Do-it-yourself sandblasting chamber drawings for glass. Useful recommendations in diagrams and videos: how to make sandblasting with your own hands. How to choose the right type of sandblasting chamber design

A sandblaster is a special device that throws out sand at a significant speed. The main task is to clean or polish the surface to be treated.

Modern specialty shops offer a variety of sandblasting units, differing in their power level and cost. However, functional and reliable products are offered at a fairly high price. At the same time, models of the middle price range can quickly become unusable. As a result, many people are interested in how the sandblasting machine is made with their own hands. The task can be completed in the shortest possible time and without any difficulties.

Drawings and diagrams

Before starting the manufacture of a sandblaster, it is extremely important to understand the specifics of its operation.

General principle functioning is easy. Simple models in their structure resemble the design of a spray gun. Any drawing can be a confirmation of this. It is assumed that the equipment will receive compressed air flow into its air ducts, after which it will lift the sand and throw it out through the nozzle. Such an easy operating principle contributes to the convenient and quick use of the device. In addition, its manufacture is surprisingly simple.

However, in order to successfully create a homemade sandblasting unit, a special compressor is required. It must ensure that the air flow is supplied at the optimum pressure. In fact, it is difficult to create a compressor yourself, so it is best to buy it in a specialized store. It is advisable to choose models with a power of at least 3 kW and the presence of a forced cooling system. It will not be possible to successfully create a sandblasting unit without a compressor, since it simply cannot cope with the tasks set.

Interested in how to make a sandblaster with your own hands, it is extremely important to understand the specifics of the equipment used. Otherwise, the created unit will not be able to show the optimal level of functionality and successfully provide high pressure airflow. Experts point out that it is best to use compressors with a capacity of at least 500 liters per minute. To eliminate unnecessary risks associated with the functionality of the equipment, the compressor motor must be equipped with a forced cooling system to eliminate the risk of overheating.

To create sandblasting, you will need to use:

Compressor that ensures a stable supply of air at optimal pressure.
A special container for material (sand), which must supply abrasive material without interruption. It is recommended to use gas bottle from propane or freon. Both containers are ready to boast optimal mechanical resistance and a willingness to contain significant pressure.
A sandblaster nozzle is also required for the successful operation of the unit. The best materials are boron and tungsten carbide. Short-lived products are made of ceramics, cast iron, but they cannot cope with long-term intensive work.
To create a full-fledged structure, it is also required to use a 2-inch piece of steel water pipe with a special thread and a plug, ball valves of the S 111 type, a DN 15 threaded pipe with three adapters, a 2-meter reinforced rubber hose, gas hose, collet clamp, hose fittings, PTFE sealing tape.

If you use high-quality components for affordable prices, the total cost of the kit will be about $ 35. In fact, this amount turns out to be more profitable compared to the price of the finished sandblasting equipment.

How to make a nozzle, nozzle, gun

When creating a homemade sandblasting machine with your own hands, it is recommended to pay attention to the peculiarities of making a nozzle, nozzle and gun. Only in this case a high level of equipment reliability and the possibility of its successful operation are guaranteed.

Homemade nozzle

In order to create a special nozzle for a sandblaster, it is recommended to take care of the availability of special structural parts:

a nozzle through which a mixture of water and sand will be supplied to the treatment zone;
trigger;
reinforced hose that successfully withstands significant pressure;
dispenser for guaranteed savings in the used abrasive material.

It is best to install a ceramic nozzle on the nozzle of the sandblaster being created, which can serve long time... At the same time, the metal analogue will not justify the hopes imposed on its operational life.

It is important to remember that the efficiency of the sandblaster with homemade nozzle, depends largely on the quality of the nozzle used. For this reason, it is best to create a nozzle yourself only if it is possible to drill precise hole in a metal rod with a diameter of about 15 millimeters. If this is not possible, it is best to use a factory nozzle, as it will contribute to the successful operation of the entire apparatus. Choosing serial products, one can note the presence of special triggers that allow you to count on successful work sandblasting machine.

When choosing a hose, it is recommended to take into account that its minimum length should be 2 meters for the most convenient operation. At the same time, it is best to choose reinforced products, as they will be able to work under high pressure and show resistance to abrasive material. An unreinforced apparatus can quickly become unusable.

Features of creating a nozzle:

the use of a ceramic or metal tip is recommended;
it is best to attach the functional pipette to the installed tip;
to secure the hose, a clamp of the optimal diameter and a fitting are used.

The most important thing is to remember that the nozzle will experience significant pressure from the sandblaster compressor. To eliminate unnecessary risks, care should be taken about the tightness and reliability of the structure, therefore, fum tape is required for additional fastening.

Nozzle

The main characteristics of the nozzle of any sandblaster:

hole type;
diameter;
length;
material of manufacture.

Important! The diameter of the hole in the nozzle, which is fixed on the unit using a special holder, directly depends on the performance of the device. In this case, the productivity is determined by the power of the jet or the volume of air flow that can be passed over a certain period of time. At the same time, the power of the jet becomes directly proportional to the volume of the air flow that passes through the unit. For this reason, in order to increase the power of the apparatus, it is recommended to create a nozzle with a large diameter. Sandblasting for washing high pressure do it yourself, you should take care of the correct creation of the nozzle.

So the ratios are:

6 millimeters (1/4 inch) - 100% power;
8 millimeters (5/16 inches) - 157%;
9.5 millimeters (3/8 inches) - 220%;
11 millimeters (7/16 inches) - 320%;
12.5 millimeters (1/2 in.) - 400%

In this case, a nozzle with a diameter of 6 millimeters contributes to the formation of a jet with a power of 30 cubic meters in hour.

