Any experience with "spot blasters"?

[mhorowit]

Has anyone had experience with the group of hand-held sandblasters commonly called "spot blasters". They sell anywhere from $15-50. - Mike

[ROllerton]

Re: Any experience with "spot blasters"?

I have one, they are mostly good for removing rust pits that go thru a painted flat surface, for instance around the key lock in a door. Good for spot repairs, not good for anything larger than say a square inch in my opiniion. Body shop stuff.

If you want to sand blast, you need 5hp compressor or better, and either a siphon or pressure pot sand blast setup. And the safety gear. I tied them all, and now for anything bigger than a wheel, I take it all to a pro and let him deal with the mess, cleanup and sand down your collar.

My opinion anyway.

bob.

[jdoran]

Re: Any experience with "spot blasters"?

Mike,

I bought a WW Grainger blaster that holds a quart or two of sand. It hangs from a shoulder strap, has a plastic holding tank for the sand, and has a 48" hose and nozzle. It draws the sand out of the hopper via venturi suction. Works good.

I use it for small jobs when I can't get into a crevice or corner. It works great on even a small compressor because you usually won't blast for more than 30 seconds or so.

Also consider a small benchtop blast cabinet. I bought one from Harbor Freight for $100 and use it all the time for small parts. I run it off of a 1 hp compressor. It uses steel shot.

John

[mhorowit]

Re: Any experience with "spot blasters"?

Mike,

I bought a WW Grainger blaster that holds a quart or two of sand. It hangs from a shoulder strap, has a plastic holding tank for the sand, and has a 48" hose and nozzle. It draws the sand out of the hopper via venturi suction. Works good.

I use it for small jobs when I can't get into a crevice or corner. It works great on even a small compressor because you usually won't blast for more than 30 seconds or so.

John

A look at the Grainger catalog doesn't show a direct match to what you're describing. Is this the item to which you are referring? - Mike

[Winston L.]

Re: Any experience with "spot blasters"?

Sears sells one that has about a 5 gallon capacity hopper on a small dolly. I blasted some large parts with one. Worked well but it's messy and you have to cover all of your flesh or it's paifull.

Winston L.

[mhorowit]

Re: Any experience with "spot blasters"?

Sears sells one that has about a 5 gallon capacity hopper on a small dolly. I blasted some large parts with one. Worked well but it's messy and you have to cover all of your flesh or it's paifull.

Winston L.

I have a full sized sandblaster (less convient compressor); was looking for something for those small places; about :30 seconds of blasting (and I have a tank that will provide that, I think) - I can always leave the big rig near the compressor during the week I guess. - Mike

[jdoran]

Re: Any experience with "spot blasters"?

Mike,

Yes that's the blaster I use.

It's cheap, easy to use and perfect size for small to medium jobs.

You know I operate in saltwater, and corrosion is my biggest worry. I use everything from a dremel tool with teeny wire brushes to sandblasting, a pneumatic die grinder with wire brushes etc to stay on top of rust.

Another thing I use a lot is a roll of emory cloth. It works good on tubing to really clean the metal prior to primer and paint.

It seems that every job requires a different tool or technique when it comes to cleaning rust. It really helps to have a collection of tools and consumables.

John