I'd probably use a snadblaster 3-4 times a year. Thinking of getting one of those $30 units, will need a compressor also. mostly for prepping for bluing/painting.

What say you? Do they work with beads.

Small suction sandblasters work, but not easily. I use a small suction unit, and it is slow and stops up easily. Sand needs to be absolutely dry and screened very fine. Glass beads or aluminum oxide media will work better than sand from a feeding standpoint.

It takes a lot of compressor. I have a true 5 hp compressor with 60 gal tank and it will barely keep up. Some way of aftercooling the air and dehumidifying it is absolutely necessary, otherwise condensation in the nozzle causes the sand to clog.

For small work like a barrel or barreled action bead blasted, a small compressor and tank would probably do okay, but will be very slow. I tried running mine off my 3/4 hp pancake compressor, and it was just an exercise in frustration. A 1 minute job with the big tank takes 15 to 30 minutes of waiting and blasting with the small one. Hobbyist doing it once or twice, probably could stand it. do it 3 or 4 times a year, you'll be looking for a bigger tank/compressor.

dave

thanks. I can get access to a friends big 2 stage compressor but I may have to do the blasting outside in their yard.

glass beads, not sand.. sand will make a VERY rough finish ... this is from experience.

i made my last blasting box out of a chest freezer, btw, to give me all the room i could need, for next to nothing

Get a small cabinet; the suction buckets don't work.
Media depends on what you are removing and what you want the finish to look like. For example, glass beads won't remove heavy rust.
I use black beauty; fine or medium.
But I do a lot of jeep and truck parts too.
Anyway don't use sand in any case; the EPA will put you in jail.

Got a high pressure sprayer? There are water blasting attachments out there. I ran some black fine media through one on a truck frame and it did the job. Not recommended for a large job. But, should be fine for gun parts.

Same as mine. Works fine.
JMAAOSwv2tasUAD" target="_blank">nozzle assy.

Not trying to push anything on anyone. Just wanted to mention, there is no dust with an aqua blaster.

I did a 700 barrelled action with one of those small bucket sandblasters and it worked quite well. I took a plastic garbage bag and taped it around the outside then cut a hole in the end large enough to easily fit the action and my arm inside. I had zero issues with sand coming out the top so everything stayed clean and was able to pour all the abrasive back into the container at the end. I was using aluminum oxide as I was prepping for a spray/bake finish. I'll do it again the exact same way if I ever need to. As mentioned have or borrow a larger compressor as that will be the critical part of the setup. Use a clear trash bag and visibility is not an issue either.

Custombolt I've used those aquablasters as well and they are certainly the cats meow for getting truck frames clean!