"Proper" Air extractor for small sand blating cabinet

pcm81 · Jan 29, 2019

Greeting all,
I am playing with my new sand blasting cabinet. Small size, think 5cfm ish of blast air. My current compressor delivers 2.2 scfm, but I will be adding another unit later for bigger projects.

from the pile of abrasive beads and dust I am quickly realizing a need for proper dust extractor. Tried to just add paper filters to inlet, output ports but that just bubbles the lid when I use 90 psi blast air.

This is the blast cabinet i have:
OEMTOOLS 24815 Bench Top Abrasive Blast Cabinet

Can anyone suggest a good/quiet and plug and play dust extraction system for my needs? I don't really want to run a full size house vac or similar size vac due to noise. So looking for passive low restriction or quiet low power system, that would fit my extraction port.

Thanks ahead

dsergison · Jan 29, 2019

proper and cheap are opposites.

Any system that does not suck the lid / door shut, and inflate the gloves WHILE BLASTING is spraying dust everywhere.

for cheap I would:

separate out the media that would otherwise abrade and clog your filter media. Oneida make a tiny cyclone to be used with a 5 gallon bucket and shop vac. then a heppa filter in the shop vac. occasionally dump the cyclone bucket back into the cabinet.

you MIGHT be able to use a quieter vac than your typical shop vac but the cyclone needs to be in a cfm range to work.

I am afraid of breathing any blasting dust even with separator and filter so my cyclone / filter fan is outside.

my system sucks my blast cabinet door shut and suck-inflates the gloves. no dust escapes with the fan on. delta dust collector - Google Search

oneida dust cyclone - Google Search

$250 proper unit. USA VAC-50 HEPA Vacuum - TP Tools & Equipment

mixdenny · Jan 29, 2019

I don't think I have ever heard one that wasn't fairly loud. The commercial dust collector units use large diameter hoses and are somewhat quieter but your small blast cabinet is probably set up for standard shop vac hoses.. I use a Ridgid shop vac with the lowest sound level I could find. That information is available. You can run the exhaust of the vacuum out a window to help a lot. Between the dust collector, the air compressor and even the sound of the blast nozzle, blasting is a loud job. Dennis

Newman109 · Jan 29, 2019

Here's what I use. It's called a Cyclone. The motor is a 2 hp Baldor running at 3,450 rpm. It sits on a 55 gallon barrel. It gets all of the dust out of the bead blaster so that you can see what you are doing. I clean it out now and then. It's been running since 1971. The cloth bag removes most of the fine particles.

It's really loud, but I seldom use the bead blaster more than 5 minutes at a time and I do wear ear protection.

In the alternative, a good shop vacuum will work. Quiet and effective are often mutually exclusive.

DDoug · Jan 29, 2019

Place whatever vacuum unit outside.

All plumbing inside needs to be on the suction side.

pcm81 · Jan 29, 2019

Newman109 said:
Here's what I use. It's called a Cyclone. The motor is a 2 hp Baldor running at 3,450 rpm. It sits on a 55 gallon barrel. It gets all of the dust out of the bead blaster so that you can see what you are doing. I clean it out now and then. It's been running since 1971. The cloth bag removes most of the fine particles.

It's really loud, but I seldom use the bead blaster more than 5 minutes at a time and I do wear ear protection.

In the alternative, a good shop vacuum will work. Quiet and effective are often mutually exclusive.

/drool
I wish i had the space and didn't actually like my neighbours.

pcm81 · Jan 29, 2019

I am kind on now thinking of just getting a small 60db vacuum and just dedicating it to this purpose. With cyclone separator I probably need a more powerful vacuum, but if I dedicate it to this single purpose, I am thinking I might get away from needing a cyclone.

Joe Rogers · Jan 30, 2019

Without the cyclone and bucket to pull the grit out of the airstream the vac motor will suffer early wear.
Intermittent use may not nettle you but used often it may.
Joe

pcm81 · Jan 30, 2019

Joe Rogers said:
Without the cyclone and bucket to pull the grit out of the airstream the vac motor will suffer early wear.
Intermittent use may not nettle you but used often it may.
Joe

Well, i just tried my house vacuum for like 5 minutes and it is definitely more than powerfull enough without the cyclone. May be a weaker, quieter vacuum will still be powerfull enough with cyclone filter. I guess I’ll just have to test and find out. Currently looking at those 65db bagless or shoulder vacs... like Hoover Commercial Lightweight Backpack Vacuum, C2401 or similar. Trying to get most quite vac for under $250.

DDoug · Jan 30, 2019

Curbside harvest a clothes dryer....

Remove the dryer blower, install it outside with 4" pvc pipe.