For sandblasting any surface with minor contamination, it is best to choose nozzles 7-8 centimeters long. At the same time, for effective cleaning of surfaces with complex dirt, models with a length of up to 23 centimeters are required.

At home, you can successfully make only a nozzle for a sandblaster with your own hands, which will have regular holes, but even this task is likely to seem complex and specific. Wherein self-creation sandblasting machines with internal holes cannot be successful, since their production requires special equipment.

It is customary to use a variety of materials to create nozzles that affect durability. finished product... So, the approximate service life of the created unit with intensive work:

ceramics - 1-2 hours;
cast iron - 6-8 hours;
tungsten carbide - 300 hours;
boron carbide - 750-1000 hours.

If steel shot is used instead of sand in the form of an abrasive material in a sandblaster, the durability of the nozzles increases by 2-2.5 times. In any case, it is recommended to choose only suitable materials to increase the operational life of the sandblasting unit. Making a nozzle for sandblasting yourself with your own hands, you need to value your work and correctly assess its feasibility instead of thinking only about saving. This approach provides for the opportunity to assess the maximum benefit of independent implementation of measures to create a sandblasting apparatus.

Gun

If you need to create a sandblasting gun with your own hands, it is extremely important to understand the specifics of the execution of this unit.

The simplest gun includes a handle, two fittings and a special tip. In this case, one fitting is required for the air flow under the optimal pressure, and the other for sucking in the sand.

Initially, you need to take care of the presence of a nozzle or nozzle. You should be prepared for the fact that air with sand under optimal pressure can be ejected through the nozzle. In order for the sandblasting unit to work successfully, the independent manufacture of a nozzle or nozzle is allowed only with a guaranteed understanding of the features of the device and its capabilities effective work.

Considering the size of the nozzle, you should grind the body to the gun. Then a handle and two fittings are attached to the body. The easiest way is to collect the unit using water fittings, a tee and a plastic sand container. Such a sandblasting machine can be produced in the shortest possible time. To do this, you just need to pour sand into the container being used, and then attach it to the second end of the fitting. In this case, the design must include a hose with a compressed air flow, which will be generated by the compressor.

Knowing how you can successfully complete the device of a sandblaster with your own hands, it is guaranteed that you can successfully create a unit that will delight you with a high level of functionality and reliability.

Sandblast from Karcher

Attention! The main difference between the equipment from Karcher is the use of pneumatic washing equipment, which will also find a worthy place in automotive work.

In this case, a conventional compressor is not required. It is assumed that the abrasive material (most often sand) will be driven under the influence of strong kinetic energy, which will contribute to effective cleaning. In this case, the created sandblasting nozzle on the Karcher with your own hands can be implemented on the basis of a pistol designed for pneumatic cleaning equipment.

The best way to create a tip is to use quality materials... In this case, it is allowed to use only very fine sand, which will be supplied together with distilled water. Otherwise, there is a risk that the sandblasting unit will not last a long time due to its increased vulnerability to various external factors.

So, how to make a sandblaster with your own hands? What additional aspects should be considered?

The most important thing is to understand the specifics of sandblasting:

When you press the special gun, the water must pass by the intake hose. The main goal is to create a vacuum.
Subsequently, the created vacuum sucks in the sand, which mixes with the water. Desired process starts successfully.

The implementation of such a scheme is usually impractical. Most often, it is recommended to use additions in the form of taps, dispensers. If you can successfully create a homemade sandblast with your own hands, cleaning a surface with a diameter of 70-80 centimeters can take a minimum of time and up to 30 kilograms of sand.

When creating a nozzle for a sandblaster, you must take care of the mandatory presence of the following parts:

nozzle ( this device is the basis for any sandblasting equipment, not just for Karcher);
trigger hook;
reinforced hose (minimum length - 2 meters);
convenient and functional dispenser;
ceramic nozzle for active use of the sandblasting unit (the metal analogue will quickly become unusable).

It should be noted that it is not so easy to create sandblast from Karcher yourself with your own hands. The specificity will manifest itself even in the manufacture of the nozzle, because for this you need to select a metal rod with a diameter of 15 millimeters and carefully cut it from the middle.

You can assemble the nozzle as follows:

the nozzle is attached to the nozzle by means of the existing thread;
on the other side of the nozzle, a reinforced hose is installed, which is secured with a fitting and a clamp;
a dispenser is installed at the end of the ceramic nozzle.

It is these three main aspects that contribute to the creation of a ceramic nozzle that will allow the use of sandblasting equipment for a long time.

To save sand, it is allowed to use a special reservoir with a grate. This requires a reinforced hose, which is attached to a container of water and abrasive material, as well as to a pan for collecting waste sand.

Do-it-yourself video sandblasting from Karcher will allow you to understand the specifics of the equipment with its further successful use.

DIY mini version

The easiest task is to create a mini sandblast with your own hands. In this case, it is required to perform certain tasks that will allow you to become the owner of a functional unit. So, how to assemble a sandblast with your own hands?

Initially, you should prepare the selected container. For example, if a cylinder that used to hold propane is used, the remainder is released before the throat is cut.
The prepared container is passed inside. The cylinder is pumped with a compressor.
In the prepared container, two holes are made, which are located opposite each other: at the place of the tap and at the bottom.
The holes are welded to create a secure neck.
A pipe is welded to the bottom of the hole. When creating a sandblaster with your own hands, it is extremely important to monitor the tightness of the structure.
The cylinder is placed on a tripod or wheels for transportation and stability.
Fum tape is wound on the threaded ends of the pipes for tightness.
Attach equipment taps.
Fittings are installed on the tee. A 14 mm hose is screwed into one, and a copper tube with a hose is screwed into the second. A hose is connected to the third fitting and secured with a clamp.
On the opposite side, a container for abrasive material is installed.
A special collet clamp with a nozzle is attached to the end of the hose.
The tee is installed on the air flow inlet. In addition, a crane with a sand cylinder is connected.
The first outlet from the tee is connected to the compressor, the second to the tank.

