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#1
28-12-04, 02:18
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Compressor ?
Hi everyone
Im looking at getting a compressor to use with my restoration and other projects. WHat do you guys recomend or have in your own garage? Im planning to use it for sandblasting, air tools and paint spraying. Are there any brands to go with over others? Any help would be much appreciated. Jordan Baker
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Jordan Baker RHLI Museum, Otter LRC C15A-Wire3, 1944 Willys MB, 1942 10cwt Canadian trailer 
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#2
28-12-04, 03:57
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If theres one thing I wished I had done early, it would have been to buy a compressor that was way bigger than I needed. Instead, I now find myself holding 4 of them, each one getting progressively bigger.
When you talk about sandblasting are you talking about a small cabinet type blaster or are you talking about a portable blaster like you would do a hull with? These are probobly the highest consumption products for air, closely followed by a paintgun. These things aside, you don't need too much a compressor to use airtools. To use a common (non-HVLP) paintgun you will need at least a 5hp compressor. Even then you will be taxing it on a big job. My 10hp gas will keep up with the paintgun. Sandblasting is another story.I use one of those Princess auto cabinet sandblasters($222 when they go onsale) for a lot of the work I do in my little workshop. I have modified the gun a bit to get a much better blast than what it would put out in stock form. To effectively run it I actually have to run two 3 cylinder compressors in tandem; one is a 3 hp electric and the other is the 10 hp gas. They will just about keep up with the demand of this single appliance. For outdoor blasting, I use a WW2 Ingersol Rand 105 cu ft air compressor trailer. This is getting a bit big for the in-the-city guys. I have tried to operate my sandblaster with a smaller ceramis oriface on the 10 hp gas compressor, but this is not overly effective. I bought a nice 10hp electric at an auction last year which should meet all my indoor needs, but I have to replace the motor with a single phase and upgrade my shop to handle the 50 amps I will need to run it. If you can farm out the sandblasting work, and keep the painting to a minimum, you should be able to get away with a 5 hp. To figure out what you need look in the princess auto catalogue at the various airtools and their CFM useage. Then try and get a compressor that exceeds that useage by about 50% so that it does not have to run continuously. There is a big difference between using an impact gun for a couple of minutes at a time, and sparaying a quart of paint.
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#3
28-12-04, 05:40
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Kompressors and sandblasting...
Speaking from experience.....
Get the 10hp compressor with a large horizontal tank....Princess has one..... like others have said get a big one and get only one... I had to change the motor to single phase... draws about 60amps on start up..... you need a good service panel. Please install the compressor away from you work site... use 1 inch steel pipes to bring the air to the work area... they sound like a harley Davidson when they start... fine if you do not mind jumping unexpectedly... mine is in the attic of the barn Thank God for hte foresight..... For sand blasting stick to a 100 pounds pressure tank again from Princess..... Yes it will last only about 10 to 12 minutes... but on a hot summer day... wearing a plastic coated hood and a dust mask even with air pumped inside the hood you will be glad to take a break every 12 miinutes to reload. Keep you sand blasting to small parts.... well relatively small parst like rims... bumber brackets..... rear fairleads that weight about 75 pounds.... Build yourself a steel table outside to put the parts on.... wood will not last.... Invest in a needle gun.... again from Princess.... you would think I live there.... my wife thinks so!!!! comes in handy to remove heavy scale like what I found inside my rims....cake don old rubber, cotton fabric and rust cakes...... sandblasting would be a waste of time...... Watch the sales and get the small cabinet at $222 or so and use aluminun oxide it cuts fast...leave little pitting....you will need to by a dedicated small shop vacuum to install to remove dust/fumes and it willnot last long sucking aluminum oxides dust.... mine is still running... a year old..... and buy new large and longer rubber gloves the OEM will not last long they rip at the sew in extensions..... For the hull of the UC or other large objects like a frame etc..... either trailer the parts to a shop to have it done in a day or rent a large diesel/gas rotary compressor and suitable large large pot. Around Ottawa blasting a frame while you wait is about 250 to $300.... shop the rural areas that do work on trcuks or old farm tractors. I did my own frame and spent almost $200 in white quarts sand and it is a hard and hot job..... personaly I would not do it again and by the way I still have to do the axles.... had I trcuked the frame over it would have been done all at once. The small pot is almost necessary for all the other smallparts... the odd ammo box you will find later... a new headlight pot you just got for $2 bucks at a flea market, etc. One final caution......If you are married.... please think of undressing behind the barn and dumping the sand out of your shorts before going into the house to have a dumpster.... or at the very leat you will be vacuuming the washroom floor..... I still can't figure out how sand can get into my ears... while wearing a hood equipped with a seperate air supply...... twoline running one to the hood and one to the pot take a lot of CFM.. therefore 10hp.... Wear long heavy jean shirt....tape your cuffs with electrical tape....take of the watch.... wear heavy winter insulated gloves so if you move a part and you hand gets in the way.... you can feel it...... pinches like hell...... Have a good time... watch your lungs NO Matter what medium you use and if you are lucky your work area will look like a Winter scene by the end of July........ Remember it is only a hobby...... so says my wife!!! Bob C.