Induction motor is quiet.
Exhaust of blower into 55 gallon drum with filter bag, or some water in it.

or set blower on top of box, put furnace filter on side.

eKretz · Jan 30, 2019

pcm81 said:
Well, i just tried my house vacuum for like 5 minutes and it is definitely more than powerfull enough without the cyclone. May be a weaker, quieter vacuum will still be powerfull enough with cyclone filter. I guess I’ll just have to test and find out. Currently looking at those 65db bagless or shoulder vacs... like Hoover Commercial Lightweight Backpack Vacuum, C2401 or similar. Trying to get most quite vac for under $250.

Cyclones are not there to add power. Their purpose is to separate the reusable media out from the airstream so it doesn't get to the vacuum motor/impeller, and then out the exhaust.

ratbldr427 · Jan 30, 2019

Cyclones work on air speed so your cabinet needs an air vent.You need some negative pressure in the cabinet to stop dust migration but not completely air tight.
I have seen some home made units using furnace squirrel cage blowers which are really quiet and move a lot of air. My unit uses a Grainger 55gal vac with a bag filter on the exhaust.It's a noisy SOB and maybe one day I'll change it.

surplusjohn · Jan 30, 2019

i work for Oneida Air Systems.
a trick to help with noise.
first a cyclone, this will remove 99% plus of the dist before it gets to your shop vacuum anf its filter. second the vac, but add a hose from the vac exhaust back into the blast cabinet. alot of the noise travels with the air. third you need an exhaust filter to allow the air you are adding as compressed air to escape. this can be a sepsrate port with a filter on it. or it can be after the vac in the form of a loose connection between the hose and tge cabinet.
dust is a real health issue.

pcm81 · Jan 30, 2019

surplusjohn said:
i work for Oneida Air Systems.
a trick to help with noise.
first a cyclone, this will remove 99% plus of the dist before it gets to your shop vacuum anf its filter. second the vac, but add a hose from the vac exhaust back into the blast cabinet. alot of the noise travels with the air. third you need an exhaust filter to allow the air you are adding as compressed air to escape. this can be a sepsrate port with a filter on it. or it can be after the vac in the form of a loose connection between the hose and tge cabinet.
dust is a real health issue.

Thank you all for great advice.

BTW, i realize that cyclones do not add power. In fact they subtract power by adding resistance. My thought was that decent quality, quiet vacuum will have enough power despite of cyclone, since my input air flow from the compressor is so small.

surplusjohn · Jan 31, 2019

any cyclone does have a parasitic load, however, on average, the system efficiency is greatly increased because it keeps most of the dust out of the filter. so 1 percent or less of the dust on the filter vs 100 percent . maintained performance instead of rapidly declining performance

kb0thn · Feb 1, 2019

In my limited experience, you definitely need something between the blast cabinet and the shop vac. I tried shop vac directly and it clogged up the filter almost instantly and the shop vac was very unhappy. And it was never very effective. Still hard to see in the cabinet. I have since replaced it with a Horrible Freight blast cabinet dust collector. That is loud as can be, but it seems to work much better than the shop vac.

Newman109 · Feb 1, 2019

kb0thn said:
In my limited experience, you definitely need something between the blast cabinet and the shop vac. I tried shop vac directly and it clogged up the filter almost instantly and the shop vac was very unhappy. And it was never very effective. Still hard to see in the cabinet. I have since replaced it with a Horrible Freight blast cabinet dust collector. That is loud as can be, but it seems to work much better than the shop vac.

My son at one time had the H.F. dust collector. It worked OK but was, as you mention, rather noisy. it also had a 120 Volt motor that took a lot of juice.

The Cyclone brand unit that I have has been great for all the years I've had it. It was terribly expensive back in 1971, as I recall, something like $600 and I had to provide my own 55 gallon barrel to modify with a cleanout door. The solids drop into the barrel and the fines are filtered out by the bag. I clean it out now and then and run the bag through the washing machine.The Baldor motor is 120/240 . Works for me.

trevj · Feb 4, 2019

Ear plugs are cheap.

Should be wearing them anyways, being as the nozzle on a blast cabinet is seldom very quiet.

Along with your respirator. Silicosis is a cold SOB, so I hear!

Personally, I think a small cyclone on a 5 gallon bucket beside the blaster, and some PVC pipe out to the other side of the wall so you don't have the shop vac inside, would be a way to go. Put a HEPA filter on the vac, and use a bag inside it.

Not exactly an industrial solution, but not an industrial price either. Doesn't seem too much of a stretch to spend on a dedicated vacuum as part of the program.

gsg9.ca · Feb 5, 2019

Just did my cabinet on Saturday. Ran it twice so far and I'm quite happy.

Youtube has a bunch of DIY dust collector video's with 5 gallon buckets. For occasional use they work fine. I'm running an older Craftsman 2HP style shop vac. 1 HP would be more than enough but it's what I had lying around.

"Proper" Air extractor for small sand blating cabinet

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