? media valve on sand blaster

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Nov 1, 2007
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Dallas, TX
I have a 60# pot blaster. The manual doesn't say which way the handle on the media release valve is on and off. I started with it in the horizontal position and slowly rotated in toward the down position and I keep clogging the ceramic tip. Help? I am using about 80 psi and my comp is capable of 8 scfm. It starts to abrade the paint and then thud I can hear it clog. The rubber hose was completely full of media. Am I starting it wide open and filling the hose before the air can take it out?

Thanks for any help.

Brad
 
what media are you using?

I have a HF pot and my media valve is horizontal in the off position. Seems that the right amount comes out at about a 1/4 to 1/2 toward vertical.

The only time I have had clogging was when I used playground sand. Occasionally a larger rock would clog the tip. Also, make sure the incoming compressed air is dry or else you will build water in the pot and the resulting mud could clog.
 
It's called Amber Blast. I bought it at Northern Tool with the pot blaster. It is slightly larger than salt crystals.
 
Never used that media. Any chance something could have gotten in the pot to clog up the valve?
 
Doubtful. The first time I took the cap off was to pour in the media. Now I did just pour it out of the bag with the pour hole similar to concrete bags in one of the corners.. with the rain and humidity recently do you think the media might be damp.. didn't pour like it was but this is my first time so I have no reference.
I guess the way it fills the media hose my thought is that the valve is flowing I just don't have the air to push it.
Have you use the small blast pots? The air hose that goes from the pressure valve at the top to the media valve at the bottom leaks (at the bottom) where the hose fits into the valve. Could that be killing my air pressure? It is only held in there by little metal teeth. I blew it out the last time it clogged.

thanks for help
 
Doubtful. The first time I took the cap off was to pour in the media. Now I did just pour it out of the bag with the pour hole similar to concrete bags in one of the corners.. with the rain and humidity recently do you think the media might be damp.. didn't pour like it was but this is my first time so I have no reference.
I guess the way it fills the media hose my thought is that the valve is flowing I just don't have the air to push it.
Have you use the small blast pots? The air hose that goes from the pressure valve at the top to the media valve at the bottom leaks (at the bottom) where the hose fits into the valve. Could that be killing my air pressure? It is only held in there by little metal teeth. I blew it out the last time it clogged.

thanks for help
If your media is damp.......you are screwed.
 
It's called Amber Blast. I bought it at Northern Tool with the pot blaster. It is slightly larger than salt crystals.
Check my build thread on amber crap. I tried it and fawked up alot of parts, as it doesn't leave a nice finished "smooth/pitted" look.

It heats up too quick when it hits. As far as the lever, test it all the way one way. One way is off, the other extreme is wide open.
Find the off spot and slowly open it until media is just coming out with the power of the air. Also a moisture separator might be another choice for your clogging. It will keep any media dry, while collecting the moisture in a "trap" which can be bled easily.
If your media is damp.......you are screwed.
I agree 100%
 
The MAIN media valve you may try to open and close it with someone holding the blast line. They call this choking....it may help...but i am not 100% sure what setup you got
 
cruiser88- I finally got it figured out, I just don't have enough air flow for it to work properly... I finally got the flow going good and my poor little compressor just ran the whole friggin time... when I close the deadman valve to let it catch up the nozzle would clog so bad that I didn't have the pressure and flow to clear it...

webelk6- I am glad you wrote that. I was starting to think that I don't like this DIY blasting much.... take that back I loved it while it worked, for about 20 seconds... The amber blast pitted the bonnet that I did finally get done badly... At least I think it was bad. First experience with blasting. It has a diamond type look to it and felt rough... Now that said it was allowing the rustoleum white primer that I sprayed (for the first time ever, that was fun too!) But I can see the really pitted area's around the bolt holes were I had the worst amount of rust and stayed on it longer with blaster... So I am assuming that I can build places like that up some with primer... but this is not a trailer queen so I am not looking for perfection....Mostly have a great time working on it just get frstrated/worried that I may not have capability to do this all on my own...

thanks everyone for chiming in! Just when I get down on the project someone lets me know they had that problem too and what they did to evercome it... great place to be this MUDD!
 

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