You can try to create a complex or simple sandblasting with your own hands even at home, but you need to take care of high level functionality and reliability of the unit. In addition, the sandblasting equipment must function successfully.

The need for effective surface cleaning various products before painting them, suggests the idea of purchasing or making a sandblasting chamber with your own hands. These devices, different in size and purpose, will be quite appropriate both in car service stations and in household.

Camera types

The sandblasting chamber can be local or volumetric (habitable). Local cameras are designed for processing small items. Habitable chambers have a large internal volume, where you can place, for example, the body of a car. During work, the operator is inside such a chamber, so he will need a set of certain protective accessories - a helmet, goggles, gloves for sandblasting, etc. However, remote control of the process of such cleaning is also possible (more on this later).

In local chambers, sandblasting is carried out by creating a reduced air pressure inside the working space. Under conditions of such artificial rarefaction, due to the pressure difference, a sand jet is ejected from the nozzle with the required speed and pressure. By moving the nozzle tip along a certain trajectory, the operator performs the surface treatment of the workpiece. Naturally, in such ejection chambers it is easy to clean small items.

Benefits of local cameras:

Compactness.
Small financial and material costs for self-production.
Increased worker safety, and environment.
Reduced energy costs as low suction compressor power is required.
Convenience and ease of reclaiming sand for reuse.

Habitable cameras solve larger problems. Their volume must be very accurately calculated in order not only to freely position the object to be cleaned inside, and to provide places for the worker to move, but also to ensure the necessary air exchange. Inhabited type sandblasting chambers operate on the principle of pumping a working mixture, and therefore are called pressure chambers. Their performance is several times higher than the same parameter for ejector-type chambers. Accordingly, electricity costs also increase (much more powerful compressor), the consumption of sand and its loss increase. The problem is also the disposal of sand contaminated with cleaning products, which, in turn, requires the availability of effective filter systems.

Buy or make a homemade sandblasting chamber?

For a habitable sandblasting chamber, the answer is no: too much has to be taken into account in the design and manufacture of the installation. Moreover, the profile sector of the market is replete with various proposals adapted to the desired performance and final energy consumption. For example, the price of an inhabited pressure-type sandblasting chamber, coordinated with the individual requirements of the customer, starts from 1.8 ... 2.0 million rubles.

The set of such equipment includes:

Body (it can be made of profiled steel or sandwich panels).
A sluice equipped with swing double-leaf gates (in passage-type chambers, there is a similar unit on the opposite side).
Lattice flooring, at the bottom of which there are systems for collecting waste sand based on pneumatic suction.
Ventilation system, calculated for a certain air exchange.
Control and lighting systems for the work area.
One or more blast cleaning stations.
Protective equipment for workers.

Usually in standard equipment also included are systems for mechanized opening of the sluice and gates, additional side doors in the walls of the hull, rail tracks with a trolley (for objects that cannot move independently), etc.

Wiring diagram for remote control of a pressure-type sandblasting chamber

Manufacturers rarely provide such an option, considering that it is rarely used in habitable cameras. Meanwhile, in a service station, where several similar works can be performed simultaneously, an operator is required for each camera. The performance of sandblasting of objects of the same type can be significantly increased by providing for volumetric chambers a system for remote shutdown of power plants - a compressor, fans, a waste collection conveyor, etc.

A set of such remote control takes into account all the typical operations that are required for the normal functioning of pressure-type sandblasting plants. It consists of the following elements:

inlet valve;
exhaust valve;
an electronic control unit providing some protection functions for the treatment area;
battery(Battery) from any car.

The remote control circuit is mounted on the basis of a pneumatic drive. To trigger this circuit, the worker presses the remote control button, whereupon the airflow from the compressor opens the inlet valve while simultaneously closing the outlet valve. As a result, inside the pressure chamber, overpressure sufficient for sandblasting. The control relay has one normally closed and one normally open contact, which ensures fast (no more than 1 ... 1.5 s) actuation of the electrical circuit elements for the sandblasting chamber.

When the pressure is released, the relay switches off the control drive of the sandblasting stations. Further, if desired, the circuit can be connected to the controls for opening the gates and gateways of the camera.

DIY sandblasting chamber

The complexity of work on the manufacture of an ejector-type sandblasting chamber is significantly less. First, a technical assignment is developed (what, in what volume, and by what technology will be cleaned). Further, the drawings of the installation, which can be used to judge the functionality of the camera. The dimensions indicated on the drawing must correspond to the free space in the workshop where the sandblasting chamber will be installed.

Taking into account the power of the available compressor (and it usually does not exceed 6 ... 8 kW), the volume of the inner space of the chamber should not exceed (width × depth × height) 800 × 500 × 500 mm, while the front panel is usually provided with a bevel at an angle of 45 ° , for the convenience of work. The front panel (made of transparent impact-resistant plastic) should have one or two holes for handling the sandblasting gun. The body is sheathed from the inside with technical rubber, and a lattice floor or a sliding tray with a branch pipe for collecting the spent mixture is arranged in its bottom part.

