Wore out my blasting gun..

[skiddz]

After a full day of shooting aluminum oxide at various ATV parts, the gun that came with my "foreign built piece of [bleep]" blasting cabinet literally ate itself. Instead of buying parts to fix this thing, can anyone recommend a decent suction style gun that will allow me to shoot alum oxide without eating itself in a couple days?

I've found a few guns, but my compressor is the limiting factor. It'll do [email protected] but no more.. The guns I've seen all want [email protected] For what I'm doing, my setup is fine, but I wanna get it working again without a 4 digit investment in a new compressor.

Ideas anyone

[tomg552001]

The reason your gun wore out is you are using a ceramic nozzle with a rough angular abrasive. You need to pick up a carbide nozzle. They last forever, espcially with the low blasting pressure/cfm you are using. Don't throw out the gun, simply get a carbide nozzle and air jet. Good luck.

[Fireblade]

I doubt you'll find a carbide nozzle for that gun your talking about. If you do, I'd be surprised. I recommend TPTools.com, they have some good guns with carbide, ceramic or steel nozzles, be prepared to pay close to $100 for a carbide nozzle and gun, but will outlast that thing you have now like no tomorrow. I remember the days of the small compressors, and they aren't pretty days!!!! I feel your agony of saying you spent ALL day blasting. Good luck

[tomg552001]

Yep, you can get carbide nozzles for the small suction guns that they sell at home depot etc. The campbell hausfield gun they sell at home depot actually has a carbide nozzle for it, and its about $25. The only problem is they are usually a 1/4 nozzle, which is for around 8-10CFM +. You should be ok, with it, just blast with a little lower pressure.

[skiddz]

Actually, if it was just the nozzle, I'd be ok as I have about 6 more. The actual gun wore out. The siphon tube enters the gun at a right angle to the direction the air flows out and it appears as if the abrasive made its own path around the nozzle. Now I have the nozzle opening and another 1/8" hole above the nozzle.

Like I said, this is a cheesy POS blast cabinet and the gun is even cheesier.. I'd rather drop some $$ on a good gun I can retrofit to this cabinet and use in my homemade plastic and 2x4 blast booth and be done with it.

I was going to head off to Home Depot for in interim fix so I can complete these suspension parts and get 'em to the powder coater Monday, but I'll check out TPT as well. If I win Lotto tonight, I'll go get a nice industrial compressor, a real blast cabinet and the best friggin' gun I can find. Then again, I'll be a multi millionaire so I'll probably just buy a bottle of 18 year old scotch, ****can this ATV and go buy a dune buggy. heheh

Thanks for the info!

[skiddz]

Picked up a Husky (Home Depot brand) suction gun this evening and got it fitted to my cabinet. Man, what a difference! Instead of blasting for 30 seconds, waiting 60 seconds for the compressor to recharge and repeating for hours on end, I can blast continuously.

In 20 mins I blasted the right side suspension parts clean. It took me nearly 3 hours to do the same parts from the left side with the old gun.
At this rate, I'll be ready for the powder coater before the 1st football game tomorrow morning. I just hope this gun holds up to the aluminum oxide better... if not the new gun from TPTools should be here early in the week..

Thanks again for the info!

[tomg552001]

Glad to hear you found a better way. Pick up a carbide nozzle and air jet for that, and you'll be set. Check out CHpower.com. They will have carbide nozzles there for i believe $25.00. Good luck