wet and soapy small stones, for a few hours to both soften the finish from the sanding and to give it a final clean. After that they're given a quick dip in regular water, to clean off the soaps, and an anti-rust mixture to keep the parts nice for longer.
Hi Seth, try to hit the surface in an angle of 45° instead of 90°. It’ll take of the paint better without damaging the surface underneath it. If you want a (kind of) shiny finish you can use glas beads. At least that’s what I use as a dental technician and dentist for cleaning up different alloys. Cheers from Germany!
Most people answered this already but here are two tips. 1. Use walnut shell media to strip surface rust without damaging more delicate metals. 2. Get a dust-buster cyclone attachment that fits on a 5 gallon bucket. They sell them at home depot and it will save your shop vac from being clogged up with sand blasting media. It acts as a dust separator and it makes a big difference.
Different blast media is as varied as the tools on your wall. You can use different sands, glass beads, walnut shell, baking soda, etc etc etc. Blasting is really well known for creating heat and extreme warping in thin metals. You by mistake used the perfect test for that which is the soda can test. These days wet blasting (called dustless blasting) is used a lot for car sheet metal so that it doesn't ruin the sheet metal. It's a mixture of crushed glass (Not much different than sand) and water shot from a special machine. If you want to get really crazy you can remove rust and corrosion with a special laser, very fun videos to watch.
the soda can is thin enough that even beyond the heating issue I'd have worried about puncturing the metal, thing's like a standard A4 paper sheet but made of aluminum
(I’m an engineer) It all comes down to your sand blasting material and choosing the correct one. A softer material should be used on softer parts. So it really depends on your part for what medium you choose. I can imagine that a sprocket would be heat treated at least on the teeth (at least that’s what my plant does to our sprockets). So it’s most likely alright and if there are any rough edges on the teeth then they’d wear as they usually would. If this turns out to be untrue and you do run into issues later you should let us know.
Materials engineer here. If the sprocket is aluminum, nothing will happen to the chain, which is made from steel (see Mohs scale). The chain in combination with sand that gets into it from the trails will smooth out the contact parts. Should have no influence at all on the lifetime of the sprocket.
Will the chain ring take most of the wear and the sand break down and "fall" out? I am imagining the wheel on a surface grinder. I just started machining courses, so Im not very knowledgeable.
@@andrewgould8924 Well in terms of a bike there will be little wear ideally due to lubricants. The sand is coming from the mud you ride through and will wear both chain and ring. If you ride without lube the chain will pretty quickly wear down the sprocket. I am not sure I explained that well, but if you have any further questions, just ask :D
I too have a HF sandblasting cabinet that I have found to be indispensable for cleaning up small parts and here's a few observations: 1. The HF sandblasting cabinet that I bought fits perfectly on top of a Craftsman rollaway tool box bottom- no need to build a separate stand for it or take up valuable bench space with it. 2. Dust collection is a must- I use a smallish barrel top dust collector which not only evacuates the cabinet from the blast dust for both health and visibility issues but also eliminates the need for periodically replacing the clear plastic window shield. 3. While there is a provision for lighting the inside of the cabinet I found it a whole lot easier to rig a two bulb halogen shop light on the top of the cabinet; having a bright light makes it easier to see all the parts of the work piece that you missed!
The raceface chainrings are made out of aluminium, which is a soft metal. In order to not wear out, they are "Hard anodized", which gives them a metallic look as well as a very hard and durable surface. By sandblasting it, you've just removed that hard anodized layer, making that chainring completely useless. I would not recommend sandblasting parts that have functionnal surfaces. If a surface has a mechanical use, it is probably the way it is for a reason. You can mask off the part you don't want to touch with tape, that works pretty well. Exemples of functionnal surfaces : bearing seats, threads, the parts that touch the chain of the chainrings, precise holes (through axles, pivot bolts etc) ...
that’s great to know! I’m wondering though, what happens when the chain itself wears off the hard anodized layer on the teeth? Is there something beyond the “color” that’s making it harder?
I would have to disagree, considering the anodization (which is 0.0005" to 0.002" thick) on the bearing surface of a chain ring wears off in half a dozen, or so, rides. Also, the rollers of a chain do not rub against the chainring, they only sit upon it, while the chain links rub against the rollers. Sandblasting does create some pitting, which will wear down faster than a perfectly flat surface. Calling it "rendered useless" is a gross exaggeration. I would say a 10-15% reduction in life expectancy of the the chainring is more reasonable.
@@BermPeakExpress Once that's gone, teeth wear out quicker and you replace the part. If you take the advice of soda blasting, instead of sand blasting, you'll be less likely to strip the "hard coat" (Type III anodization). That said... yeah, probably shouldn't be blasting it at all, unless you plan on re-anodizing it yourself (after an acid wash). That's of course assuming that the part you're blasting has Type III anodization -- it could just be Type II (color coat), if it's a cheap one.
We had a sandblaster in my highschool metal shop class. I used to use it to sandblast parts all the time. I sandblaster my FBM sprocket and it came out just like yours. And yes, the teeth smoothed out from the chain in no time. Worked great, looked swift. Enjoy!
You can seal the seams of the cabinet with caulk to limit the amount of dust that leaks out. Another tip is to rig up a 5 gallon bucket with inlet and outlet tubes, put some water in the bottom of the bucket and then the dust picked up by the vacuum stay in the water not your shop vac filter.
Basically a water filter. Make sure the in and outlet pipes are ABOVE the water (your post made it unclear.) I've got one of those vacuumes that has a water tank that does exactly this and it is badass.
@@singletona082 if you're blasting lead paint (or similar) for example. There's less suction but you're also less likely to get poisoned It's still generally preferred to have it above the water but there are usecases
Sandblasted Part quickly start to rust if they're not out of some naturally rust resistent material like aluminium. Make sure to apply rust protection for those soon after sandblasting them. If you want any sort of shiny finish after sandblasting you'll have to smooth the parts down with fine grid sandpaper slowing going up the grid and then polish them
For less abrasive blasting, consider using baking soda. I've used it to polish the valves in my direct injection engine after using walnut shell blast media to remove the built up gunk. The baking soda would work great on bike parts without pitting the part.
Hey Seth, I used to own a custom powder coating shop and obviously had a sandblaster. (1) different media in the blaster for different results. For example, crushed walnut shells for when you need to blast something soft or fragile. (2) Be VERY mindful of the dust and definitely get a respirator. Some blast media (sand, in particular) can be carcinogenic when it breaks down as you blast and you don't want to inhale that crap.
Hey Seth use the sand blaster in a circular motion. It prevents stripes and the end product will turn out better. I learned this at an aviation Machine shop.
For the kind of things you’re looking to clean up you should have invested in a parts cleaning tank. I worked for an auto parts rebuilder years ago and we had one to clean starter and alternator parts. It was a shake tank with some kind of stones and a black cleaning fluid in it (can’t remember exactly what-too long ago) but it removed all kinds of caked on rust, mud, grease and metal filings. They came out looking brand new and did not damage copper, aluminum or cast metal. You do need an exhaust fan because it does put off fumes and can be loud, but does all the work for you. It’s like a washing machine for metals!
I got this exact model of cabinet as an $85 open-box special. The nice thing about getting it so cheap is that I haven't been afraid to modify the hell out of it.
Idk if you’re still going hacks vids but a size 3 spoke wrench is the perfect fit to remove a valve core. This might have been super obvious to some people but I just found it out and thought it was pretty cool.
For bike parts, I'd recommend soda as the abrasive, you also don't need #80, too coarse and can remove too much base material. Just make sure you do some sort of surface finish after blasting, since the abrasion you caused will expose TONS of new surface to the elements for oxidation and corrosion.