Obligation of the waste separation system (it is present in pressure-type chambers with an air exchange of more than 8000 ... 9000 m3 / h).
Power ventilation units(calculated on the basis that the performance of sandblasting should be 4 ... 4.5 times less than the performance of the fans).
The presence of a cyclone for collecting particularly fine fractions of abrasive or sand.
Is there a unit for automatic cleaning of pipelines in the design (by the way, they should not be made of plastic: this material can change its characteristics depending on temperature, which negatively affects the values of pneumatic resistance and the actual performance of the installation).
Materials adopted for wall cladding (the higher their elastic characteristics, the more efficient cleaning is carried out).
Availability of useful additional options (trolley, rail track, etc.).

The price of the basic set of a pressure-type sandblasting chamber should also take into account the availability of several sets of gloves for the sandblasting chamber, protective masks, helmets, overalls and footwear for operators.

A sandblasting chamber or sandblasting machines are used to treat surfaces against corrosion, old paint and other coatings.

Since the work is carried out under strong pressure, the sand particles have strong kinetic energy, whereby the cleaning is carried out. It is quite possible to make such a camera with your own hands.

In addition to construction sand, the following materials can be used in the work:

small balls of lead or glass;
fraction;
electrocorundum.

The use of materials depends on the type of surface to be treated and the degree of contamination. At home, as a rule, it is used.

How the camera works

Schematically, the sandblasting chamber looks like this:

Sandblasting chamber diagram

Such a chamber is called inhabited, because the process is controlled by a specialist who is outside of it.

Despite the fact that modern components allow you to assemble the safest camera with your own hands, you should still use personal protective equipment when working:

gloves;
fully closed work clothing;
respirator.

Please note that you can make such a camera in almost any size - from a small hangar to a whole garage. It all depends on what type of processing this equipment is supposed to be used for.

The main advantages of the camera include the following factors:

the ability to process surfaces of any size and shape;
the cleaning process can even be monitored visually.

Essentially correct assembled model such a unit makes it versatile.

DIY assembly

Before you start assembling the software, you need to choose the right drawing, all the necessary components and a location for the equipment. Too large area is not suitable in this case. Since sand is an abrasive material, it has the ability to ricochet. In a large area, this phenomenon will be even larger, which can negatively affect the quality of processing. To reduce the force of the rebound, you can sheathe the walls with rubber plates.

For home use, you can make a stationary camera. It does not take up much space, it can simply be placed in the same garage or shed. Such a chamber is a large box, which is made of metal or sheathed with it.

A drawing of such a camera looks like this:

Assembling the camera yourself

The first and foremost thing that should be considered when assembling this type of equipment is ventilation. Since abrasive material is primarily dust and dirt, work should be carried out in a closed room with good ventilation and personal protective equipment.

To assemble a camera with your own hands, you will need the following components:

container for supplying abrasive material;
compressor;
nozzle;
gun;
ball valve;
additional elements for fastening all parts and sealing.

It is best to place these cameras on a stand or table. For welding a box or finishing, it is advisable to take metal with a thickness of no more than 1 millimeter.

Camera frame

On one side of such a chamber, an observation window must be present. It is better to choose high-impact plastic as an insert. Glass can quickly deteriorate. Make two symmetrical holes up to 100 mm in diameter in the front wall of the chamber. They are needed to secure special gloves.

Bear in mind that gloves will deteriorate quickly, so changing them should be straightforward.

The bottom of the chamber should be made of a strong reinforced mesh, under which the chute for the used abrasive material will be located. Optimum illumination is achieved with two lamps of the correct size.

DIY sandblasting chamber

The gun itself fits inside. Air is supplied to it using a hose connected from the outside. The hose itself must have an outlet to a container with sand. Thus, the material for processing will not go beyond the working area.

To make it easy to place items of non-standard shape or size into the chamber, it is better to tighten the opposite sides of the chamber with a tarp. As with the sandblasting machine, it is important to select only quality parts for the assembly of the camera. This is especially true for the nozzle and pistol. Pay attention to the sand container. If the waste material is collected carefully, it can be reused. It is not difficult to assemble such a camera with your own hands. The main thing is to choose the right drawing and use only high-quality materials in your work.

DIY sandblasting

Safety engineering

When using abrasive materials, safety precautions must be followed. You should work in a closed suit, always with a respirator. Also pay attention to the shoes - they must be completely covered.

Sandblasting (more precisely, abrasive blasting, see below) is the most affordable way to clean highly contaminated surfaces of parts made of solid materials... The performance of sandblasting, or simply sandblasting, allows the same unit to be used for processing both very large and small parts complex shape, see fig. right below. Sandblasting matting silicate glass, incl. artistic, many times more productive than manual, gives a better quality result, but at the same time is much safer than chemical. This article provides information on how to make an apparatus for abrasive blasting - sandblast with your own hands and use it correctly in compliance with safety standards: sandblasting, for all its advantages, is still a very harmful production process.

Initial conditions

The principle of abrasive blasting - abrasive particles are introduced into a strong jet of air or water-air suspension (see below). In a jet, they both accelerate to a speed of several hundred km / h and twist. If you direct such a jet to a part, the effect of an abrasive on its surface will be comparable in strength to that of a hard abrasive tool, but much "softer"; the abrasive jet spreads over the surface to be treated and the treatment takes place practically without disturbing its configuration. Matting of hard materials by abrasive blasting is possible using abrasives equal to the hardness of the material being processed and even slightly less. Have you ever wondered how diamonds are sawn, cut and polished? Diamond powder. But in both cases, a large number of abrasive dust, destructively acting on literally everything, living and nonliving, natural and man-made. Therefore, a do-it-yourself sandblasting machine is not enough; in the end it's not that hard, see below. However, first you need to familiarize yourself with the basics of safety regulations for abrasive blasting. Secondly, to determine for what purposes you need sandblasting and whether the necessary for its launch is available optional equipment – air compressor or a car or household washing machine. Thirdly, remember if you have a garage or workshop, either already equipped for sandblasting, or suitable for such a conversion. It is not difficult, but without it, using sandblasting means ruining yourself. And finally, if you intend to carry out pneumatic sandblasting, then see if there is a place in the garage / workshop for installing a sandblasting chamber, see below.

