Sandblasting Cabinet Built For $50

Sandblasting Cabinet Built For $50 FARM SHOP Maintenance Steve Mattias built a sandblasting cabinet for his engine repair business because he couldn’t justify the cost of a commercial unit The retiree says his sideline business keeps him busy nearly full-time The sandblaster also comes in handy to maintain his small engine collection     “I use it for cleaning up small parts ” says Mattias “If I get an old engine with a pie plate muffler and want to clean it up it goes in the cabinet That high-quality old steel comes out like new ”     Mattias estimates his cost to build the unit was less than $50 He used mostly parts and pieces left over from other jobs     “The paint and primer cost as much as anything ” says Mattias “About the only other thing I bought was the siphon-type blasting gun ”     The plywood cabinet is 36-in wide 24-in deep and 24-in high at the rear Total height is 63-in A 3-sided wooden box at the top of the cabinet holds a 2-ft fluorescent light protected by a plexiglass bottom A 10 by 30-in Lexan window mounted in a 15 by 36-in door provides good visibility of the part being cleaned and also provides access A 16 by 16-in door on one end provides additional access     “My son Brian owns a pipe organ repair company and he gave me two 3-in long 6-in dia aluminum flanges that I inserted through the wall below the window ” says Mattias “On the inside of the cabinet I slid elbow length rubber gloves over the flanges and fastened them in place with radiator hose clamps ”     The base to the blasting cabinet is a piece of expanded metal A 26-in deep hopper beneath it holds the sand The angled hopper has a pvc pipe with threaded cap at its bottom for changing blasting medium     Mattias used angle iron from bed frames for the framework and casting for shopping carts beneath it Sandblasting is powered by a large pressurized tank     “I have a squirrel cage fan mounted on the frame with a pvc pipe up to the cabinet to pull out dust and 4 half dollar size vents on back of the cabinet so I don’t draw a vacuum in the cabinet ” says Mattias     He has a larger pressurized sandblasting tank outside However his rolling cabinet has proven well worth the time it took to build especially in the winter     “I roll it over near the door and attach a flexible hose from an old backpack sprayer to the exhaust fan ” says Mattias “I stick the hose out the door and blast the part clean It works great ”     Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Steve Mattias 9 Kulas Rd West Warwick R I 02893 ph 401 822-4596

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