I had one of these for years and for the money it worked great yes it was a little messy even when taping app the seems and the vacuum 🤣🤣🤣 I used mine for cleaning engine cases with glass bead media now i just send them out to get soda blasted its so much easier and saves me a ton of time great vid man 🤘
I had a buddy who bought a "outdoor media blaster" ( basically a sand blaster with no cabinet ) and he wanted to blast the inside of his old Chevy pickup. I told him " dude, you really don't want to do that. The sand will just fill the inside of your truck up because it just becomes the atmosphere in an enclosed area." His answer was "Im not an idiot, Ill tape off the vents, and vacuum up good afterward." Needless to say , he got rid of the truck after months of getting sand in his mouth every time he drove the truck.😂 Dont do that.
So he never thought to use an air compressor to blow it out? He was already using one with the sandblaster. Not everything you need to sandblast can fit into a cabinet either. I'm not sure what you mean by "becomes the atmosphere". At most it becomes a fine dust that eventually settles. For us people that live near the beach sand in your car is a common occurrence anyway. This idea that it's blowing around in your mouth while you're driving is a new one to me. The whole point of a cabinet is to keep the harmful dust and paint chips away from you and the environment, it's not required to do the job though. Also so you can collect and reuse your media. I sandblast structures/frames I weld on and I just blow the sand out with a blow nozzle on my air compressor. It's actually a regular thing I do because I'm a tradesman and my truck gets dirty. I just open all the doors and blast the inside with my air compressor. 🤷
@@nickstersss It wasn't an I told you so moment actually. It was a "I don't know what I'm talking about but I'm just going to give you advice based on an assumption" moment.
The biggest plus I see with getting a cabinet for your situation is that you could prep your pieces for Powder Coat. If you go to you local coater you could ask them when they typically shoot the powder and if you aren't too picky on colors they probably wouldn't charge you too much just to throw on a coat.
Good choice on getting the cabinet. You were half right on the dust being "probably dangerous". The dust is *definitely* dangerous. Harbor freight also sells other blast media like walnut shells that you can use to blast softer metals like aluminum. Bike parts probably are fine but if you ever want to take on a frame, I wouldn't use sand. The clearcoat may flake off from what I've been told (did a lot of reading on blasting a frame to raw Al and clearcoating it, was advised against it for that reason), but you can have it clear powder coated at shops. You might even be able to do it yourself, you'll just need an oven to cure it.
You can make one of these cabinets just as good out of a cardboard box and a piece of plexiglass. $10-$15. I've used mine daily for almost 3 years as a metal fabricator. Just as airtight and so light I can keep it up on a shelf out of the way.
you could also get a dremel and wire wheel for polishing really fast after you sand blast parts. also you can use electrical tape or soft vinyl like masking tape to blast designs into painted parts :)
THIS IS PEAK SETH! Also we actually use these cabinets in an industrial setting in multiple factories at work. The only modification we do, is use media beads or walnuts vs sand, and we've replace the blasting gun with a nicer gun. nice little cabinet.
Sand blasters are fun but if I remember from when I used to use them in work to recondition burner nozzles we were told to clean a lot of the oils and greases off first in order to not clog up the blaster. But they are so good to prep items for paint. Even bike frames can be done (full sussers fully disassembled).
Is that because you were recycling the media and the oils and greases would mix in with the media? Also, how would you get oil and grease out of sand I wonder. I'm just trying to understand how it would clog up the sandblaster.
@@dangerous8333 tbh I’m not to sure why, think it’s more contamination and makes it harder for the media to stick to the surface. Just going off what I was told to do.
VERY entertaining video! So, I brought this cabinet to replace a smaller one I bought from Tractor Supply. How disappointed I was to see the air feed set up, compared to my old one. But, the video made me forget about it briefly, thank you for that.
I'm a senior mechanical Engineering Student!! I can say that the blasting media is the most important. For some projects that I've done, I use walnut material (I believe they sell at harbor freight), because it's not as harsh as sand. Sand is good for harder materials like the chassis of a car I.E steel. Aluminum blocks in the auto industry, people also use walnut media blasters. I'm unaware if you're model can do that however a quick google search can suffice. Look into your model and google media that can be run through and material used for I'm sure is provided. As for your sprocket, engineers usually don't pay attention to things like surface finish. Tensile Strength, Ultimate TS, etc. These material properties play a role in materials' ability to withstand "wear and tear" or failures. This is the case for gears, unless at a small enough level where surface finishes come into play (or grain boundaries). Of course annealing, cold treating, and other hardening processes can be done to aid here, however media blasting will not affect this per the hardening processes affect the material overall, not only at the surface. So blasting it should have no effect at all on the sprocket, as for the chain is harder than aluminum so a rougher sprocket can never damage the chain in any measurable way. In short, if you asked me, you're good to go.
Unrelated but related question. How are the park tool tools held on the wall? Hooks, magnets, magic? Looks so clean, re-watched a bunch of videos and haven't found it.
I have as a moldmaker used a sand blaster to straighten parts that have warped in heat treat. When you blast you are relieving stress and if you are not careful you can warp a piece that was straight. I am not a fan of 80 grit. Glass bead makes a nicer finish. Also when you blast you are imbedding tiny abrasive particles into the surface of the piece which may cause more wear on certain parts like a chain ring. What blasting is great for is removing rust.
A few tips. Use a large Air. Compressor. These use a ton of air volume. Strain your sand. Pieces of paint or dirt clogs the blast tip. Sand in plastic holds moisture and you need dry sand or it clogs. Use a piece of metal screen to filter sand inside the cabinet as you blast. It’ll trap the garbage as you blast.
Yes Seth, As a sand blasting expert. It’s a little known fact that the ancient Egyptians accidentally caused a major part of the Euphrates to dry. As we all know from Kindergarten; this is how deserts 🌵 were made. Nah…… I also know nothing. Sweet vid bro!!!!
Best thing for sandblasting, old tools! Restore an old hand plane or something! Also, I was so happy when rustoleum came out with clear rattle can paint… I use it all the time when I want a bare metal look. Good stuff.
Hi Seth - have you considered swapping out the abrasive sand for glass pearls? Sand with abrade the surface. Glass will simply remove the dirt and grime. I think as an engineer the sand will damage the very delicate and precision made mtb parts. Another alternative is soda as a blasting medium - good cleaner and what's left can be simply washed away with water. Have used the soda technique on my Porsche engine cases - top results...
I’m a machinist apprentice. The sand blasted finish is smooth enough I don’t think it will wear out chains. Any steel you sand blast will rust easily unless you clear coat it. Paint will stick on sand blasted parts very well. Get clear plastic screens about .020” thick to protect the inside window from scratches. You take the plastic off when it gets cloudy and put a new piece on. You can just tape them on the inside. The gloves in the cabinet will wear out over time so you might replace those eventually.
My dad pass this year and this is one of the things he left behind thanks for the in-site, I might get brave enough to refinish my wheels on my e38 bmw
I have a metal casting channel. I also do brass. To get a mirror finish, start with 80 gt sand paper. Use wd40 as the "wet" work your way up to 2000 gt. The zon has a drill kit with all the grits you need on a 3 inch drill pad. It's only $15. Finish it off with "green" harbor freight polishing compound. 😀
The can wrinkled because the metal expands when you blast it. If you blast one side of a thin flat strip of metal you'll find that it's bent when you're done. Thicker parts won't show this because the media doesn't have enough energy. It's like trying to bend a thick piece of steel with a light hammer, but the metal still distorts to some degree. You can use different media to remove rust and paint without removing/roughening metal.
i have one of the freestanding ones. , it up on cinderblocks. needs 2 bright floodlights in it to see. it needs a dedicated shopvac to keep the dust away, and the vacuum will die in about a year from abrasion in the bearings. we used a 220v shop 60gallon compresser to run it, it hasnt been used in about 5 years , if there is even a drop of moisture in the abrasive it clogs up, was fun when it worked initally.
what i thought you were gonna do : put the casters on the outside and inset them a bit to make it shorter. what didn't think you would do : cut out a perfect stencil of the blaster on your bench I respect the quality DIY move.
