thinking about buying a blast cabinet off summit. I was wondering how well these work and whether I should buy it? I don't want something thats not going to do a good job...constantly clog, and be messy.

http://static.summitracing.com/global/images/prod/large/sum-909050.jpg

I have one in my shop..........clogs aren't an issue for me, but we have almost no humidity here. The thing works well enough, providing the blasting material is good....if used to long, it loses a lot of it's effectiveness. Messy, yup........it can get messy. I can't seem to get the plexiglass to stay clean enough to see clearly thru for long, and any time I open the door, it can get messy. I use it for small parts, big stuff I send out.

We have one at work and it works quite well. It seemed that the grit was getting a bit moist so we installed a water filter on the air line it seems to have solved the issue. As far as the mess goes it gets dirty but I just sweep up a couple times a month and it is not to bad.

Things to consider are:

Do you have a compressor with enough cfm to make it run efficiently?
Consider having an exhaust evacuation system to help keep the area (and you) clean. this also helps keep the plexisglass from getting dirty every 2 minutes.

And finally will you use it enough to justify the purchase price? There are places out there that will do this dirty work for you for what I consider to be really inexpensive.

With blast cabinets, you get what you pay for. While not personally having any experience with the cabinet you mention, I personally own and reccomend a Skat Blast brand cabinet. Their cabinets are American made, made with thicker gauge steel, and come with a wealth of technical and parts support. I purchased a 770-TL off of ebay via TP Tools, the mfg. My cabinet is the top load model, so it requires less space. A good shop vac with a fine filter is recomended. This helps with dust and it is easier to recover media. It will also help equilize pressure inside the cabinet. Without one, it will be extremely dusty and you will find every nook and cranny that is not sealed. Run, do not walk, away from models sold at Harbor Freight. Media choice and nozzle size can also help compensate for a smaller compressor. I use a 50/50 mix of glass beads and aluminum oxide and a medium nozzle at 85 psi with a single stage 6hp/50 gal compressor and can blast 'til the cows come home. TP Tools has a very informative and helpful website that can help you with your decision. Just my .02 worth.

thinking about buying a blast cabinet off summit. I was wondering how well these work and whether I should buy it? I don't want something thats not going to do a good job...constantly clog, and be messy.

http://static.summitracing.com/global/images/prod/large/sum-909050.jpg

I have a Harbor Freight cabinet that looks almost identical to that. Usually any clogging issues I have is because I ran the blasting material too long, it becomes contaminated and the small chucks stop up the nozzle.

I bought that exact one from Summit last year. Its not bad for the money. No clogs, just very messy. It does a good job with small parts. Just be sure your compressor is big enough. Thats the one thing that always slowed me down, waiting on the compressor to catch up.

My blast cabinet paid for itself the first day I used it. Best piece of equipment in my shop at the moment.

I have the same HF one Dan has and it works good enough for me. The
Summit looks the same but your not showing the light that sits above the
cabinet. Is it included? Run mine with an 80 gal tank.

Chuck

I have a Harbor Freight cabinet that looks almost identical to that. Usually any clogging issues I have is because I ran the blasting material too long, it becomes contaminated and the small chucks stop up the nozzle.

I too have the exact same model from Harbor Freight. I bought it on sale a year ago for $199.00 and it has been one of the best restoration purchases that I've made. I've blasted more stuff than I can list here and love the convenience of cleaning something up whenever I want to - no muss, no fuss. The only limitation is the physical size capacity and if the truth be known, I've blasted oversized stuff with the door open. Not the right thing to do and kinda messy but hey, it beat trying to clean something up by hand or sending it out.

You didn't say what you wanted to blast or how much you had to blast but if you are thinking about a cabinet, you probably have enough to justify the purchase. As an aside, you'll find yourself using it on things other than car parts.

My compressor has oil and water traps so I've never had an issue as far as media clogging. I use a dedicated Sears Shop Vac with mine and it does a respectable job of keeping the dust within the cabinet down. As for keeping the window clear to see inside, before I use the cabinet, I wipe the window down on the inside with a damp paper towel. When it gets too bad, I change the plastic protective film that comes with the cabinet. Also, I replaced the hardware that holds the viewing glass frame to the cabinet with screws and wing nuts. Makes changing the plastic a lot easier.

For a budget priced cabinet, I don't think you can go wrong. One word of advice: Stock up on ceramic nozzles so that you have new ones when you need them. Mail order takes time so avoid the ordering frustration.

well i already have a pressurized sandblaster type that makes a huge mess and I want to get into a cabinet style so I can do stuff in my garage without getting sand everywhere. I also have a 18 cfm @90psi compressor, so that is not an issue.