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Bob Carriere....B.T.B C15a Cab 11 Hammond, Ontario Canada
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#4
28-12-04, 09:19
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Re: Kompressors and sandblasting...
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First lets agree "Sandblasting" is a colloquial term, its illegal in the UK, unless done wet, because of the silicosis danger. I suppose it may be convenient to have a cabinet but after that I can't see how its economic for an individual to have large-scale blast equipment hanging around being used a few times a year. Blast media is so expensive surely no one uses it outside as a one-shot and the aluminium oxides are more expensive than the industry standard chilled iron grit, well, here anyway. In half-ton deliveries chilled iron costs me 22GBP a bag and at 25kg/55lb a bag you don't get a lot since it is almost the same mass as an iron ingot. Oxides are good in cabinets but the vacuum types are a pain, far better to have a hopper type floor and mount the thing over a small blast pot, and if you want to see anything in there then the cabinet air extraction will have to be equal to the nozzle output plus some. We rarely use the small oxide pot, just on more delicate alloy and at 50/60psi. Quote:
After that you need a mug of tea and a  Quote:
The helmet is air fed and DO NOT skimp on the breating air filter, the cartridges alone cost me 180GBP to replace and it is crucial. You will kill yourself breathing oil misted air or the dust from blasting or perhaps old lead paint dust. . . . . . . . . Quote:
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Oh, and one-shot foam ear plugs are essential too, unless you want to be deaf inside a couple of days. Quote:
R.
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#5
28-12-04, 15:28
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blasting CAUTION
During the restoration of my C8 , I purchased a ex Govt. trailered compressor , a modified VW engine type .
I spent many hours blasting the chassis , axles, wheels and all the other bits . A word of caution : I ended up with damaged hearing , tinitis , I now have a permanent loud ringing tone in my ears that drives me crazy and affects my sleep . There is no cure for this, once you have it , you have it for rest of your life . I learnt the hard way that playing with big toys can really hurt you . SO BE CAREFUL. My advice is to use a cabinet for the smaller bits and take your chassis and wheels etc. to a professional . Mike
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#6
29-12-04, 03:11
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HI everyone
Ive been looking through the catalogue and ive come up with 2 units that are within my approx price range ($1000) The first one is #0410065 5hp light industrial Air compressor. Its 18.5 CFM @ 100 PSI, Max 140 PSI, 60 gal. tank, 22amp, 208/230 volt motor. Price is $959.99 The second is #8000209. Its a 7hp, 60 gal tank, CFM @40/90 PSI 12.3/10.3, max 130 PSI, Motor 208/230 Price is $629.99 Im not the best when it come to figuring out the different measurments so could somone be able to tell what the best option would be. Im going to buy one of the Floor Model Sandblasting Cabinet #8046492 when it come on sale. Im also still pondering about the 100lb pressure blaster. Any further help is much appreciated. Jordan Baker
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Jordan Baker RHLI Museum, Otter LRC C15A-Wire3, 1944 Willys MB, 1942 10cwt Canadian trailer
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#7
29-12-04, 03:11
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The gloves on my princess auto cabinet came apart the first time I used them as well. You might as well buy a new set while you are in the store the first time. Mind you, with the warranty that princess auto gives on all their stuff, bring in the torn ones and they will probably give you a new set.
I used to use the princess auto pot for my outdoor blasting, but the 15 minute cycle wore pretty thin. I now use a Snap on outfit that almost gives me 1/2 hour of blasting fun before needing a refill.
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#8
29-12-04, 03:31
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Jordan
Both those compressors will be too small to handle even the cabinet sandblaster. The 3 cylinder head used on the 5 hp one is the same as I have on both my 3 hp electric, and on my 10 hp gas. With both those running, It just keeps up. I have the same compressor head as the one on the 7 hp compressor you are looking at. It now resides under the bench, replaced by the 3 cylinder one. These are both light duty compressors, and I think Princess somewhat overrates their CFM. I think, if you were going to buy from PA, that you would need at a minimum the 5hp industrial compressor 0412189 ($1699) or way better would be the 10hp 0412999 ($3000). But as these are getting up there in price, why not hit some of the closeout auctions around your area and try to buy a old industrial compressor from an auto dealership closeout . I got my 10hp Devilibiss for $700, and I have to spend another $600 for a single phase motor. As a bonus, you can actually buy parts for the divivlibiss; try and do that with a princess auto compressor. When you do get your air compressor situation sorted out, the cabinet is a great purchase. I found that I had to remove a tiny rubber washer that was on the needle in the gun, otherwise the airflow in my gun was poor. Once I had done this, my cabinet blasts as good as the big one I used to use at work. However, it comes back to the compressor; you will need a lot of air.
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#9
29-12-04, 05:15
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What to buy....
I realize I am stepping on thin ice here and others with more expereince can add their 5 cents.......