If you use glass bead blasting media after sandblasting, you can get a shinier finish that looks a bit like brushed metal. You'd have to either empty the cabinet and replace the sand, or cut another notch in your workbench and get a second cabinet.
Glass beads or soda work awesome . The soda won’t leave a rough surface, but might be a bit dusty. I use glass beads for most of my projects. Have a blast !
Waste of money though. You can build one of these for $10. Just need a strong cardboard box of equal size. Some good tape and a piece of plexiglass. Cut some holes in the front. I'm a metal fabricator and I've been using it for 3 years with no visual damage. It's airtight and lightweight. I pack it away when I'm not using it and just pull it outside when I need it. If it's raining I have a port on it where I attach my shops vacuum system that purges everything outside.
Look into other blasting media. There’s glass garnet, slag, walnut shells, soda, metal beads, the list goes on. Each one has different properties and is catered for different use cases. For you something lighter like soda or walnut shell will still remove surface containment’s but won’t abrade the base metal as much, specially softer non ferrous metals like you work with.
👍 As Michael McLane pointed out you have a variety of media available for different applications . My preference for what l do is glass beads . Definitely a smoother finish than #80 silica sand . Be willing to experiment to find out what works best for your needs . Baking Soda is also very safe , environmentally as well .
I did abrasive blasting professionally for a bit. I was in a blast booth you could pull a semi trailer into. It was 30ft inside height as well about 60ft long and 25ft wide. Massive compressors the size of small SUVs pushed 180 psi air through hose that had an OD of 4 inches and an ID of 1.5 inches. Used steel BBs and crushed copper slag. Shit it would blow a hole in an I-beam if you held it still long enough.
I restore aviation fuel systems professionally. Love our sandblasting cabinet at work. Any painted part gets blasted and repainted. Pro tip: a heat lamp will help cure the paint.
I blasted a lot of vintage parts with this exact blaster from HF. The rack from 1948 Schwinn, and all the brackets that hold the dynamo and light kit on, I did the fenders and fender hardware for my 1960s Royce Union. NEXT I have everything collected up to start Copper and Nickel plating So I can clean stuff up and either paint or plate with the desired finish, and it will be better than when it came from the factory, but not look out of place..
That was my first blast cabinet. It worked just O.K. I think I was expecting too much from it though. I finally just got a used industrial blast cabinet and a larger compressor and it kicks butt. These are O.K. for small hobbyist though.
I'm an engineer, designing custom machinery for the food and packaging industries primarily. We sand blast a lot of stuff, but we tend to avoid blasting components or at least sections of components that are tight tolerance, a running surface like a bearing or sprocket, and usually we won't blast anything but stainless steel. Tight tolerance because it removes material and is hard to control amount of material removal, running surfaces because it's a rough surface, and only stainless because the rough surface promotes corrosion. Generally speaking we just tape off the areas that we don't want to blast, so for the sprocket you could just tape off the teeth and then blast everything else. All of that said, there's actually one really interesting instance where we do sand blast explicitly for function, and that is for sheeter rolls that basically roll out the dough for certain types of chips. I won't go hugely into specifics, but we blast the surface of these rolls for a few specific functional reasons, but this is the only case I can think of where we actually do blast a functional surface.
Have this exact cabinet at work, except I deleted the latches in favor of a magnet pulled from a hard disk drive screwed into the side door for a magnetic seal. Super convenient.
Certain blast mediums can etch aluminum worse than others. Walnut shells work quite well for aluminum and its an organic blast medium which makes it a bit more eco-friendly. Sodium bicarbonate and fine glass beads are also good for aluminum. You typically want to match the hardness of your blast medium to what you are blasting. I took metal working class in college and got to play with the blast cabinet for my projects and learned real quick that a medium (such as steel pellets and some coal slag) for blasting rust and mill scale off of steel will eat aluminum up.
mechanical technologist here, sandblasted parts can oxidize almost immediately if you're not careful, this is sometimes referred to as re-rust. this occurs because of sandblasting giving the parts more surface area and space for oxidation to occur. if you are putting a good layer of paint then you should be fine, however, in the case of a sprocket where the teeth remain unpainted, you may want to give them some hand sanding to bring back some of the metallic shine rather than leave the coarse rough finish.
Wash the parts with soap and water after blasting if you intend to paint. The reason touching the parts leaves a big finger smudge is that its actually coated with a fine layer of sand and its absorbing the oils.
Good stuff we have one of these at the shop I work at, at my college. It was leaking tons of sand but sealing it with a bunch of permatex gaskest maker from oreileys helped alot
Now you need to get a harbor freight powder coat gun and a toaster oven to powder coat a bunch of parts. I sandblasted my crankbrothers stamp pedals and did a chrome base with a candy red over it. They have held up really well for the couple years I've been running them.
Every time I would visit my uncle's shop, the first thing I would do was head straight for the sand blasting cabinet. His was snap-on, but still. When I couldn't find any more metal parts to clean, I'd dig soda cans out of the trash to clean the paint off them. Didn't take long to blast holes right through the cans so when he grabbed the FULL UNOPENED can, I was like "WAIT, NOOOO!!!" lol
I've been using big commercial units on jobs for years. the newest method for outdoor use is dry ice, totally disappears. With brass just wire wheel it after blasting, then polish.
I’m getting an ultrasonic cleaning bath for similar cash: should be great for chains & other non bb components. I’ve used our small work one on a metal watch bracelet and it worked a treat. Primary use will be chains- I don’t think I can do the whole waxing thing, and I prefer liquid lubricant on chains (carefully applied link by link…..but if there’s enough it should spread over bearing surfaces at rest, I can’t see wax doing that) I’ve run the gamut of chain care in 40 years, including regular cleaning in solvents, rinse and dry in the oven and relube. I reckon this could work well with less nasty solvent solutions.
Next time use brass tumbling dry media to blast fine things. They come out beautiful! (Not all pitted) Or crushed walnut hulls used in pet cages. If you use baking soda you can even blast paint off of glass without hurting the glass.
Ok so I am not no professional, but I do do sandblasting, small to Industrisl jobs, and on all materials. But make sure to have clean hands or use hands because touching them after blasting can rust it again. Not a big deal when it not for personal stuff. But a clear coat might work. We always paint our stuff then clear coat (not spray paint) but hopefully it all works out fine. It is so useful, glad you atleast have some type of sandblaster🤘
I'm an ASU mechanical engineering student and I can confirm that the abrasive finish that the sandblaster leaves will not harm anything. Since Aluminum is softer than the Chain Steel, the steel would just eventually round out the tiny abrasions on the sprocket. I hope this helps!
If you follow up on the 80 grit with something like 220, and then mil12, it will basically be as close to mirror you can get without any elbow grease. I used to work in Semicon and they used the same techniques for their processes
I sandblast, but the blast cabinet is bigger than your garage, it’s a good tool, change your blast media to get better profile, the bigger the media the rougher the profile, try acorn shell blast media, it’s cheap and you’ll get a smoother finish
You can now etch glasses, plaques, granite… etch-etera. Using stencils of course. You can try it straight up to a wine glass to have a frosted look. Not too close.
