40lb harbor freight grit blaster

[suspect]

i'm getting close to building my 69 c10 from the frame up. i have a huge tarp and i'm wanting to section off parts of my garage so i can just do my own grit blasting at home.

has anyone used one of these blasters from harbor freight? what kind of results did you get? they're only $100

thanks

[dwcsr]

They work well for what they are. The problems are the nozzle is very small and it takes a long time to clean a frame. The front leg has broken off on everyone I have seen so you need to brace it to the back wheel legs to prevent that. If you lose or break a part that's not available at HF you have to send to China to get it and its usually easier to buy a new one. Its a very dirty job and sometimes cheaper and easier to get a pro to do it.

[suspect]

i went ahead and bought it. i like to do everything myself and save as much money as i can to spend on parts. plus my garage gets pretty dirty when i sand body work.
i'll update this thread on how my set up goes and how it works out. it'll still be a couple months before i get started.
thanks for your input.

[BarryB]

Keep us updated. I have a carport out front of my garage. I was thinking of getting some of the HF cheap tarps. tarping off a section and go to town on the blasting of certain parts.

[suspect]

thanks for the idea on blasting the driveway. the corvette i just got rid of dripped oil. our house is only 1 1/2 yrs old and now i have a nice big oil spot in the driveway. i've been scrubbing it will all kinds of different stuff, i'll blast it now.
the tarp i got was from a paint store. it comes with 2 - 10'x25' , 4ml thick sheets. it's the one for construction and remodeling.

[donut]

Been there. For what they are, they work. However they do have their faults. (at least mine did. I had the one that didn't have the regulator and stuff on it) If you use the ball-valve (on nozzle end) to "shut it off" it more than likely will clog. The valve on the end more than likely will fail. Mine did on the 2nd bag of grit. Size your blasting media to the tip size. (or vice versa)

I got frustrated enough with mine that I'd needle scale first then blast for the final clean-up. If you use the supplied "hood", you will need replacement lenses. I used old grinding shields cut up. It did work for me, and if needed, I'd probably get it again. However, when I moved, it wasn't on my "must keep" list.

[cdowns]

when the harbor freight parts like hoses and nozzel end replace with quality parts from TP tools that will last 20Xlonger than what came from HF

[dfwright]

I have one of these, and I've used it to blast the frame and all the suspension parts on my truck. I find it works fine for me.

The water trap that comes with it is junk. Get a better one and add it on. (I left the original one in place, and just added another)

Eventually the ball cock that shuts off the sand will wear through, and you won't be able to shut off the sand flow. I just got a dead-man nozzle and replaced it when it failed.

Other than that, it has done all I asked of it.

I don't recommend blasting indoors no matter how well you tarp off the area, it generates lots of fine dust that gets into absolutely everything. Blast outdoors if possible.

As stated before, the hood is cheap, and the lens will fog very quickly. I pulled the lens out and threw it away, and I buy the HF full face protector shields when they are on sale for $2.99 each, and wear one under the hood.