Safety engineering

Descriptions of the harmful effects of abrasive dust on everything generally occupy volumes. Regulations, regulating the procedure for the production of abrasive blasting works and the safety rules for them, too. Therefore, in order to understand the essence from which all this follows, we will learn in comparison. Moreover, a pneumatic sandblasting gun can now be bought in almost every tool store or made with your own hands, see below.

Sandblasting can be carried out at dedicated production sites, in rooms and chambers specially equipped for this purpose, see below. Sandblasting is pneumatic, or dry and hydro, or wet. Hydro-sandblasting produces less dust, but more impregnates the surface to be treated with an abrasive, see below. Abrasive powder during hydro-sandblasting quickly loses quality and is most often used once; the abrasive after pneumatic sandblasting in the chamber (see below) may be after simplest cleaning reused.

The ammunition of the sandblaster on the site is similar to the spacesuit of the grated space wolf from old fiction, pos. 1 in fig. The similarity is enhanced by the fact that air is blown into a helmet with a cape-cape to prevent abrasive dust from entering it - its effect on the body through the skin is no less destructive than through the respiratory system.

A sandblaster in a special room can work in an ordinary robe and a soft helmet, but also necessarily with a pressurized cap and a cape, pos. 2. Hydro-sandblasting in a special room can be carried out using conventional PPE (pos. 3), as well as pneumo-sandblasting in the chamber - provided that this enterprise is not the main production process and is performed no more than 1.5-2 hours per shift. But brave young people in pos. 4 and 5 should be compared with something.

In production, sandblaster workers enjoy the following benefits (limits - depending on local legislation):

Rate on tariff scale- 1-2 categories higher than that of "harmless" people.
To her - an additional payment for harm of 25-100%
After 5-20 years of work - life-long medical insurance at the expense of the employer or government services.
Shortened shift, 4-6 hours.
Increased annual paid vacation, 30-45 calendar days.
Possibility of retirement at 40-50 years old, subject to continuous work experience in this specialty.
Accrual of work experience on sandblasting for calculating pension - a year for 1.5 or 2.

And this is in the modern world, where in many utterly democratic states the minimum wage is less than the subsistence level, a 6-day working week, a 10-12 hour working day and paid leave every 2-3 years for 10-15 days! And with all this of the retired sandblasting veterans live up to 60 units! Think about it.

Camera and room

It makes no sense to clutter up the article with information about the rules for placing and equipping sites and hangars for sandblasting - they are impracticable in home-garage conditions. If you have already decided to make a sandblasting machine, you have a choice of 2 options: for dry processing - a sandblasting chamber; for a workshop / garage with it and hydrosandblasting - a room with supply and exhaust ventilation(PVV).

The sandblasting chamber is a dust-tight casing from the inside (item 1 in the figure); all connections and seals are rated for internal overpressure (item 2, top right). They work in the cell with their hands in rubber sleeves with gloves, pos. 2. The viewing glass and shades of the camera lighting fixtures are made replaceable from silicate glass, because they quickly turn cloudy from abrasive dust.

Air saturated with dust from the chamber exits through a 2-stage filter (pos. 4): first, through a soft lamellar-curtain (curtain made of technical fabric cut into strips, shown by an arrow in pos. 2) into the buffer chamber B, and from it through the filter material ensuring cleaning is not lower than the 5th level, and holes in the casing (shown with an arrow in pos. 1) - outward. The loading hatch should preferably be located on the side opposite to the wall with the filter, pos. 3. A mesh hearth is installed in the chamber to accommodate the workpieces; under the hearth there is a hopper for collecting the spent abrasive.

Note: air purification from abrasive dust not lower than 5th is ensured by a layer of lining padding polyester from 25 cm, counting to the nearest outlet. The thickness of the filter layer between the blank filter walls is from 80 mm.

The room with the sandblasting chamber is equipped with a PVH with a fan on the hood. Extraction capacity - not less than 1.5 of the limiting capacity of the compressor for sandblasting (see below). The hood must have an oil mesh filter of at least 4 links. Each link is a frame with frequent steel mesh(mesh - 1.5-3 mm), moistened with non-drying oil. The filter must be regularly washed and the washed mesh should be moistened with oil.

Sandblasting nozzles and abrasive

A lot depends on the nozzle of the sandblasting machine through which the abrasive jet is ejected: the very nature of the processing process, its quality, the consumption of abrasive and air. And from the latter - the required performance of the compressor (see below), which is important in amateur conditions or for a power plant. Therefore, before figuring out how to make sandblasting yourself, you need to figure out how to deal with the nozzles for it.

First, do not sandblast steel nozzles: they lose the desired profiling even before the part is finished. On YouTube you can find descriptions of homemade sandblasting from ... propylene water pipes! It is inappropriate to quote local comments to them here, but they are quite fair. Sandblasting nozzles are made of boron carbide (see figure on the right and below). Nozzles made from other hard materials are either very expensive or wear out quickly; in both cases, the process turns out to be unprofitable.