I have already learned a lot from this string on the safety side and after hearing Rob Clarke story today about an old rubber hose bursting when jammed with wet sand.... being slapped by a piece of the hose.... showered with sand... I can understand and fully agree that big jobs are better left to the professional sandblasters. Having said that I beleive there is room for a small unit in our many resto projects..... all the boxes of odd pieces that we forget to take to the pro shop and would be too costly to have done a few at a time. Even small jobs need to be done with the utmost attention to the health issue...... I realized today why all the cheap sandblasting quote I obtained came from rural areas... it seems that within the city limits of Ottawa you need a permit to sand blast outside..... and I am sure other large cities have the same limitations....remember ......" Sorry officer I didn't know.." will not stand up in court. Now for Jordan problems....... there are a number of factors to consider in sizing your compressor..... single stage versus two stage....size of holding tank.... amount of amps being drawn.... and most importantly the CFM ratings....(and Yes they all tend to be exagerated based on ideal conditions) and the most air comsuming tool that you will be using... the sandblaster being the most air cfm hungry. For example in Jordan's case he might be better off with the highest cfm he can afford even if if is a single stage..... I doubt very much that he would use his conpressor at the higher 175 PSI of a two stage unless he is using a one inch impact gun....... Jordan has to keep in mind how much power he can draw from his service panel....... I have 200amps in the barn and the 10hp draws 60amps at startups...... A larger tank.... the 10HP has a 120 gal. tank...... I would recommend looking for an 80 gal minimum over the 60gal. The larger the tank the more time between the running cycles of the compressor...... A cousin was trying to sand an old pickup for repainting... he had a small 5hp 40 gal tank compressor..... using a standard jitterbug sandder he would have to stop to let the compressor catch up. He finished sanding at my place... we ran to sandders off the 10hp and the compressor would only cycle every now and then...big tank big recovery time. Just as an aside my output for the rubber line is set at 140 and at the blasting pot I start at 125 and can maintain only 100PSI... the 10hp cycles every few minutes while sand blasting. Sandblasting equipment is always on sale in late April or early May at PA...go on a diet.... save as much as you can..... buy the largest CFM you can afford... it will pay off in the long run . You are fortunate to be close to the Toronto/Hamilton industrial base of Ontario...... watch the auctions or the local discount papers in your area....... a lot of small shops go under and you can pickup some bargoons!!!! I do know that a lot of other people use the simple syphon and are getting good results..... slower yes but it beats not having one....... it would be nice to hear from others expereince with syphon units and/or smaller 5 hp and their experiences....such as beach sand, quartz, other expensive slag so called dust free medium...... re-using old sand after screening...... Final advice.... do a search on the web for compressor sizing... tips and pitfalls of sandblasting, etc...... Remember to save your money until Spring......and to get a fake invoice to show the wife. Forecast is 10C above for January 3rd...... maybe Winter is over and we can sandblasting again..... soon???
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Bob Carriere....B.T.B C15a Cab 11 Hammond, Ontario Canada
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#10
29-12-04, 09:58
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Re: What to buy....
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Let alone wet sand, you dare not leave chilled iron grit in the pot overnight in the winter, any water or dampness and its a rusty lump of immobile crud that needs hours of manual cleaning. Pot blow-down last thing is vital. Quote:
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R.
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#11
29-12-04, 14:46
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Jordan
from experience, sandblasting is a job best left for professionals. You can buy a toy from any one of many indusrial suppliers, but that is just what you get. Without a suitable compressor, you literally are just throwing sand at the job and not using its full abrasive potential. I have had large amounts of steel blasted over the years and at the end of the day, the pro wins out. I have always been more than willing to part with my money on this issue. I have also sandblasted before and know the process real well. If I were doing it professionally, I'd go and buy a big deisel compressor and 200 lb pot. This goes outside the realm of most hobbyists. For a shop compresser, a 5 to 10 HP is ideal, if you can afford it go bigger. I'd also look at an older cast iron one as opposed to the Princess Auto or Coleman junk with their cast aluminum bodies. The older compressors are quite servicable as opposed to the cheapies. Keep you eyes open in the paper for them or check auctions.
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#12
04-01-05, 05:45
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Thanks for the help everyone
Hi everyone
Ijust wanted to say thanks for all of the great and usefull help that has been passed on to me about compressors and sandblasting. Luckily for me I will not be having to spend lots of money as I just found out on New Years from a good friend of mine whos been working on a CMP, that he has all the sandblasting stuff. Best part is that I can use it whenever. So thanks again for all the help and rest assured it hasn't been for nothing. I'll still probably get a larger compressor to run air tools but Im not going to need it for awhile. Sincerely Jordan Baker
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Jordan Baker RHLI Museum, Otter LRC C15A-Wire3, 1944 Willys MB, 1942 10cwt Canadian trailer
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#13
04-01-05, 05:54
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Some guys are lucky....
Starting tomorrow Princess has the small bead blasting cabinet on sale for $222..... don't forget you need a small shop vac to use it properly.....
Jordan...... buy you friend a beer...lots of beer.... and ask him to demostrate how to use it...... more beer .... be slow to learn...hahaha........ on the plus side he may get interested in CMP/UC. Good Luck Bob C.
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Bob Carriere....B.T.B C15a Cab 11 Hammond, Ontario Canada
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