SANDBLASTING CABINET

Sandblasting is the use of air pressure and a variety of materials to clean and prepare metal surfaces in order for them to be repaired, painted, or welded.

The materials used in sandblasting, whether sand or not, are referred to as blast media. Sandblasting can remove paint, rust, and residue from oxidation from materials quickly and efficiently.

Sandblasting can also be used to change the condition of a metal's surface, such as through removing scratches or casting marks.

Basic Components of the Sandblasting Cabinet

A sandblasting system includes four basic components:

The air source of the Sandblasting Cabinet

The air source is usually bottle gas or an air compressor.

The sandblasting cabinet,

The sandblasting cabinet holds the object being blasted,

 The dust collector of the Sandblasting Cabinet,

While the dust collector removes dust from the cabinet.

Blasting media of the Sandblasting Cabinet.

Or room to contain the blasting media.

There are two basic types of sandblasting cabinets a user can choose from: the portable tank sandblasting cabinet and the can sandblasting cabinet. The can sandblasting cabinet is the most basic model and, therefore, the cheaper of the two.

Sandblasting cabinets can be purchased in all shapes and sizes. Front load, top load, and end load designs are all used for different types of jobs. It is also possible to purchase a sandblasting cabinet with a horizontal, vertical, or 45 degree viewing window in order to fit the type of material being blasted.

A different view is necessary, for example, when blasting car parts as opposed to wood projects.

A sandblasting cabinet can also have a flat bottom or sit on a tabletop. This type of sandblasting cabinet is used for smaller jobs. There are, however, certain types of cabinets called “V" bottom cabinets, which have legs and can be used for larger projects that are too big to be completed on a tabletop.

A smaller sandblasting cabinet might be used for jobs such as coffee cups or trophies. These items are fairly delicate and require more control over the blasting process.

Many rock collectors also use medium-sized sandblasting cabinets in order to blast and polish rocks. A large sandblasting cabinet might be used for plate glass windows, shower doors, or door inserts.

There are some cabinets that have blasting units built into them. This makes it more convenient to use the sandblasting cabinet and is ideal for large jobs. Still other cabinets come equipped with built in dust collection systems, which make clean up easier.

The benefit to this type of sandblasting cabinet is the ability to do more work at one time, because time doesn’t need to be taken to deal with the dust clean up.

A sandblasting cabinet generally comes with rubber sleeves and gloves attached, which help prevent accidents from occurring. Safety is an issue with sandblasting cabinets when they are misused, because the blasting materials move at very high speeds.

Sandblasting with the Sandblasting Cabinet

What the Sandblasting Cabinet used for

As a cleaning method has been widely used for over a hundred years, often as a method of priming a surface for the application of paint or a sealant.

When painting, one doesn't want to trap dust, dirt, or bubbles in a previous layer of paint, or other imperfections under the new layer. By launching small bits of abrasive at the surface at a high speed, all imperfections are knocked loose and can then be easily washed off, creating an incredibly smooth surface upon which to lay the new layer of paint.

Sandblasting may also be used for such projects as cleaning the hulls of ships or large structures such as the Golden Gate Bridge.

The Sandblasting Cabinet In decorating glass

In decorating glass, sandblasting is a wonderfully popular technique, with few substitutes. While hand-etching is possible, it is incredibly time consuming and expensive, and laser-etching has a range of flaws which make it a questionable choice.

There are two main ways in which sandblasting is used to decorate glass: etching and carving.

In glass etching, abrasive is blasted at the glass lightly to turn the glass semi-opaque. This 'whiting' or 'snowing' of the glass can be used to great effect to produce words or images. By adjusting the speed of the sandblasting and the angle from which the abrasive is being launched, differing shades can be created, allowing for some true works of art.

Glass is carved by steadily sandblasting the surface through a stencil which protects the areas you don't want to be carved out. Sandblasting as a technique for carving can be very nuanced, with differing depths and angles of cuts creating an array of lighting effects that may be quite beautiful.

The Sandblasting Cabinet ’s Cost

The cost of sandblasting equipment depends greatly on the scope of the projects intended.

A small home glass carving setup can be acquired for less than US$800, while a system with a cabinet capable of handling larger pieces of glass and more nuanced sandblasting can cost between US$1000 and US$3000.

A professional level artistic sandblasting setup will definitely cost in the thousands. Industry level sandblasting equipment also ranges in cost from the mid-hundreds to the high-thousands, again depending on the scale and scope of the projects to be completed.

Sandblasting Cabinet Design

There are four basic elements to a sandblasting system:

The air source, usually in the form of an air compressor or bottle gas.

The sandblasting unit itself, either siphon or pressure unit.

The dust collector to remove the dust from the blasting cabinet or room.

The blasting cabinet or room to contain the blasting media.

This article will deal with the fourth part of the system, the blasting cabinet. Links to manufacturers of blast cabinets can be found under resources here.

Description of the Sandblasting Cabinet

Blasting cabinets come in all sizes and shapes, depending on the particular application of the user. There are top load, front load and end load designs. There are cabinets with vertical, horizontal and 45 degree viewing windows.

Some cabinets have flat bottoms, designed to sit on table tops, while "V" bottom cabinets are self supporting with legs.

Small cabinets are ideal for blasting coffee cups, wedding glasses and trophies. Medium sized cabinets can blast larger glass, rocks, and vases. Large cabinets are used for shower doors, plate glass windows, transoms and door inserts. There are cabinets with pass through capabilities of blasting glass larger than the size of the cabinet. Some cabinets even have blasting units built into them. Some cabinets even have built in dust collection systems.