I have an air dryer cylinder full of dessicant to dry the air, mounted on the back of the cabinet like the one shown here. I use an old double filtered shop vac to control the dust. Works fine with our 85-115 psi 5 hp 80 gallon compressor. More pressure will make the blasting job go quicker. The original light was pretty useless, so I added my own. It gets used a lot, especially on rusty parts.

Just my .02 ...i always sift the media to remove rust and debris..you can get 4 or 5 uses out of the abrasive.....wear a good mask..lungs don't like silica:thumbsup:

thinking about buying a blast cabinet off summit. I was wondering how well these work and whether I should buy it? I don't want something thats not going to do a good job...constantly clog, and be messy.

http://static.summitracing.com/global/images/prod/large/sum-909050.jpg
I have the same one for 3 years no issues, just when you put it together be sure to use a bead of silicone in all the seams.
I would buy a second one if I ever needed one again.:thumbsup:

With blast cabinets, you get what you pay for. While not personally having any experience with the cabinet you mention, I personally own and reccomend a Skat Blast brand cabinet. Their cabinets are American made, made with thicker gauge steel, and come with a wealth of technical and parts support. I purchased a 770-TL off of ebay via TP Tools, the mfg. My cabinet is the top load model, so it requires less space. A good shop vac with a fine filter is recomended. This helps with dust and it is easier to recover media. It will also help equilize pressure inside the cabinet. Without one, it will be extremely dusty and you will find every nook and cranny that is not sealed. Run, do not walk, away from models sold at Harbor Freight. Media choice and nozzle size can also help compensate for a smaller compressor. I use a 50/50 mix of glass beads and aluminum oxide and a medium nozzle at 85 psi with a single stage 6hp/50 gal compressor and can blast 'til the cows come home. TP Tools has a very informative and helpful website that can help you with your decision. Just my .02 worth.

Skat Blast!!! everything listed above=true. great piece and only a few bucks more. get the largest one available you wont be sorry!!!:yes::yes:

I have the one in the picture. Works well for small jobs. Wish i would have sealed it with silicone Like Bad Brad stated above. It leaks a little sand everytime I use it.
All in all I'm happy with it. Keep your car covered if near the cabinet as the dust travels.

I also second the Skat Blast cabinet. I have the one they call the 960 Patriot. never gives me any greif, parts readily available, works fantastic. This is the kind of tool you only want to buy once. Buy the best one on the market. in my opinion Skat-Blast

my blast cabinet paid for itself the first day i used it. Best piece of equipment in my shop at the moment.

x2

If you get a cabinet like that one you'll have a hard time seeing through the plexiglass as all of the material will fly up into it. I would recommend something with a more upright facing viewfinder like this one:

http://www.tptools.com/eccStoreImages/product_images/Images/850-sandblasting-cabinet_L.jpg

wear a good mask..lungs don't like silica
This needs to be emphasized. Dust control is EVERYTHING.

You can GENUINELY screw up your lungs--and--if enough dust travels around your neighborhood, you could screw up your families' and your neighbor's lungs, too. Think your neighbors won't sue you if they're injured?

The most severe exposures to crystalline silica result
from abrasive blasting...
as seen in this link:

http://www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3176.html

i have this one and really works well. a little bigger than most, which means you can do bigger parts.

http://www.barrelblaster.com/

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o229/killr68/barrelblastermain.jpg

Regardless of which type you end up with, here's a nifty way to make the rubber gloves last indefinitely. Buy a bunch of cheap leather gloves like the ones at Harbor Freight that sell for about a dollar a pair. I'm right-handed so I usually hold parts in my left hand and the blast gun in my right hand. This means that the index finger and thumb of the left hand glove gets blown through very quickly requiring replacement.
I slide a left hand leather glove over the left hand rubber glove and blast away. When the leather glove is about to get blown through, put on new one. Less than a buck for a new one. All you need to do now is to figure out how to use all the right hand only gloves.

Got an idea....but you'll go blind:D

I bought one several years ago from Carlisle, PA. It was from TP tools. By far the best equipment for the car nut. Saves alot of money. I ended up selling it when I moved to NC. I will eventuallu get a new one. It was the one that Let1hang has on the board, except bigger. No problems with visiblility. Great piece of equipment.

Skat Blast worked great doing parts for me and also pair of rusted headers!
Don't breathe any of the dust, wear a mask.