Note: cheap Chinese nozzles made of porcelain and other silicate ceramics can be used if you use sandblasting for yourself occasionally. But - not for glass matting, it is impregnated (see below) with the material of the rapidly "burning" nozzle.

The second - the abrasive jet is much stronger than with manual or mechanical processing, impregnates the surface of the part with abrasive microparticles. Simply - drives them in there. Microimpregnation with an abrasive can be somewhat useful - paint adheres better to the impregnated surface and adheres more firmly to it. But this same exposed surface loses its resistance to chemical attack and pollution. A way to reduce the impregnation to an acceptable level is to use an abrasive equal to or less than the hardness of the material. Coal-slag powder (see below) can also be used to remove a pattern or an overprint on the mirror from the sandblasting, but it is worth wiping it 2-3 times with a detergent, and irreducible dirt will appear on the pattern.

Ordinary river and ravine sand is absolutely unsuitable for abrasive blasting: clay impurities in it impregnate the treated surface until the part is completely unusable. Irresponsible parts of the product (auto disks, bottom of the body, etc.) are treated with coal-slag powder, it requires a compressor of lower capacity. Although the consumption of the abrasive is higher, it is much cheaper, see fig. The bodies of used cars for painting are treated with sifted rock quartz sand, and glass and especially important items (for example, valuable retro cars being restored) are treated with quartz quarry cleaned and carefully fractionated. Fractions from 0.05 (artistic glass matting) to 0.2 mm (cleaning from sintered dirt).

Homemade nozzles

A sandblasting nozzle is not cheap, and wears out quite quickly. "China" is good only to peel off the caked dirt before finishing, but the dense film of hydroxide on metals is already bad. At the same time, a hollow cylindrical sleeve of suitable dimensions made of boron carbide can be purchased much cheaper than a profiled nozzle made of boron carbide. But is it possible at home to process a material that, in theory, is taken only with a diamond?

Sandblasting nozzle profiles are simple. Straight lines (item 1 in the figure) are used for preliminary cleaning of surfaces and in general in most cases. A socket at the inlet of the nozzle is necessary - without it, the jet will be weak and it will only "eat" the nozzle and dust, and not clean the part. Venturi nozzles, giving a strong wide homogeneous jet (item 2) are set for finishing critical surfaces; abrasive and air consumption through Venturi nozzle approx. twice as much as through a straight line. Taper nozzles (pos. 3) are used to stencil glass matting: a jet from other nozzles can pierce the stencil to holes, and the whole work will be ruined.

You can convert the boron carbide round bushing into a sandblasting nozzle insert using conical or cylindrical-conical grinding heads (cones) of the same material, pos. 4. You just have to grind the threaded steel clip. Straight nozzle inserts (pos. 5 and 6) can be made on a bench-top drilling machine by turning the socket in the sleeve with a roller cutter by 30-45 degrees. To convert it, or an inexpensive straight nozzle into a tapering one (pos. 7-9), you will need a lathe: the cutter is fixed in the tailstock like a chuck with a drill, and the workpiece is in the spindle. The filing in both cases is manual, the most delicate: you are not punching a hole, but grind down the fragile fragile! Do not pour the emulsion under any circumstances!

Types of sandblasting machines

Homemade sandblasting machine can be made on one of the trails. schemes:

Pneumatic injection gravity - the abrasive is fed into the air stream under the action of gravity. It is necessary to make or buy only a nozzle and, possibly, a pulsator, but the consumption of the abrasive is huge, the operating mode is unstable. In industry it is used for roughing rough products from dense deposits, for example. mine cars or blast furnace heads. Used in primitive sandblasting guns;
Pneumatic gravity ejection - also used mainly in industry, but for finishing with minimal abrasive consumption, and in medium-level sandblasting guns;
Pneumatic injection with supercharging is the most common type. Executed in the form fixed installation or a mini pneumatic pistol;
Hydro-jet - the safest and most harmless. The compressor is not needed, it works from a car or household car wash for external surfaces. In garage conditions, it is applicable without a camera. Restriction on use - the surface to be treated should be not sensitive to moisture.

Gravity injection

The advantage of a pneumatic injection device is that you can add abrasive to its hopper without interrupting the production process. If the production is such that cubes of abrasive are consumed per shift, this often solves the issue of its profitability. Also an important advantage - expensive wear parts in the unit of the whole nozzle and sand shutter; the latter, in an amateur setting, can be replaced with a plug valve (like a samovar tap).

The device of the gravitational injection sandblasting apparatus is shown on the left in the figure, and the drawings of the nozzles to it on the right in the same place:

The nozzle at the top right only seems to be narrowing, but it works like a Venturi nozzle: by changing the gaskets 5, it is possible to change the spray angle within certain limits. The use of such a sandblasting machine requires rather high qualifications: the operating mode is set by an inlet valve that lets air into the bunker (drain valve 13 in the figure) and a sand shutter, and the adjustments are interrelated.

Pulsating sandblasting

Reducing the consumption of abrasive and accelerating the cleaning of very heavily and densely contaminated surfaces at the cost of increased wear of the nozzle allows the transfer of gravity sandblasting to a pulsating mode. To do this, a pulsator insert is included in the rupture of the air hose, see Fig. on right. The pulsator tubes are connected with a flexible thin hose that plays the role of a resonator tube: by changing its length, they regulate the frequency and strength of the pulsations.

Gravitational ejection

In an ejection gravity abrasive blasting machine, the abrasive is poured into a dispenser equipped with an air check valve, and from it it is sucked through an abrasive-air pipe into the working body by a strong air stream. The nozzle of such an installation is only a Venturi, precisely profiled along the curved generatrices; the working body is an air ejector of a rather complex design.

