Sears Sandblaster Anybody Use it ????

[RGS1260]

I want to blast the engine compartment floor and underside of my 1st gen.
Is the sears sandblaster a good choice for that. Should I get the one that has its own container or the one that pulls media from a bucket.

[Maxturbo]

I've got one from Sears and it works fine. A couple words of caution...you'll need significant amounts of air to feed syphon blasters' like these. A little 20 gallon compressor won't handle the requirement, and a 60 will will work it's butt off. The self contained (vs. bucket types) are nice as the lid is set-up with a screen for re-filling, and repair parts from Sears are always handy to acquire (extra nozzles).

Be prepared for a mess though! The sand goes EVERYWHERE! You will not have a body crevice without sand in it, (and I'm talking YOUR body). :D I'd suggest rolling on to one of those cheap blue tarps and sort of "tent" your area to reduce the mess and aid in re-claiming your media. Wear a good mask and face shield too.

It's tedious but rewarding. ;)

You can get industrial sand media CHEAP (a few bucks a bag). Check your Yellow Pages.

[novaken]

I had one and it took forever to use. Plus, sand gets everywhere. I sold it and got a pressurized sand blaster. It works better, uses less sand, and clogs less. The biggest gripe I had with those gravity feed blasters was that if the sand wasnt perfectly dry, it would clog at the gun. If you would use it for a long time the compressor would get hot and vaporize the water in the the tank and cause the gun to clog. Then I would have to take the nozzle off and clean the clumps out. Invest in the extra money and get the pressurized blaster. You won't be sorry.

[DriveWFO]

I have the gravity feed sandblaster from Sears and a Craftsman 60 gallon compressor. Let me tell ya, it took me an HOUR to sandblast a steering box :eek:

[Greg McMillan]

You have a large area to blast and most of the smaller units will probably not work well. For sure you will need a very good size compressor. Something that will deliver more than 10SCFM. If you don't have that it is even more expensive. For what you are talking about you migh be better off just taking it to a pro shop and let them do it. Generally blasting isn't too expensive. I used a blast cabinet from Harbor Freight. It was $200 and handles all my parts including wheels. The compressor was another $600. I think you could get something from them or Northern Tools cheaper than Sears.