The media blaster is low on abrasives and the abrasive feed hose is probably clogged. The dust removal vacuum has low suction, probably a filter or the bucket is full. The acrylic window could use a good cleaning and polishing too.
I’m happy to help maintain this, but a steward needs to probably check me out.
Dan
I will come look at it when I can. The pressure regulator wasn’t working well before; I have a replacement but I will need to install it and see what other issues are present.
I may take you up on your offer to maintain it, but we will definitely need to go over it together.
The pressure regulator seems to be working correctly, though I may still replace it. (It had exhibited some odd behavior in the past.) I reattached the regulator to the frame. The air flow is very strong; it’s definitely not clogged. (You did turn on the compressed air, yes?)
The vacuum flow was definitely anemic. I emptied it and put a new filter on, and it’s very strong again — the gloves balloon inward when it’s on now.
We do seem to be very low on abrasive material. I’ve got more on the way (Tuesday arrival), plus a replacement set so we don’t have to wait next time. (I hadn’t ordered a backup before because I wasn’t entirely sure how this machine would work out back then.)
The screen always gets scratched and foggy over time. We could replace the protective film we have, but frankly, right now it’s in relatively good condition compared to normal.
Thanks for taking the time to assess the media blaster. I still need to use the tool for a project, so let me know when the new media arrives. We can coordinate a time to walk through the required maintenance tasks and check me out on the process so I can assist with the maintenance moving forward.
Dan
I can’t remember if the consumable nozzle is the inexpensive ceramic (pink) or the boron carbide (black) type. The ceramic type wears out much more quickly and can allow the gun to lose velocity.
It’s the pink, but we have a bunch of spares on hand. But the air flow was very strong.
I don’t believe the issue is with the nozzle. I inspected the one in the gun, and it appeared to be in good condition. The main problem I encountered was that no media was being dispensed at all.
Clogs happen sometimes. We don’t have a filter system. We can maybe put an appropriate sized screen under the rack. This would allow us to clean it before it becomes a problem.
The replacement screen protector roll is in the closet
Thanks, Shane. I’m attending a welding class this Saturday and booked some time in the metal shop after that, so if it needs replacing, I can do that.
The new media was added Tuesday. There was still little abrasive flow, so I whacked the blue hopper at the bottom a bit, and it started working. It started to slow down again later, but another set of aggressive taps restored it, and it is still working now. So there is something causing occasional clogs, but mild percussive maintenance is sufficient to resolve them. We will look into clearing it out more permanently later. I want to read the manual and figure a few other things out first. Because the abrasive material is a potential breathing hazard, this is not undertaken lightly.
You do have to clean the windows regularly, but once you do, you see that the protective window film is only lightly fogged in the corners. Seriously, visibility is way better than usual. So I am not authorizing replacement of that film yet.
Thanks so much for the update! It’s great to hear that giving the hopper a few “taps” got things flowing again, even if just for now. I wonder if something like moisture in the media or maybe even the size of the particles could be causing the occasional blockages. It might also be worth checking if there’s any debris or anything else getting into the hopper. Looking through the manual might give better guidance on what could be happening.
The media filter suggestion from earlier could also be something to explore further—it seems like it might help prevent larger particles or foreign material from causing clogs, which could be a simple way to avoid disruptions.
Since there are potential respiratory risks with the dust, especially depending on the abrasive material, it makes sense to be extra cautious. From what I’ve read, prolonged exposure to certain dusts, like silica or aluminum oxide, can lead to lung issues. Making sure the vacuum filter is cleaned or replaced as part of regular maintenance and requiring the use of masks could help us stay on the safe side. But I’m sure you’ll figure out the best approach.
Also, thanks for keeping an eye on the protective film—it’s great to know that visibility is holding up better than usual. I didn’t want to make any changes to the machine until I spoke to a steward.
Really appreciate your careful approach and all the attention to detail!
In my experience, moisture in the media is usually a consistent problem. But as @mgmoore stable, some will placed thuds usually fix it. When I had one at home, i got to the point that i could kick it while using it and keep it running.
I don’t know how to address the moisture clumping. The unit sits by the garage door. I think we can help the angle of slip so everything drops to the bottom. One of the hacks we can implement is to add a DC vibration motor. The motor helps everything fall to the bottom. Motor
Power supply
There are some options for a dc vibration motor with power supply and speed control.
If we ziptie an appropiate sized screen to the bottom of the rack. We can simply use a shop vacuum to clean debris from time to time.
From what I’ve read, moisture clumping of media comes predominantly from moisture in the compressed air line. Does the compressed air system in the shop include a dryer? While compressed air filters that remove moisture can be installed directly before the tools, refrigeration-based units installed at the system level can offer a more effective treatment and benefits would extend to other tools.
Yes, our compressed air has a dryer.
Roger that. I was pretty sure it did. Given that, it might just be caused by debris from using it and the filter might be the way to go.
Hello all!. I’m doing a bit of research to help make the media blaster great again. 
This is an interesting solution to media feed problems.
Neat. It is different agitation method. I hadn’t thought of it. Whichever system that we implement. I want it to be easy or foolproof so we get less problem reports in the future.
Seems like an easy enough solution to try.