The device and drawings of the ejector of the gravitational ejection sandblasting installation are given in Fig.:

It is easier to use such a device than the previous one: the shutter, according to the risks for this type of work, is set once the supply of the abrasive, and the processing mode, if necessary, is promptly regulated by the supply of air. Plants of this type are used for particularly demanding work, for example, abrasive blast polishing of turbine blades and jet engine compressors.

Supercharged sandblasting

Sandblasting machines with pressurization are the easiest to operate, allow the use of nozzles of any profile and provide sufficient surface treatment in most cases (up to SA3). Therefore, both self-made sandblasting and industrial samples of low productivity for individual use are most often made according to the supercharged scheme.

Expensive hand-held sandblasting guns are made with bottom pressurization (left in the figure); a sand-air mixture enters the mixer. The consumption of abrasive and air is minimal, and a conventional ball valve can be used in the dispenser; it wears out pretty quickly, but in this design it never gets jammed. This tool is most suitable for delicate work: glass art, abrasive blast polishing. The disadvantage is the need to use a boron carbide profiled insert, which wears out just as quickly as the nozzle.

In stationary injection sandblasting systems, pressurization air is supplied to the bunker with abrasive, on the right in Fig. The control of the apparatus is easier than the gravity one: after the initial setting (see above), the operative adjustment of the supply of air and abrasive as the latter is consumed is required only at the end, when the very remnants of the hopper “get”. However, after additional loading of the abrasive, in which the pressure from the bunker is released, the installation takes up to 20 minutes, and the bunker itself is more complicated and more expensive, because must be sealed. A sand ball valve in a continuous stream of abrasive often jams and the profiled insert of the mixer very quickly becomes unusable, therefore the mixer dispenser is made with an oblique feed and a damper valve, the inset in the center in Fig. In an amateur environment, the mixer can be assembled on the basis of a 120-degree water outlet, and instead of a damper valve, a plug valve can be used, see above.

The walls of the bunker are gradually worn out by abrasive, therefore the bunker must be equipped with a pressure relief valve with a safety valve, and the entire installation is regularly inspected. The relief valve must be open during operation. It closes only during the initial supply of pressure to the hopper and additional loading of the abrasive, because with a pressure surge when the loading valve slams shut, the safety valve can completely tear out.

Note: normal air pressure for the operation of all pneumatic sandblasting units is 4.2-6 bar. If you come across a description of sandblasting for 2-3 "atmospheres", do not believe your eyes. This is a toy that is unhealthy and unsuitable for serious work.

Homemade tricks

The sandblaster is technically simple in general, but due to the difficult working conditions - under considerable pressure, in an aggressive environment - its design and manufacture is a rather difficult task. The difficulties arising in this case are bypassed by amateur self-made people sometimes in rather clever ways. That's why they are, after all, craftsmen.

Tank bunker

Abrasive consumption for all types of sandblasting, except for artistic polishing, is very high. A domestic gas cylinder or, say, a car receiver, these are already vessels of a sufficiently large capacity, designed to work under pressure and are almost not subject to operational wear. It is easier to insert a simple tip with a nozzle into a sandblasting chamber, and it is easier to wield it with thick rubber gloves than a pistol. Therefore, many amateurs make themselves sandblasting with an abrasive hopper from a gas cylinder.

However, if you simply convert the cylinder into a sandblasting bunker with pressurized sandblasting (item 1 in the figure), then an unpleasant phenomenon is immediately revealed in the work: the powder in the bunker is still half or a third, and the installation begins to snort and spit clouds of dust instead of do your thing. The reason is the suction of air through the abrasive in the hopper, pos. 2. It is possible to avoid it by quickly adjusting the boost, but this is no longer work, but only one work. Therefore, it is better not to be too lazy right away, cut off the top of the cylinder (which will now be the bottom of the bunker) and weld on instead of it a cone-sealant of abrasive galvanized from 0.6 mm, pos. 3. There will be no suction even with a primitive mixer from a straight water supply tee, pos. 3b.

Particularly successful is the author's discovery of a mini-sandblast with a bunker made of a plastic bottle, pos. 4. Spiral ribs on the high neck of the bottle slightly, but swirl the flow of sand before it enters the mixer. This equally primitive sandblasting tool, based on what seems to be an inexpensive, versatile working airgun, is probably suitable for very delicate jobs.

Sandblasting weapon

It is convenient to use a sandblasting gun to clean large surfaces for painting, for example. the bodies of used cars, so they are well bought up, and amateurs adapt painting or universal working pneumatic guns for sandblasting. Most often - according to the gravitational injection scheme; less often - according to the scheme with lower supercharging. Some are not too lazy to make analogs of industrial designs, see, for example, video:

Industrial samples of high-quality sandblasting guns are made according to the pneumo-ejection scheme - ejection sandblasting consumes a minimum of abrasive, and so on. least of all dusty. Instead of a hopper, the abrasive is poured into a plastic bag without the slightest holes. The intake device is a piece of rigid pipe tightly inserted into the supply end of the abrasive-air hose. The neck of the bag with the abrasive is tied tightly around the intake pipe - and atmospheric pressure helps the ejection well, squeezing the bag as the powder is consumed.

The assortment of factory-made sandblasting guns (on the left in the figure) is quite wide on sale. On Alibaba, etc. sandblasting nozzles for working pneumatic guns are sold with might and main, in the center. If you take, then for general work, choose ejection ones as the safest and less abrasive consumption per square of the treated surface than others. For fine and artistic work, a pistol or a bottom blower nozzle is more suitable, see above, but these are more expensive.