I didn't read through all 829 comments that were posted since February 6th?! So someone may have brought this up. But...for blasting parts for clean up without damaging the substrate, we use walnut shell blasting media. Plus, once you have used the media up, you can just toss into the yard. We use if for carb refurbishing on our race cars primarily, but we also use it on our suspension parts when we go through those throughout the race season. You'll find tons of uses on more delicate bike parts.
![[#2024MAMA] ROSÉ (로제), Bruno Mars - APT. | Mnet 241122 방송](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/dgGqD28J6aQ/mqdefault.jpg)
For anyone who does DIY projects, I couldn't help but smile when the cabinet hit the bench top. I can relate. All you can do is laugh and figure out a hack to make it work.
This is basically how software development gets done too
And I knew 100% how Seth is gonna solve it! 😂
i’ve run into these kind if problems one to many times indeed
I'm glad he included it into the video I probably wouldn't have posted it but I guess after me smiling I should if I do that lol
@@elorz007 that's engineering, they say it will work, we tell them no, they say do it, we do it. We tell them it didn't work. They say oh.. Then we do it the right way🤣
As an individual who basically sandblasts everyday (part of the job) I recommend a few upgrades to the harbor freight cabinet.
First, silicone all the seams
Second a steel pickup tube
Third a gun with a tungsten carbide nozzle
Check out McMaster Carr or a local abrasives distributor.
Get rid of that 80g aluminum oxide in favor of 120g or finer. (Especially for bike parts)
“Glass bead #8” will give a bright satin surface finish
And ground cherry pits can remove paint from carbon fiber without damaging the carbon. 🤔🤯
Enjoy your new toy.
How can I get a job sandblasting every day sounds fun what do u do
@@flowerasteroid6241 I’m an operations supervisor for a thin film vacuum coating machine manufacturer and job shop.
We use and sell our machines to produce a carbon based, hard, wear resistant film that the industry calls “DLC”. We sandblast to remove this film from the machine parts in order to reuse them for the next process. We also use the sandblasting machines to prepare the surfaces of customer parts before process. Different media produces a different appearance. Our coating is conformal, so the sandblasted surface prep can visually change the appearance of the finished customer part. From matte to polished.
Sounds fun. But it’s very tedious and detail oriented work.
I also love building and riding fancy bicycles 😎
Basically if you want to sandblast all day look for a job in machine shop, powder coating or industrial thin film coating.
@@elithe240guy you definitely sound like you know what youre talking about thank you lol
@@flowerasteroid6241 lol 🙃
I s
For soft metals, instead of sand, use Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate, you know, baking soda). Can buy "industrial grade" bags of it darn cheap, and it won't roughen up your finish so bad
Horror Fraught has walnut shell media, so for $30 I think this would be the first thing to try in the blast cabinet. HF also has soda blasters. IDK if soda works in normal sand blasters? The REALLY 'cool' thing is dry-ice blasting, but that equipment is NOT cheap. And as always, remember that breathing dust from sand or glass is not so good.
@@oapfu Soda works fine, but you do need to modify your collection process and run a cyclone catch before the shop vac (which is a good idea even with sand). Using something like a dust deputy or the like to convert a 5 gal bucket for that size is fine, as well as have a way to regulate the soda, which is cheap and simple with a couple brass fittings, gate valve and some extra tubing.
Or for soft metals like aluminum or stainless steel use glass bead i sand blast for a living and I blast a lot of good grade stainless steel that can’t be pitted bad
In one of Seth’s videos, he uses baking soda and the way he says “baking soda, I got baking soda” is the funniest thing ever
@@oapfu dry ice blasting should definitely be done in a place with good ventilation.
I relate so hard when you said “I’ve owned this for 24 hours so naturally I’ve sandblasted everything i own” 😂
The truth!
As I was watching this I immediately started making a mental list of things I need to sandblast.
Hehehe... Here Kitty
I can totally picture seth becoming a hermit in his garage and all he does is sandblast obscure bike parts
I mean I would too lol
Hell ! He already lives out there
Just a single master link
*Maniacal laughing intensifies*
He already laughs like Master Roshi.
[Mechanical Design Engineer] Most chainrings are a 6061-T6 Aluminum, which are Type II sealed anodized after machining. Anodization is a plating process to prevent surface oxidation (corrosion) of the Aluminum. Most common color for anodization is black, but you can anodize in a huge variety of colors. When you blast the parts you are both removing this surface plating and changing the surface roughness of the part to varying extents depending on your blasting medium. Most bicycle chains are a carbon steel (much harder than aluminum). So the new aluminum surface will wear down to a smooth interface over time, but for a short time will add slightly more wear to the new chain during the break-in period - after installing the new chainring, clean the chain and sprockets excessively to remove the aluminum particulate being created to minimize wear. During blasting take caution not to excessively wear the teeth - they will be interfacing with the chain anyway and you want maximum engagement between the teeth on the sprocket and the chain to reduce uneven loading (which could lead to breakage in the chain). After blasting you will need a new surface treatment to prevent surface oxidation. Common "at home" methods might be powder coating or painting, However neither of these are a chemical bond, to they will be more prone to chipping/flaking during use. A very mild surface texture will actually help the powdercoating/painting from chip-out. Hope that helps. - J.
Thanks for this comment. Very interesting read that should have gotten more engagement. Love the technical outlook.
Good stuff! Nice to scroll through comments and actually learn a thing or two. 👊
Pro tip: line the inside of the viewing window with plastic wrap to keep it from abrading.
yep, it came with a bunch of those, like downhill goggles have, but we edited out that part for brevity
@@BermPeakExpress I just want to say that you got me into mountain biking, and made me spend $1300 on a new bike! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!
@@samuelmorris2450 They get more expensive the more you buy so look out for that. Having said that, i must say that my first full sus bike cost me £1200 in 2018. over £1000 and 4 years later and I now have a fully custom Vitus Escarpe worth £2250
@@samuelmorris2450 you got away cheap. Just dropped $3000 on a new Norco because it was available at my bike shop. I don’t regret buying any of my bikes. Regret selling a couple though. There are worst ways to spend money. Just go and ride it now, and make it worth every penny.
@@TraceyAllen Yeah... I was looking at some full sus bikes and I decided that I wanted a hardtail that I could throw around before spending over 2k on a bike.
Also, I can't believe that I got so many replies so soon.
PRO TIP : when you're finished blasting, pull the gloves inside out and let them hang down on the outside of the cabinet. They will last twice as long and it's kinda gross sticking your hands back into soggy rotting gloves. You're welcome 😊
Also, spiders. No sudden surprises!
@@R2robot galaxy brain tip
Top tier tip. I'll definitely be doing this from now on.
@@sethstewart9704 you could just get some cheap cotton gloves liners.
@@pingpong12429
Meh, Still not a bad idea. The cotton will get skanky, too.
As an engineer I wouldn't recommend sand blasting structural parts or hardened surfaces. Sand blasting is great for insensitive parts for quick and visually pleasing results. But especially on soft metals like aluminium you can remove a non insignificant amount of material quite quickly. Additionally, the rough surface weakens the corrosions resistance and mechanical properties further. In rebuilds and restoration off high end cars and chassis we use dry ice blasting or professional chemical paint stripping. That being sad, you can get softer sodium bicarbonate or nutshell particles which are great for cleaning parts without being too harsh even on softer surfaces.
“A non insignificant amount”
A.K.A.
