DIY Sandblaster

Oct 2, 2020
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Table of Contents

Overview

In this project I cover a sandblaster that I put together in an attempt to clean the interior of my scuba grill.

Background

In my scuba grill project, I cover the need to clean the SCUBA grill’s interior with a strong abrasive to remove whatever the black film is on the interior of the tank.

I had hoped that this low pressure sandblaster would suit the job, but unfortunately either the pressure it supplied was too low or the blast media was too soft.
The basic parts list and idea is derived from this youtube video. NOTE: all threads were sealed with thread sealant tape1 to avoid leaks that would otherwise cause significant pressure drop.

I tried two different approaches:

  1. SCUBA tank powered blast gun (using LP port on first stage of regulator, which supplies ~140psi)
  2. Compressor powered blast gun (~90psi with the compressor chosen)

I’m an avid SCUBA diver and have tons of SCUBA equipment lying around. So, the first approach made the most sense from a cost perspective…I already had a power source for the blast gun :) The first approach worked about as well as the second and was intended to avoid the need to purchase a compressor. When the first approach failed, I tried the second in the hopes that it could sustain the necessary pressure for longer, but unfortunately it performed about the same as the first approach. In fact, the small cylinder size on the compressor meant that the compressor could only supply 70-90 psi for ~30 seconds before needing a refill (when the pressure dropped lower than 70psi, the blast media had zero effect).

Materials

The parts are the same for both approaches listed above, except that a SCUBA tank, SCUBA regulator first stage2 and SCUBA regulator LP hose3 are needed for the first approach and a compressor4 is needed for the second.

  • Blast Gun x15
  • 1/4” female steel industrial plug x16
  • 1/4” male steel industrial coupler x17
  • 1/4” NPT male BC inflator post x18
  • LP inflator hose x13
  • Thread Sealant Tape x11

Enjoy!

Step-by-Step

Of note:

  1. Either the pressure supplied in both approaches was too low or the blast media was too soft - this will need further research. However, of the two approaches used, the SCUBA tank can readily supply a higher pressure than most common compressors since theoretically there is a HP port available on all SCUBA regulators. So this approach may be where my attention focuses in future attempts.
  2. If a compressor is used to power the blast gun, a larger capacity cylinder is needed than the one I used.

(click on images for explanation)

  1. https://www.grainger.com/product/21TF19?gclid=CjwKCAiAt9z-BRBCEiwA_bWv-Bkz7rV1BMRQLUlt5i9OEuPWDDdBWhk9iKXLWYAAjg7v5ElVmhVZtxoC3nQQAvD_BwE&cm_mmc=PPC:+Google+PLA&ef_id=CjwKCAiAt9z-BRBCEiwA_bWv-Bkz7rV1BMRQLUlt5i9OEuPWDDdBWhk9iKXLWYAAjg7v5ElVmhVZtxoC3nQQAvD_BwE:G:s&s_kwcid=AL!2966!3!264955915664!!!g!437036593670!&gucid=N:N:PS:Paid:GGL:CSM-2295:4P7A1P:20501231 ↩︎

  2. https://us.aqualung.com/products/core-supreme?variant=22322368020538 ↩︎

  3. https://www.divegearexpress.com/bc-inflator-double-braided-flex-hose ↩︎

  4. https://www.harborfreight.com/1-3-hp-3-gallon-100-psi-oilless-air-compressor-97080.html ↩︎

  5. https://www.harborfreight.com/21-oz-hopper-gravity-feed-spot-blaster-gun-95793.html ↩︎

  6. https://www.harborfreight.com/14-in-female-steel-industrial-plug-63548.html ↩︎

  7. https://www.harborfreight.com/14-in-male-steel-industrial-coupler-63578.html ↩︎

  8. https://www.divegearexpress.com/dgx-adapter-1-4-inch-npt-male-bc-inflator-qd-post ↩︎

scuba metalworking sandblaster
Research Engineer

My interests lie at the intersection of perception and robotics.