Abrasive Blaster trouble - a follow-up

Space Teams Metal Shop
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The abrasive blaster was in a bit of a funk. I worked with @KevinTrzcinski to troubleshoot last night and went over the symptoms with @JoeN, and there are a few contributing factors

  • The water filter was full. It’s easy to empty by pushing the button on the bottom of the filter, but you’ve gotta remember to do it. It’s a good idea to give it a little pfft-pfft whenever you use the blaster.
  • The pressure regulator was set too high. This one’s my fault; I cranked it up to see if it’d make a difference. Turns out this was a bad idea because…
  • The air compressor is tired and having trouble keeping up. We knew this - the new compressor is repaired and will be plumbed in shortly. In the meantime, keeping the regulator at 50psi allows the compressor to keep up. Joe added a note to the cabinet.
  • There was improper media loaded in the machine. While we appreciate members bringing in consumables, in this case it was way too heavy and contributing to trouble. @JoeN could you share some links for the right media to use in the abrasive cabinet?
  • The cabinet needs new gloves again. That’s on us.
  • Finally, the filter bag isn’t in amazing shape. That shouldn’t hurt the blasting behavior; it’s just yet another contributor to the general dustiness of the shop.
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Thanks for looking at this and giving a thorough breakdown.

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  • There was improper media loaded in the machine. While we appreciate members bringing in consumables, in this case it was way too heavy and contributing to trouble. @JoeN could you share some links for the right media to use in the abrasive cabinet?
    Abrasive Media Link
    -Someone added sand to the abrasive media. Sand works ok initially as an abrasive. It breaks down each time it cycles through and loses mass. We only use aluminum oxide. It is viable for a lot longer.
  • Finally, the filter bag isn’t in amazing shape. That shouldn’t hurt the blasting behavior; it’s just yet another contributor to the general dustiness of the shop
    -I will look at repairing the bag. There might be a hole it in it.
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@Jon Thank you for your follow up here and for your assistance yesterday. Looking forward to the new compressor.

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The glove with hole in it has been replaced. The abrasive for the cabinet will be replaced with al oxide.

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New abrasive is on the way. When the new abrasive gets here. Recalibrate your expectations. If you are used to 200 grit and barely removing material. The new abrasive will destroy coatings and rust much more quickly.

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New abrasive was added last night. It is aluminum oxide. Don’t add any other abrasive with out permission. Also the new abrasive is much more aggressive. It is 80 grit. It removes mil scale very quickly.

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