A significant amount
😄
@@mrkthmn hahaha :D. Yeah I am German, we like our "Doppelte Verneinung "
M539 Restorations sand blasts even manifolds, water pumps etc
@@MousemanLV well I would say thats fine in most cases. But I would never blast any structural chassis parts especially on modern cars with space frame, shell or composite construction.
Ex wet blasting R&D engineer, you're very right, will definitely strip off any anodising, compromise the resin layer of carbon fibre and may blow through case hardening in the case of gears, not clued up on how exact bike components are finished but definitely something to consider
Hi, Seth, here is a tip for you: If you are sandblasting a metal part and you want to make it black/matte black you can use bluing liquid and it works flawlessly. It also saves weight, because you are not really painting, but you are oxidizing (not rusting) the metal, and it also prevents rusting :)
Bluing only works on steel, not aluminum. And depending on the type of steel there could be issues as well, common liquid blue doesn't work on stainless.
Bluing alone doesn't prevent rust, it is a specific, controlled oxidization of the steel instead of a standard iron oxide rust forming on its own. normally there is a layer of oil rubbed into a blued part to protect it because bluing alone doesn't cut it
There are other processes out there to turn other metals black ish but they aren't bluing. Brass black is supposed to work ok, some people I know used it on old paintball markers.
@@theshadows620 Cerakote is a good alternative. has become very popular in the gun industry to replace liquid blue. it's similar to powder coating, in that it's sprayed and baked on, but it's liquid, so it works on pretty much anything that can handle some time in the oven.
Hey Seth, try GLASS BEADS if you can get some. For restoring, deep cleaning and restoring parts. Won’t etch the metal like sandblast with coarse grit. I am a dental technician and we use both for different purposes in the lab. You would have to clean the bin each time though, or buy a second blaster. The other option, poor man’s cleaning medium is baking soda!
I know this isn't how it works, but I had a flash of a guy strapped to a table with a sandblaster strapped to his mouth. Kids, make sure you brush those braces or else...
Yep! also walnut shells work great especially on acrylic.
Oh! You said "GLASS beads"... welp, that's going to be an embarrassing ride.
So glad to see someone mention glass beads ! Lol
In addition to glass beads keep the pressure lower for softer materials. We have a great big sandblasting cabinet at work (its got a 5 foot rotating tray inside) and we use glass bead media. Works great on iron/steel parts but we still have to lower the pressure and media flow when we need to strip aluminum or copper. It removes paint slower but your have less chance of removeing more than the minimum amount of metal.
Also be aware that even glass beads will frost polished machine fits if you hit them with the sand blaster. Expect that you'll need to repolish anything you want to be shiny afterwards. If we need to be really gentle on a small part we just throw it in a vibration tumbler with corncob media. Just let it run over night and check them in the morning. repeat as needed till its clean. Does really well on small brass parts.
4:50 Toolmaker here. Ideally after a sanding like that we usually put parts in a wet deburr machine, that's basically just a tumbler that cycles your parts in wet and soapy small stones, for a few hours to both soften the finish from the sanding and to give it a final clean. After that they're given a quick dip in regular water, to clean off the soaps, and an anti-rust mixture to keep the parts nice for longer.
Hi Seth, try to hit the surface in an angle of 45° instead of 90°. It’ll take of the paint better without damaging the surface underneath it. If you want a (kind of) shiny finish you can use glas beads. At least that’s what I use as a dental technician and dentist for cleaning up different alloys. Cheers from Germany!
Blasting glass beads? I knew i hated going to the dentist.
Most people answered this already but here are two tips.
1. Use walnut shell media to strip surface rust without damaging more delicate metals.
2. Get a dust-buster cyclone attachment that fits on a 5 gallon bucket. They sell them at home depot and it will save your shop vac from being clogged up with sand blasting media. It acts as a dust separator and it makes a big difference.
Not exactly what I thought I would be watching today, but as always you have your way of making it entertaining!
Seth is some sort of young Jeremy Clarkson / James May / Richard Hammond, his art is communication, the bikes/cars are just a prop
Different blast media is as varied as the tools on your wall. You can use different sands, glass beads, walnut shell, baking soda, etc etc etc. Blasting is really well known for creating heat and extreme warping in thin metals. You by mistake used the perfect test for that which is the soda can test. These days wet blasting (called dustless blasting) is used a lot for car sheet metal so that it doesn't ruin the sheet metal. It's a mixture of crushed glass (Not much different than sand) and water shot from a special machine. If you want to get really crazy you can remove rust and corrosion with a special laser, very fun videos to watch.
the soda can is thin enough that even beyond the heating issue I'd have worried about puncturing the metal, thing's like a standard A4 paper sheet but made of aluminum
(I’m an engineer) It all comes down to your sand blasting material and choosing the correct one. A softer material should be used on softer parts. So it really depends on your part for what medium you choose. I can imagine that a sprocket would be heat treated at least on the teeth (at least that’s what my plant does to our sprockets). So it’s most likely alright and if there are any rough edges on the teeth then they’d wear as they usually would. If this turns out to be untrue and you do run into issues later you should let us know.
Materials engineer here. If the sprocket is aluminum, nothing will happen to the chain, which is made from steel (see Mohs scale). The chain in combination with sand that gets into it from the trails will smooth out the contact parts. Should have no influence at all on the lifetime of the sprocket.
@@daghorin somehow I missed when he said aluminum although I should’ve probably assumed that from a performance part. Thank you for your input 👍
@@hetrickracing1249 It was near the end of the video, nearly missed it as well :D
Will the chain ring take most of the wear and the sand break down and "fall" out? I am imagining the wheel on a surface grinder. I just started machining courses, so Im not very knowledgeable.
@@andrewgould8924 Well in terms of a bike there will be little wear ideally due to lubricants. The sand is coming from the mud you ride through and will wear both chain and ring. If you ride without lube the chain will pretty quickly wear down the sprocket. I am not sure I explained that well, but if you have any further questions, just ask :D
I too have a HF sandblasting cabinet that I have found to be indispensable for cleaning up small parts and here's a few observations: 1. The HF sandblasting cabinet that I bought fits perfectly on top of a Craftsman rollaway tool box bottom- no need to build a separate stand for it or take up valuable bench space with it. 2. Dust collection is a must- I use a smallish barrel top dust collector which not only evacuates the cabinet from the blast dust for both health and visibility issues but also eliminates the need for periodically replacing the clear plastic window shield. 3. While there is a provision for lighting the inside of the cabinet I found it a whole lot easier to rig a two bulb halogen shop light on the top of the cabinet; having a bright light makes it easier to see all the parts of the work piece that you missed!
The raceface chainrings are made out of aluminium, which is a soft metal.
In order to not wear out, they are "Hard anodized", which gives them a metallic look as well as a very hard and durable surface.
By sandblasting it, you've just removed that hard anodized layer, making that chainring completely useless.
I would not recommend sandblasting parts that have functionnal surfaces. If a surface has a mechanical use, it is probably the way it is for a reason.
You can mask off the part you don't want to touch with tape, that works pretty well.
Exemples of functionnal surfaces : bearing seats, threads, the parts that touch the chain of the chainrings, precise holes (through axles, pivot bolts etc) ...
that’s great to know! I’m wondering though, what happens when the chain itself wears off the hard anodized layer on the teeth? Is there something beyond the “color” that’s making it harder?
That’s a good question for some Material Science engineers that I work with. They won’t be able to do any testing due to liability issues.
