SnapOn blast cabinet

[Lynn]

Well, my Corvette frame is at the sandblaster. My engine run test stand is on hold waiting for the radiator, fuel tank, etc.

I picked up this cabinet a few years ago from a shop that went out of business. SnapOn isn't where one would normally go shopping for something like this, as you can get a better bang for your buck .... well, just about anywhere. Don't get me wrong, I have a ton of SnapOn hand tools, and even have a SnapOn 110 mig welder which I use for light duty welding. In fact I used it today. Works well, and has a nice Tweco gun. But, I would never spend $2700 on that welder, which is what it cost new. Paid $100 for it, because it had a broken "on off" switch. Three position switch. Middle is off, One direction is "high" and the other "low". The only way I could get a switch for it without going to the tool truck and paying some ridiculous amount of money was to order a batch of 10. I sold 8 of them on ebay; installed one, and kept one as a spare. Turns out a lot of them get broken. Sold out in about a month. So, my two switches were actually less than free. But I digress.

Same with this blast cabinet. Shudder to think what the original owner paid. I paid $100 at the going out of business auction. I don't think anyone else even realized it was a SnapOn. Well built. Had no idea what worked or didn't, but figured the bare cabinet was worth that. Turns out the light (although a bit dim) and the exhaust fan both work. Even the glass is in decent shape. It was so dirty, that I had thought I would be replacing it. But cleaned up pretty well.

Other than being dirtier than a New Orleans hooker, there really isn't much wrong. I did replace the gloves, which took about 10 minutes. What took a lot longer was adapting it to this white base so I could roll it around.

I made sure to install compressed air fittings just outside the big doors on my shop, so I could blow off really dirty stuff outside (with the doors shut) to keep from getting more dirt in my shop than I already have. Also have switched outdoor outlets.

This white base was part of a giant drying rack I picked up for 10 bucks at another auction (and that wasn't even the best deal I got that day). It was very close to a perfect fit for the blast cabinet. I welded on little feet, drilled holes in them and ran the 5/8 studs for the casters through the feet. As you can see, I had to offset them on one end.

Of course with these giant casters, it now sits 9 inches higher. So, I made a little step stool out of scrap lumber. I don't throw much wood away... it has to be really small scraps before it hits the trash can. Plan to put an anti fatigue mat of some sort on it. Yeah, Lynn that'll do it. A little foam rubber and no more fatigue. Keep telling yourself that. Well, probably won't hurt.

Even blasted my first small part today. I need to replace the siphon hose. It should have 1/2 inch ID hose, but someone replaced it with 3/8 fuel line, so i got a little bit of media starvation. Also need a brighter bulb. Did not check the wattage.

Have a couple of questions regarding dust collection, but will post later (maybe 5 min. maybe 5 days).

[Lynn]

Probably a stupid question. I am assuming that there is a lot of dust flying out the exhaust fan port when I am blasting.
Any reason I can't hook a shop vac to it? It already creates enough suction on the cabinet to "inflate" the gloves when turned on. Will the additional suction cause any problems?

I also have a "Dust Deputy" (yeah, stupid name, but I understand a good product) that I have not hooked up yet. It attaches to a bucket (5 gallon, 20 gallon, 55 gallon... doesn't matter) and goes between the tool and the shop vac. Supposedly about 99% of the dust hits the bottom of the bucket and stays there, saving filters on the shop vac.

https://www.oneida-air.com/dust-depu...AaAhoDEALw_wcB

Any reason NOT to attach the DD and my shop vac?

Also, in the event I decide to get a different gun (thinking foot operated... my hand gets tired depressing the trigger) what would you recommend? I know some of you guys have big cabinets that do a LOT of duty virtually every day. What lasts and works well?

Lastly, as mentioned in my last post, I need a good 1/2 inch id siphon hose. Any reason to NOT just use clear pvc tubing? I have some laying around.

[Too Many Projects]

Yes, hook up the particle filter before the shop vac. It isn't going to collect much dust, but will allow the larger particles of media to fall out before getting to the filter. I use a HEPA bag inside my shop vac, as most generic paper filters will still allow the fine dust to get blown out the vac too.

The PVC will work, as long as it is heavy enough to not collapse under vacuum.

Install an LED bulb for the light and it will help. I modified my cabinet for 2 small flood lights in the upper, front corners to see what I was doing.

[Tuna Joe]

Check out TPTools.com they have a bunch of blaster accessories.
I bought my Skat Blast cabinet from them.
They sell everything you are looking for

[thehornworks]

Always wear a respirator. Remember you turning lead based paint to power.