Shot blasting

So.. Shot blasting, I'm after some advice.
I currently have a bulkhead that wants repairing, which I will send for galvanising once done. But before I start repairing it I would like to get it shot blasted to see if it's any worse than I can see.

Does anyone have any experience of the cheapo blast pots on ebay?
I'd usually just pay to have it blasted, but I'm looking for another project which will mean lots more blasting of parts, axles, bulkhead, brackets etc.. before sending for galv again.
I like to be able to do everything myself to save time sending stuff out, so it makes sense to me to try and buy a blasting setup.
My worry is that they will be painfully slow compared to professional setup and may be better just paying someone.

I'm not adverse to spending good money (but not silly or I might as well just pay for it to be done) if it's going to save me time/money in the long run.
Advice/experiences/thoughts please

doing a bulkhead with the usual hobby blasters will be like painting it with a 1/2" brush
A decent unit will need a good supply of air, also you need to be prpared to control the medium , as that varies depending what you are doing .
When prepping the bulkhead you need to remove all the sealant as even the blaster wont shift it without risk of damage to the panels by using a greater pressure and more abrasive medium . HTSH

tacr2man said:

doing a bulkhead with the usual hobby blasters will be like painting it with a 1/2" brush
A decent unit will need a good supply of air, also you need to be prpared to control the medium , as that varies depending what you are doing .
When prepping the bulkhead you need to remove all the sealant as even the blaster wont shift it without risk of damage to the panels by using a greater pressure and more abrasive medium . HTSH

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Ah, that was my worry, and kind of what I thought.
I just wasn't sure how slow they actually was.
Have been looking and their seems to be a lack of blasters locally, the search continues.

I have done bits with a grit gun and my compressor, bulkhead would take a long time, uses quite a lot of grit too, trying to recycle it to reduce costs is a good idea, but I think a bulkhead would be a pretty big job too.

doubt my set up would cope with really heavy rust

be messy and a bit slow.. but i'd go for it. lil pot blaster

We've done hundreds of items over the years, new parts going outdoors, so shot blasting followed by hot zinc spray then prime and paint or powder coating, or old parts being refurbished.

Paying someone to do it professionally may hurt your pocket, but you get a decent job usually, with a comeback if there is a problem.

Grit or sand blasting is banned commercially now due to the dust causing lung problems.

All of our trailer chassis and engine trollies get the treatment.

Contact a local powder coaters or painters, they will know someone, and also check for paint strippers, a lot of shot blasters won't touch painted stuff as it contaminates the grit.

Peter

ive got a 20gallon pot blaster and its ace.

I have an air fed helmet as i tried it with the "dust hood" things and it was awful. Thought I was going to die. Air fed helmet is much better

I think i paid about £60 for the pot from germany.

I have ran it from a 14cfm compressor but its better with my 60cfm as i can run a much larger nozzle so the affected area is corresponding large.

vilguy said:

ive got a 20gallon pot blaster and its ace.

I have an air fed helmet as i tried it with the "dust hood" things and it was awful. Thought I was going to die. Air fed helmet is much better

I think i paid about £60 for the pot from germany.

I have ran it from a 14cfm compressor but its better with my 60cfm as i can run a much larger nozzle so the affected area is corresponding large.

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How do they work then? Does your compressor pressurise the pot? Do you blast in a shed or in the open?