I would have to disagree, considering the anodization (which is 0.0005" to 0.002" thick) on the bearing surface of a chain ring wears off in half a dozen, or so, rides. Also, the rollers of a chain do not rub against the chainring, they only sit upon it, while the chain links rub against the rollers. Sandblasting does create some pitting, which will wear down faster than a perfectly flat surface. Calling it "rendered useless" is a gross exaggeration. I would say a 10-15% reduction in life expectancy of the the chainring is more reasonable.
I agree about bearing seats and threads though, since sandblasting does change the dimension of those precisely machined interfaces
@@BermPeakExpress Once that's gone, teeth wear out quicker and you replace the part. If you take the advice of soda blasting, instead of sand blasting, you'll be less likely to strip the "hard coat" (Type III anodization). That said... yeah, probably shouldn't be blasting it at all, unless you plan on re-anodizing it yourself (after an acid wash). That's of course assuming that the part you're blasting has Type III anodization -- it could just be Type II (color coat), if it's a cheap one.
We had a sandblaster in my highschool metal shop class. I used to use it to sandblast parts all the time. I sandblaster my FBM sprocket and it came out just like yours. And yes, the teeth smoothed out from the chain in no time. Worked great, looked swift. Enjoy!
You can seal the seams of the cabinet with caulk to limit the amount of dust that leaks out. Another tip is to rig up a 5 gallon bucket with inlet and outlet tubes, put some water in the bottom of the bucket and then the dust picked up by the vacuum stay in the water not your shop vac filter.
Basically a water filter. Make sure the in and outlet pipes are ABOVE the water (your post made it unclear.)
I've got one of those vacuumes that has a water tank that does exactly this and it is badass.
The inlet being under the water can do good in certain applications
@@angrydragonslayer oh? *curious* I know little of this past how my vacuum works. Please enlighten me.
@@singletona082 if you're blasting lead paint (or similar) for example. There's less suction but you're also less likely to get poisoned
It's still generally preferred to have it above the water but there are usecases
@@angrydragonslayer Alright ya that tracks.
Lead paint kinda scares me.
Sandblasted Part quickly start to rust if they're not out of some naturally rust resistent material like aluminium. Make sure to apply rust protection for those soon after sandblasting them. If you want any sort of shiny finish after sandblasting you'll have to smooth the parts down with fine grid sandpaper slowing going up the grid and then polish them
note to self never sandblast your nuts unless you plan on spending alot of time polishing them after
😭
For less abrasive blasting, consider using baking soda. I've used it to polish the valves in my direct injection engine after using walnut shell blast media to remove the built up gunk. The baking soda would work great on bike parts without pitting the part.
I sand blasted a chain ring 10 years ago then painted it black and rode the hell out. Zero issues or crunching noises and the paint stayed on too
Hey Seth, I used to own a custom powder coating shop and obviously had a sandblaster. (1) different media in the blaster for different results. For example, crushed walnut shells for when you need to blast something soft or fragile. (2) Be VERY mindful of the dust and definitely get a respirator. Some blast media (sand, in particular) can be carcinogenic when it breaks down as you blast and you don't want to inhale that crap.
Hey Seth use the sand blaster in a circular motion. It prevents stripes and the end product will turn out better. I learned this at an aviation Machine shop.
For the kind of things you’re looking to clean up you should have invested in a parts cleaning tank. I worked for an auto parts rebuilder years ago and we had one to clean starter and alternator parts. It was a shake tank with some kind of stones and a black cleaning fluid in it (can’t remember exactly what-too long ago) but it removed all kinds of caked on rust, mud, grease and metal filings. They came out looking brand new and did not damage copper, aluminum or cast metal. You do need an exhaust fan because it does put off fumes and can be loud, but does all the work for you. It’s like a washing machine for metals!
seths life is what i imagined adulthood to be like when i was a kid
I got this exact model of cabinet as an $85 open-box special. The nice thing about getting it so cheap is that I haven't been afraid to modify the hell out of it.
Idk if you’re still going hacks vids but a size 3 spoke wrench is the perfect fit to remove a valve core. This might have been super obvious to some people but I just found it out and thought it was pretty cool.
Thanks for the tip! Great to know!
Ha already shown that
5:48 That feeling when you got a new tool and want to try it out and test it on everything.
For bike parts, I'd recommend soda as the abrasive, you also don't need #80, too coarse and can remove too much base material. Just make sure you do some sort of surface finish after blasting, since the abrasion you caused will expose TONS of new surface to the elements for oxidation and corrosion.
Awesome, now I can get a HEPA filter attached and perform Hard Drive Repairs with Vacuum attached for dust.
seths next video:
"sand blasting my new bike because why not"
love the videos seth
I know we don't measure things around here, but gonna go out on a limb and say it won't fit.
I had one of these for years and for the money it worked great yes it was a little messy even when taping app the seems and the vacuum 🤣🤣🤣
I used mine for cleaning engine cases with glass bead media now i just send them out to get soda blasted its so much easier and saves me a ton of time great vid man 🤘
I had a buddy who bought a "outdoor media blaster" ( basically a sand blaster with no cabinet ) and he wanted to blast the inside of his old Chevy pickup.
I told him " dude, you really don't want to do that. The sand will just fill the inside of your truck up because it just becomes the atmosphere in an enclosed area." His answer was "Im not an idiot, Ill tape off the vents, and vacuum up good afterward."
Needless to say , he got rid of the truck after months of getting sand in his mouth every time he drove the truck.😂
Dont do that.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA DAMN, one of those great "i told you so" moment
But a lot of people with old cabs/car bodies do get them media blasted as part of their resto. Guess you just need the right technique.
@@mrkthmn yes, those guys take the interior OUT to do that, though.
So he never thought to use an air compressor to blow it out? He was already using one with the sandblaster.
Not everything you need to sandblast can fit into a cabinet either. I'm not sure what you mean by "becomes the atmosphere". At most it becomes a fine dust that eventually settles. For us people that live near the beach sand in your car is a common occurrence anyway. This idea that it's blowing around in your mouth while you're driving is a new one to me.
The whole point of a cabinet is to keep the harmful dust and paint chips away from you and the environment, it's not required to do the job though. Also so you can collect and reuse your media.
I sandblast structures/frames I weld on and I just blow the sand out with a blow nozzle on my air compressor. It's actually a regular thing I do because I'm a tradesman and my truck gets dirty. I just open all the doors and blast the inside with my air compressor.
🤷
@@nickstersss It wasn't an I told you so moment actually.
It was a "I don't know what I'm talking about but I'm just going to give you advice based on an assumption" moment.
The biggest plus I see with getting a cabinet for your situation is that you could prep your pieces for Powder Coat. If you go to you local coater you could ask them when they typically shoot the powder and if you aren't too picky on colors they probably wouldn't charge you too much just to throw on a coat.
Good choice on getting the cabinet. You were half right on the dust being "probably dangerous". The dust is *definitely* dangerous. Harbor freight also sells other blast media like walnut shells that you can use to blast softer metals like aluminum. Bike parts probably are fine but if you ever want to take on a frame, I wouldn't use sand.
The clearcoat may flake off from what I've been told (did a lot of reading on blasting a frame to raw Al and clearcoating it, was advised against it for that reason), but you can have it clear powder coated at shops. You might even be able to do it yourself, you'll just need an oven to cure it.
No kidding! Silicosis is a real condition--ditch the sand for something safer.
You can make one of these cabinets just as good out of a cardboard box and a piece of plexiglass. $10-$15.
