Why spend the money if it's not necessary?Jerrwel wrote:There are some questions this thread raises for me:Why is 220V not a readily available alternative here? For all the money that's being spent on equipment, is an electrical upgrade to 220V in order to maximize the investment possible? I upgraded my primary service and ran a 220V line for <$2000 with 2-3 additional 220V outlets still possible. Is the available service already maxed out?
Is it possible to use a selector switch on a 220V line? My clothes dryer backs up to my shop wall; can I use a selector switch to make that service available to my shop when not using the dryer?
How is blasting medium reclaimed when using a pressure pot? If the medium is not reclaimed and filtered, seems to me that the cost of the medium would rapidly exceed the cost of a full blasting cabinet installation. Space availability and cost are big concerns for me so the pressure pot would be the most attractive alternative considering those issues.
What are the safety considerations when using a pressure pot? Using a respirator is probably only the start.
Is it recommended to wear long-sleeved clothing +/or gloves when using a blasting cabinet? Wonder about MERS, MRSA and god-knows what other contaminations that could lurk in rubberized sleeve materials used in some cabinets. I'm not a germaphobe just thinking realistically especially as I rent time on the sand blaster at a glass store.
Is renting time on a blasting installation an alternative? As mentioned above, I rent time locally but my need is sporadic. Renting time to others could help cover costs but I don't like other people using my equipment.
What about noise? The installation I rent is very loud; insulating the compressor and filtering system or having a unit that can be 'charged' when I am not in the shop would be a big plus.
As for safety, I don't wear anything as my dust collector does not allow anything out of my cabinet except once it has been filtered through a hepa dust collector system. I have removed the hands off of the sleeves and only wear latex (nitrile) gloves when I blast as I like to feel the glass and have the dexterity to remove mask material inside the cabinet.
The most noisy thing on most peoples cabinets is the dust collector, the noise from mine is almost nonexistent as it is in a separate enclosure as I don't care for noise (especially when I am not the one making it) The air compressor is also fairly quiet but at least it doesn't run constantly when someone is blasting.