Which Sandblasting media

[Mick40]

My sandblaster came with the sand already in the unit. It Looked to be the type of media that looks like sand without the silica. It was really dirty and had broken glass in it so I replace it with Black Magic media. The problem it would not suck up through the pick up tube. The Sand did not have a problem. Should I invest in one of those pressurized hoppers that keeps the media at 40psi?? Or just go back to the sand/ without silica?

What do you all use? By the way my compressor is 80 gallons so lack of air is no a problem

Your thoughts,
Mick

[speeddemonrodsteration]

check all the fitting and connections on or going to the gun. I had a tiny hole in the pickup tube once, and drove me freakin nuts!

[Mick40]

Good idea, however, it did work prior to switching to the other media. How do I know if the nozzle has the correct size to support this grit of media? I bought the unit used and like I said it did work with the sand (again no silica). Just won’t suck the Black beauty. Frustrating

[sswee]

Did you back pressure the nozzle to check for a blockage? I use glass bead but it still compacts in the tube and has to be back pressured out.

[Mick40]

Yup, and it still would not flow.

[pickleboy]

i use black beauty and have no problems. it could be the pickup tube design. what does it look like? mine is one tube inside of another, straight. if yours is a slow curve piece and only single layer with a hole in the middle of the bend which sits in the bottom of the sump then maybe you need to open the hole up in size. if this is the case go slow in the step up or you will get it to big and it will do nothing but spit in pulses.

Black beauty dose a fine job i got a 1000 pound skid of it .. and as for sand DON"T USE IT it will take a toll on your health.. use oxide instead..

[trsick]

Originally Posted by Mick40

My sandblaster came with the sand already in the unit. It Looked to be the type of media that looks like sand without the silica. It was really dirty and had broken glass in it so I replace it with Black Magic media. The problem it would not suck up through the pick up tube. The Sand did not have a problem. Should I invest in one of those pressurized hoppers that keeps the media at 40psi?? Or just go back to the sand/ without silica?

What do you all use? By the way my compressor is 80 gallons so lack of air is no a problem

Your thoughts,
Mick

Hey Mick:
A couple of things.
A: What size Black Beauty are you trying to use? It comes in Fine, Med & Course. You should be using fine. The course may not feed thru your nozzle size
B: Make sure there is no breaks/holes in the rubber/plastic portion of the pick up hose that runs to the media (hard pipe) pick up tube.
C: Is the media dry? It's been very humid here lately
D: Is the nozzle clean & open?
E: Is the media falling back done into the hopper so it can get ppicked up?
F: If your media pick up tube is one hose with a hard pipe pick up feeding into the media, does the pick up tube have a hole in it's side about 1/2 up the tube & located outside of the media? If not ,you may need to drill one, because different medias need different lift pressures If you already have a hole, you may need to make it smaller (tape over 1/2 the hole with electrical tape.
All in all the syphon sytem is pretty simple. But you must make sure all of the above is in order.
Good Luck
Bob

bob monday i will give you a ring...

My compressor puts 125psi out right at the pump corkscrew..

Fine and med mesh is about all you need unless you are cleaning a bad rusted part..

[Mick40]

My media is course. The pickup tube is in the bottom of the hopper and is clear plastic, so I can see inside. No hard line the end is cut at a 45. What is strange is the media goes up the tube and just stops at the gun. So, I swaped guns, lines and nothing. Are there different sizes orfices on the gun to use with the various media? Maybe I have the wrong size?

I really appreciate the help, I PC'ed my first parts and they came out fantastic!!!

This is what I did;

1. Sandblasted part prior to switching to Black Beauty.

2. Degreased the part and air dryed

3. Placed in oven at 400 for 15 minutes

4. Took out and let cool to 125

5. Sprayed part ( Gun worked EXCELLENT ) Remove the tip!!!

6. Placed back in oven at 400 for 15 minutes

7. Took out and let cool.

Will try the oxide on Monday. Once again I could not have done this without this forum and all your help!!!

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