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Any Bead Blasters Here?

jbw1776
I just picked up a used Trinco 36/BP Blasting Cabnet, with dust collector for $100. Yeah, that was hard to pass on.[8D]

I bought some glass bead media 100-170 grit as a starting point that I'll be using.

My question is this, what does everybody use to mask off areas of the metal that you don't want blasted? Such as the sides of a 1911 slide, etc.

Best I've been able to find on the net was to use masking tape, but they were doing fine precision work with a working pressure of around 20-30psi. I am under the impression this thing will be running about 3 times that high (awaiting owners manual from Trinco). Regualr tape won't cut it.

Thanks for the help.

Ben
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Comments

18 comments

Date Votes
  • Blckhrn
    I used to make dies and diecut masks for sandblasting glass out of .005 adhesive backed mylar. Hope this helps.
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  • shoff14
    You can run whatever PSI you want to run, or close to it on most blasters. You just have to have a pressure valve before the intake of the blaster.

    Tape will work somewhat and you have to avoid direct contact.
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  • spasmcreek
    sounds crude but on some items i have used strips of thin metal like from a pop or spray can with duct tape & aimed over the edge, not towards the edge of metal...somewhere i have run across a metallic????tape for this but can't remember for sure...only thing comes to mind was masking material used for decorative glass etching...check google
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  • TexasVet
    3M makes a heavy rubberized tape with a peel off backing that works great in blasters. Find someone that sandblasts wooden signs and they'll probably have it or know where you can get it.
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  • jbw1776
    Thanks for all the help/ideas.

    I would think there would be some sort of rubber tape that could be used pretty successfully?

    I swear I've seen rubber, adheisive backed tape at autoparts stores. any reason why thay wouldn't work?

    Ben
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  • jbw1776
    Thanks TexasVet, that's kinda what I was talking about. I'll try a search and see if I can come up with any.

    Any more info or suggestions that I might need to know about using one of these machines other than just some practice?

    Ben
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  • dcloco
    Back the air pressure off. It takes a LARGE LARGE compressor two or three stage compressor to run a bead blaster at 90+ psi.
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  • jbw1776
    quote:Originally posted by dcloco
    Back the air pressure off. It takes a LARGE LARGE compressor two or three stage compressor to run a bead blaster at 90+ psi.




    Thanks for the tip![8D]

    Ben
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  • FrancF
    quote:Originally posted by TexasVet
    3M makes a heavy rubberized tape with a peel off backing that works great in blasters. Find someone that sandblasts wooden signs and they'll probably have it or know where you can get it.


    Second that!!!
    From a former master blaster
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  • spryor
    Stainless tape for duct work may work well, or even a resist of that
    liquid rubber handle grip dip.
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  • 11b6r
    Try using a couple of layers of tape- duct or adhesive tape.
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  • Tailgunner1954
    With glass bead, you want to try and keep the pressures under 60psi, much higher and you mostly fracturing the beads, not increasing the amount of work being done. Depending on which dust collector you got, it may automaticly recycle the "good" media while hauling the fractured media away.

    We use a lot of 280 "grit" glass bead here at work (our heavy work is done with 220 SiC and our fine work is done with 400 Alumna Oxide)

    We use plain old duct tape for masking (even with the 220), just work from the tape to the metal, not the other way around.
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  • MIKE WISKEY
    a 'good' grade of electrical tape works well also
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  • mrbruce
    Brownells has a tape for that purpose, call em.....
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  • Alpine
    Tailgunner has brought up an important point. If you use anything above 50 to 60 PSI you will break all the beads, and you might as well blast outside. Keep the pressure down and you will reuse the beads. I have used a bead blast cabinet for about 10 years and rarely have needed to replenish the beads. Unless of course you get to much dirt or grease in the beads.

    Also beware that the glass beads that get on the floor (and they will) will make the floor slippery, so keep it clean.

    They make a special tape for blasting. I have used it, but I got it from someone, not from a store. It is a rubber tape, and the next time I needed tape I went to the plumbing supply and bought tape for wrapping around PVC and ABS pipe where it runs thru concrete. Worked just as well.
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  • ace22
    I use a metal tape that from the HVAC industry
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  • jbw1776
    Thanks for all the help everyone![8D]

    I hooked it all up today to make sure it was in working order, worked like a top. According to the regulator on the side of the machine it was running at around 30-40psi, so that should work. I can always play with it.

    Thanks again!

    Ben
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  • jbw1776
    Thanks for all the help everyone![8D]

    I hooked it all up today to make sure it was in working order, worked like a top. According to the regulator on the side of the machine it was running at around 30-40psi, so that should work. I can always play with it.

    Thanks again!

    Ben
    0

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