I've used mine daily for almost 3 years as a metal fabricator. Just as airtight and so light I can keep it up on a shelf out of the way.
you could also get a dremel and wire wheel for polishing really fast after you sand blast parts.
also you can use electrical tape or soft vinyl like masking tape to blast designs into painted parts :)
Walnut Shell 24 Grit Fine Abrasive Media
Ideal for cleaning aluminum and brass
Harbor Freight
THIS IS PEAK SETH! Also we actually use these cabinets in an industrial setting in multiple factories at work. The only modification we do, is use media beads or walnuts vs sand, and we've replace the blasting gun with a nicer gun. nice little cabinet.
Sand blasters are fun but if I remember from when I used to use them in work to recondition burner nozzles we were told to clean a lot of the oils and greases off first in order to not clog up the blaster. But they are so good to prep items for paint. Even bike frames can be done (full sussers fully disassembled).
Is that because you were recycling the media and the oils and greases would mix in with the media? Also, how would you get oil and grease out of sand I wonder.
I'm just trying to understand how it would clog up the sandblaster.
@@dangerous8333 tbh I’m not to sure why, think it’s more contamination and makes it harder for the media to stick to the surface. Just going off what I was told to do.
I just bought this exact sand blaster off craigs list yesterday and this video shows up on the top row on you tube today. Big brother is watching.
Now all you need is a vapor blasting cabinet!!!
never thought id see you commenting on one of seth's videos lol
Or, an ultrasonic cleaner.
VERY entertaining video! So, I brought this cabinet to replace a smaller one I bought from Tractor Supply. How disappointed I was to see the air feed set up, compared to my old one. But, the video made me forget about it briefly, thank you for that.
They way he goes “he he he what can i sandblast” at 5:48made me laugh so hard
me too haha that is like something I would be doing and my wife comes in like dude wtf you doing haha.
I'm a senior mechanical Engineering Student!!
I can say that the blasting media is the most important. For some projects that I've done, I use walnut material (I believe they sell at harbor freight), because it's not as harsh as sand. Sand is good for harder materials like the chassis of a car I.E steel. Aluminum blocks in the auto industry, people also use walnut media blasters. I'm unaware if you're model can do that however a quick google search can suffice. Look into your model and google media that can be run through and material used for I'm sure is provided.
As for your sprocket, engineers usually don't pay attention to things like surface finish. Tensile Strength, Ultimate TS, etc. These material properties play a role in materials' ability to withstand "wear and tear" or failures. This is the case for gears, unless at a small enough level where surface finishes come into play (or grain boundaries). Of course annealing, cold treating, and other hardening processes can be done to aid here, however media blasting will not affect this per the hardening processes affect the material overall, not only at the surface. So blasting it should have no effect at all on the sprocket, as for the chain is harder than aluminum so a rougher sprocket can never damage the chain in any measurable way.
In short, if you asked me, you're good to go.
Always a good day when Seth uploads
But annoying when it’s uploading at 1 am on a school night
Ye
@@cranky5784 haha it is 9am for me and I’m on my work break 🤟
I can totally relate. Not only when you hit the bench with the cabinet but also when you were blasting everything in sight.
Unrelated but related question. How are the park tool tools held on the wall? Hooks, magnets, magic? Looks so clean, re-watched a bunch of videos and haven't found it.
Finishing nails
I have as a moldmaker used a sand blaster to straighten parts that have warped in heat treat. When you blast you are relieving stress and if you are not careful you can warp a piece that was straight. I am not a fan of 80 grit. Glass bead makes a nicer finish. Also when you blast you are imbedding tiny abrasive particles into the surface of the piece which may cause more wear on certain parts like a chain ring. What blasting is great for is removing rust.
You did EXACTLY what I'd do if the sandblaster didn't fit. I straight up giggled
Haha me too! I think all of us have been there before. Probably more than once!
A few tips. Use a large Air. Compressor. These use a ton of air volume. Strain your sand. Pieces of paint or dirt clogs the blast tip. Sand in plastic holds moisture and you need dry sand or it clogs. Use a piece of metal screen to filter sand inside the cabinet as you blast. It’ll trap the garbage as you blast.
Yes Seth,
As a sand blasting expert. It’s a little known fact that the ancient Egyptians accidentally caused a major part of the Euphrates to dry. As we all know from Kindergarten; this is how deserts 🌵 were made.
Nah…… I also know nothing. Sweet vid bro!!!!
Best thing for sandblasting, old tools! Restore an old hand plane or something! Also, I was so happy when rustoleum came out with clear rattle can paint… I use it all the time when I want a bare metal look. Good stuff.
$150 cabinet and $600 worth of wood in 2022 to mount it on.
Hi Seth - have you considered swapping out the abrasive sand for glass pearls? Sand with abrade the surface. Glass will simply remove the dirt and grime. I think as an engineer the sand will damage the very delicate and precision made mtb parts.
Another alternative is soda as a blasting medium - good cleaner and what's left can be simply washed away with water.
Have used the soda technique on my Porsche engine cases - top results...
loved that jigsaw fix. perfectly fine in my eyes. custom fit !
I’m a machinist apprentice. The sand blasted finish is smooth enough I don’t think it will wear out chains. Any steel you sand blast will rust easily unless you clear coat it. Paint will stick on sand blasted parts very well.
Get clear plastic screens about .020” thick to protect the inside window from scratches. You take the plastic off when it gets cloudy and put a new piece on. You can just tape them on the inside. The gloves in the cabinet will wear out over time so you might replace those eventually.
My dad pass this year and this is one of the things he left behind thanks for the in-site, I might get brave enough to refinish my wheels on my e38 bmw
I have a metal casting channel. I also do brass. To get a mirror finish, start with 80 gt sand paper. Use wd40 as the "wet" work your way up to 2000 gt. The zon has a drill kit with all the grits you need on a 3 inch drill pad. It's only $15. Finish it off with "green" harbor freight polishing compound. 😀
The can wrinkled because the metal expands when you blast it. If you blast one side of a thin flat strip of metal you'll find that it's bent when you're done. Thicker parts won't show this because the media doesn't have enough energy. It's like trying to bend a thick piece of steel with a light hammer, but the metal still distorts to some degree.
You can use different media to remove rust and paint without removing/roughening metal.
i have one of the freestanding ones. ,
it up on cinderblocks. needs 2 bright floodlights in it to see.
it needs a dedicated shopvac to keep the dust away, and the vacuum will die in about a year from abrasion in the bearings.
we used a 220v shop 60gallon compresser to run it,
it hasnt been used in about 5 years , if there is even a drop of moisture in the abrasive it clogs up, was fun when it worked initally.
what i thought you were gonna do : put the casters on the outside and inset them a bit to make it shorter.
what didn't think you would do : cut out a perfect stencil of the blaster on your bench
I respect the quality DIY move.
If you use glass bead blasting media after sandblasting, you can get a shinier finish that looks a bit like brushed metal. You'd have to either empty the cabinet and replace the sand, or cut another notch in your workbench and get a second cabinet.
Glass beads or soda work awesome . The soda won’t leave a rough surface, but might be a bit dusty. I use glass beads for most of my projects. Have a blast !
I have a HF sand blast cabinet just like yours. Owned it for 5 years. Did a few mods to it and I am happy with it's results.
Waste of money though.
You can build one of these for $10. Just need a strong cardboard box of equal size. Some good tape and a piece of plexiglass. Cut some holes in the front. I'm a metal fabricator and I've been using it for 3 years with no visual damage. It's airtight and lightweight. I pack it away when I'm not using it and just pull it outside when I need it. If it's raining I have a port on it where I attach my shops vacuum system that purges everything outside.
Look into other blasting media. There’s glass garnet, slag, walnut shells, soda, metal beads, the list goes on. Each one has different properties and is catered for different use cases. For you something lighter like soda or walnut shell will still remove surface containment’s but won’t abrade the base metal as much, specially softer non ferrous metals like you work with.