With all these options, how does one decide what to buy? This article will cover what to look for to fit your particular need.

Material of the Sandblasting Cabinet Construction

Blasting cabinets are constructed from wood, plastic or sheet metal. I have even built a temporary blasting cabinet using a cardboard box. If you are going to construct your own cabinet, plywood is the preferred material unless you have sheet metal working experience.

To build a cabinet from plywood, all you need is a keyhole saw, table saw, and hand drill.

Most cabinets on the market today are constructed from sheet metal or plastic. Plastic cabinets are smaller and lighter and ideal for blasting coffee cups, glasses and trophies.

There are three advantages to a plastic cabinet: light weight, will not shock you when blasting with aluminum oxide, and less chance of glass breakage when you bang the glass against the side.

Metal cabinets are larger, however, and can build a static charge when blasting with Aluminum Oxide. Constantly getting shocked can be quite annoying.

Viewing Glass of the Sandblasting Cabinet

A lot of cabinets have a slanted front for the viewing glass. I think this is a carry over from cabinets generally used for blasting items like auto parts, where you don't need the precision you do in glass carving. I would say that roughly 75% of cabinets used in blasting glass still use this type of cabinet.

This forces you to look down at the what you are blasting, and may cause back and neck strain in some people. Since you will be spending many hours at your blast station, make sure the design and ergonomics of your station will be comfortable for YOU over the long haul.

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The glass is usually 1/4 inch tempered or safety glass, required by some insurance companies. In my own shop, I don't feel the need for safety glass, because if broken, the glass would only fall into the cabinet, and with protected gloves and sleeves, the chances for injury are greatly reduced.

I've gone this direction, because replacing tempered and safety glass can get quite expensive, especially if you change glass once a week while doing heavy blasting. The frosting of the viewing glass is the result of abrasive bouncing back from the glass you are blasting, and hitting the window.

The window will get frosted more quickly when blasting at higher pressures.

Some cabinet suppliers have plastic material you can place on the inside of the glass to keep the glass itself from getting frosted. If the plastic cover is not completely taped on all edges, abrasive will collect between it and the glass, greatly reducing visibility. A static charge will also build up on the plastic cover, causing dust to cling.

Each time the dust is wiped off the plastic, it will leave scratches, causing it to be changed more often. I find it more cost effective to replace the viewing window with single strength window glass, rather than using plastic.

Because you will be changing the viewing glass quite often, you should consider how easy or difficult the change out operation will be.

Front of the Sandblasting Cabinet

Some times, it is very important to get as close to the glass you are blasting as possible. I find this is important when I am doing delicate blasting on a face; the glass may be no more than 12 inches from my face.

For me, this means a cabinet with a straight front, specially designed for glass carving. Unless you build your own, these cabinets can cost more, but can be well worth the price differential, since cabinets with a 45 degree front design may not let you get close enough for delicate work.

Hand Holes of the Sandblasting Cabinet

Being able to have free movement on the hands and arms is very critical when artistic blasting. Most cabinets come with rubber sleeves and gloves attached to keep from accidentally blasting yourself.

These sleeves and gloves will restrict your movement in the cabinet. An ideal cabinet will allow you to blast anywhere in the cabinet with ease. Seventy percent of my blasting is done without sleeves and gloves. I only use gloves when I am blasting with pressure over 50 PSI to protect my hands from abrasive bouncing off the glass.

Accidentally blasting yourself usually happens once. It's like using a cigarette lighter; only once you burn yourself, you respect the damage it can do.

I have some cabinets with just plastic strips covering the hand slot across the front of them. This type of cabinet allows total movement of hands and arms when doing airbrush technique blasting.

This type of hand slot is messier, because it will let some abrasive out on the floor. This is the trade off I live with so I can have total free movement of hands and arms. I find it very difficult to artistic blast using attached rubber gloves.

Jim Yount uses gel-filled mouse pads to soften the hard edges on the hand holes in his cabinets. He finds that in long days of blasting, he tends to lean on the holes, and this can get really painful after a day or two.

Cabinet Bottom of the Sandblasting Cabinet

The bottom design of a cabinet must be considered when choosing a cabinet. Can you sit down with your legs underneath the cabinet, or will you have to stand all the time you are blasting?

Blasting on a project for 6 hours gets very tiring on the legs and feet, especially when you get "more mature", like me! A flat bottomed cabinet that I can set on a table works best for me. The disadvantage of the flat bottom cabinet is removing the abrasive.

I use a dust pan to scoop it up and shift it through a strainer to remove foreign particles. Another disadvantage of the flat bottom, the blasting air causes the abrasive on the bottom to get blown up while blasting, producing more dust.

The V bottom cabinets are the most common on the market. In these cabinets, the abrasive will fall to the bottom, where it can be removed through a trap door. Because the abrasive is away from the blasting area, less dust will be produced in the cabinet.

The disadvantage of V bottom cabinets is the inability to sit down and put your legs underneath the cabinet while blasting.

There is a cabinet on the market that incorporates both flat and V bottom. The front part is flat, and the back part is V shaped. The cabinet allows your knees to go under the cabinet while sitting and the abrasive falls down away from the blasting area.

Jim Yount also uses this design in his shop built second generation cabinet. You can see photos of his unit on Note that he's going back to the straight V for his third generation unit. Jim has also incorporated a vibrating screen in his new unit, so that the abrasive has been pre-filtered inside the cabinet, before it is removed in a sealed container.