👍 As Michael McLane pointed out you have a variety of media available for different applications . My preference for what l do is glass beads . Definitely a smoother finish than #80 silica sand . Be willing to experiment to find out what works best for your needs . Baking Soda is also very safe , environmentally as well .
I did abrasive blasting professionally for a bit. I was in a blast booth you could pull a semi trailer into. It was 30ft inside height as well about 60ft long and 25ft wide. Massive compressors the size of small SUVs pushed 180 psi air through hose that had an OD of 4 inches and an ID of 1.5 inches. Used steel BBs and crushed copper slag. Shit it would blow a hole in an I-beam if you held it still long enough.
I restore aviation fuel systems professionally. Love our sandblasting cabinet at work. Any painted part gets blasted and repainted. Pro tip: a heat lamp will help cure the paint.
Masking off sensitive areas is a good idea depending on the parts you're sandblasting. Teeth on chain rings, bearing surfaces, sliding surfaces, etc.
I blasted a lot of vintage parts with this exact blaster from HF. The rack from 1948 Schwinn, and all the brackets that hold the dynamo and light kit on, I did the fenders and fender hardware for my 1960s Royce Union. NEXT I have everything collected up to start Copper and Nickel plating So I can clean stuff up and either paint or plate with the desired finish, and it will be better than when it came from the factory, but not look out of place..
Vapor blasting has been the next level of professional finish in our shop. highly recommended over the sand cabinets
That was my first blast cabinet. It worked just O.K. I think I was expecting too much from it though. I finally just got a used industrial blast cabinet and a larger compressor and it kicks butt. These are O.K. for small hobbyist though.
I'm an engineer, designing custom machinery for the food and packaging industries primarily. We sand blast a lot of stuff, but we tend to avoid blasting components or at least sections of components that are tight tolerance, a running surface like a bearing or sprocket, and usually we won't blast anything but stainless steel. Tight tolerance because it removes material and is hard to control amount of material removal, running surfaces because it's a rough surface, and only stainless because the rough surface promotes corrosion. Generally speaking we just tape off the areas that we don't want to blast, so for the sprocket you could just tape off the teeth and then blast everything else.
All of that said, there's actually one really interesting instance where we do sand blast explicitly for function, and that is for sheeter rolls that basically roll out the dough for certain types of chips. I won't go hugely into specifics, but we blast the surface of these rolls for a few specific functional reasons, but this is the only case I can think of where we actually do blast a functional surface.
Have this exact cabinet at work, except I deleted the latches in favor of a magnet pulled from a hard disk drive screwed into the side door for a magnetic seal. Super convenient.
Certain blast mediums can etch aluminum worse than others. Walnut shells work quite well for aluminum and its an organic blast medium which makes it a bit more eco-friendly. Sodium bicarbonate and fine glass beads are also good for aluminum. You typically want to match the hardness of your blast medium to what you are blasting. I took metal working class in college and got to play with the blast cabinet for my projects and learned real quick that a medium (such as steel pellets and some coal slag) for blasting rust and mill scale off of steel will eat aluminum up.
mechanical technologist here, sandblasted parts can oxidize almost immediately if you're not careful, this is sometimes referred to as re-rust. this occurs because of sandblasting giving the parts more surface area and space for oxidation to occur. if you are putting a good layer of paint then you should be fine, however, in the case of a sprocket where the teeth remain unpainted, you may want to give them some hand sanding to bring back some of the metallic shine rather than leave the coarse rough finish.
Wash the parts with soap and water after blasting if you intend to paint. The reason touching the parts leaves a big finger smudge is that its actually coated with a fine layer of sand and its absorbing the oils.
Good stuff we have one of these at the shop I work at, at my college. It was leaking tons of sand but sealing it with a bunch of permatex gaskest maker from oreileys helped alot
Now you need to get a harbor freight powder coat gun and a toaster oven to powder coat a bunch of parts. I sandblasted my crankbrothers stamp pedals and did a chrome base with a candy red over it. They have held up really well for the couple years I've been running them.
Every time I would visit my uncle's shop, the first thing I would do was head straight for the sand blasting cabinet. His was snap-on, but still. When I couldn't find any more metal parts to clean, I'd dig soda cans out of the trash to clean the paint off them. Didn't take long to blast holes right through the cans so when he grabbed the FULL UNOPENED can, I was like "WAIT, NOOOO!!!" lol
Just great entertainment, keep it going. Love the thought that goes in your choice of words.
I've been wanting one for a while now. Your video pushed me over the line.
I've been using big commercial units on jobs for years. the newest method for outdoor use is dry ice, totally disappears. With brass just wire wheel it after blasting, then polish.
I LOVE the ply separators in the husky bins, that’s brilliant
I bought one of those a few years ago, mine leaks dust even with the vacuum running so I wear a respirator too. For the price it can't be beat.
I’m getting an ultrasonic cleaning bath for similar cash: should be great for chains & other non bb components. I’ve used our small work one on a metal watch bracelet and it worked a treat.
Primary use will be chains- I don’t think I can do the whole waxing thing, and I prefer liquid lubricant on chains (carefully applied link by link…..but if there’s enough it should spread over bearing surfaces at rest, I can’t see wax doing that) I’ve run the gamut of chain care in 40 years, including regular cleaning in solvents, rinse and dry in the oven and relube. I reckon this could work well with less nasty solvent solutions.
The chuckle with every new item being added to cabinet made my day 😃
sandblast and then wire wheel, always done so never had any issues, its great on brass although turn your air pressure down when doing brass
Next time use brass tumbling dry media to blast fine things. They come out beautiful! (Not all pitted) Or crushed walnut hulls used in pet cages.
If you use baking soda you can even blast paint off of glass without hurting the glass.
Ok so I am not no professional, but I do do sandblasting, small to Industrisl jobs, and on all materials. But make sure to have clean hands or use hands because touching them after blasting can rust it again. Not a big deal when it not for personal stuff. But a clear coat might work. We always paint our stuff then clear coat (not spray paint) but hopefully it all works out fine. It is so useful, glad you atleast have some type of sandblaster🤘
I'm an ASU mechanical engineering student and I can confirm that the abrasive finish that the sandblaster leaves will not harm anything. Since Aluminum is softer than the Chain Steel, the steel would just eventually round out the tiny abrasions on the sprocket. I hope this helps!
If you follow up on the 80 grit with something like 220, and then mil12, it will basically be as close to mirror you can get without any elbow grease. I used to work in Semicon and they used the same techniques for their processes
excellent review! gonna buy my father-in-law one for Christmas for his Jeep/Wood shop were setting up for "Retirement" in his barn
I sandblast, but the blast cabinet is bigger than your garage, it’s a good tool, change your blast media to get better profile, the bigger the media the rougher the profile, try acorn shell blast media, it’s cheap and you’ll get a smoother finish
You can now etch glasses, plaques, granite… etch-etera. Using stencils of course. You can try it straight up to a wine glass to have a frosted look. Not too close.
I was thinking about this cabinet. Glad you made the video. Only one thing for me. At 68, I'll keep it on the bench. 🙂
I didn't read through all 829 comments that were posted since February 6th?! So someone may have brought this up. But...for blasting parts for clean up without damaging the substrate, we use walnut shell blasting media. Plus, once you have used the media up, you can just toss into the yard. We use if for carb refurbishing on our race cars primarily, but we also use it on our suspension parts when we go through those throughout the race season. You'll find tons of uses on more delicate bike parts.