The same Chinese trade with might and main and nozzles for sandblasting with a standard plumbing thread. An ejection abrasive blasting nozzle for such a nozzle can be made from parts of a water supply system; the joints must be sealed with FUM tape, on the right in Fig. Such sandblasting will not last long, but it is suitable for occasional use over small areas.

However, in any case, do not forget - it comes about your health in the distant and not so distant future. Therefore, work only on a site that is at least 150 m away from residential buildings, poultry and livestock farms, cultural plantations, drainage points, parks and forests.There must be at least 500 m. The effect of abrasive dust depends not only on its type and concentration, but also on the time of exposure. If it does not exceed 2-3 hours a day in portions of 15-20 minutes with intervals of 5-10 minutes, then it is possible to do without full ammunition on the site, but a light one is still needed:

A soft, supercharged helmet with a cape, or, better, a gas mask and a head cover with a neck and shoulder guard, which are used by builders and concrete workers;
One-piece jumpsuit made of dust-proof fabric or a robe made of trousers with a belt and a jacket with a hem with a tight elastic band;
Sleeve and leg cuffs - with rubber cuffs from 7 cm wide;
Ankle boots (must be worn under trousers!).

Note: when working with sandblasting irregularly for no more than 20 minutes a day, to protect the respiratory system, you can use a helmet with an unpressurized cape and a petal respirator.

Hydrosandblasting

Hydroblasting can be done regularly in normal garage conditions or on site, using normal PPE as well. The bodies of old cars after cleaning with hydro-sandblasting are quite suitable for painting; removal of the site or workshop from the above objects - from 50 m. Hydro-sandblasting is activated without a compressor from a portable car wash or household "spray" for windows and showcases. Therefore, special attention should be paid to hydro-sandblasting.

A diagram of the device of a hydrosandblasting installation driven by a portable washer is given on the left in the figure:

A drawing of the simplest nozzle from the parts of the water supply system for hydro-sandblasting - on the right; the inset shows its appearance. The principle of operation is ejection. However, such a nozzle works with some washers, with others it does not, and the limits for adjusting the jet density and abrasive flow rate and with a suitable drive are insufficient. The reason is the oblique concentrated supply of the abrasive-air mixture to the ejector.

The nozzle with a coaxial supply of water and an abrasive-air mixture works stably with any car and household washing installations. For example, the nozzle, the drawings of which are given in the figure, were originally developed for the Körcher car wash. But it is also suitable for any other with a thread for a standard G1 / 4 ”lug. And if the standard fit is different, then it is enough to make a connecting socket for it (see pos. 1).

Note: boron carbide nozzle insert (item 4) - ready-made. Can be replaced by another, direct or Venturi; in this case, the diameter of its narrowing (“neck” of the Venturi nozzle is 4.5-6 mm).

How to make a hydrosandblasting nozzle for a portable car wash, see also the video:

And more about Chinese nozzles

If you are an individual entrepreneur acc. profile or generally sandblasting regularly for a fee, then the best choice for you will be the purchase of a sandblasting gun: you probably already have a compressor for painting and other production needs, and the consumption of an abrasive, which also costs money, is minimal. In addition, unlike industrial sandblasting, for which there is no shortage of compressed air in production, and homemade products, there are samples of working pneumatic guns for a pressure of 2.5-3 bar on sale, i.e. they can be operated from a paint compressor. This is explained high precision production of parts profiled along curved generatrices.

However, even the "coolest" sandblasting gun has a nozzle that sometimes wears out, and from regular use pretty soon. Buy branded? Take out half the price of a new pistol and put it down. Usual marketing policy. And here is the time to remember about the "Chinese": the ratio of their service life to that of the originals is greater than the ratio of the price of those to the "Chinese". That is, although "China" will have to be changed more often, but in general, using the "alternative" instead of the worn-out "firm" will not cost so much.

There is only one problem here: the landing of the Chinese nozzles does not coincide with that of the "firm", and the Chinese do not make the nozzles "for the firm", as well. each original manufacturer has its own configuration and dimensions seat nozzles. For the same marketing reasons, of course.

But - on a cunning nut there is always a bolt with a shaped thread. An adapter of 2-3 parts, for the manufacture of which a conventional lathe is enough, will allow you to adapt any Chinese nozzle to any branded sandblasting gun. For example, in Fig. - device and dimensions of the adapter for Chinese nozzles to the Matrix pneumatic gun.

Before taking on homemade sandblasting, you should answer a few questions. This approach will help to avoid both unnecessary costs and a certain amount of frustration in the future. So, before you start assembling a sandblaster with your own hands, you should decide on the main purpose of the device.

If sandblasting decorative processing of glass and mirrors is planned, the option of a sandblasting chamber seems to be optimal. Its dimensions are determined based on the dimensions of the products with which it is supposed to work. If you plan to sandblast materials for painting and priming, then it is necessary to manufacture a sandblaster open type and to work with it, you need a separate closed room.

homemade sandblasting machine from a gas balog

At what level will the unit be operated? Amateur or professional business oriented? You can make a homemade device with your own hands. And he will be able to work even with a production scale comparable to industrial ones. But the resource put into it must be of a completely different plan. It all depends on the quality of the materials used, the size of the installation and its capacity. This should not be forgotten.

From simple to complex

diagram of the simplest sandblasting apparatus

Let's start with the simplest thing - a sandblasting gun. In its simplest form, it is a handle with a tip and two nipples.

One at a time compressed air, sand is sucked in through the second. Of course, it is better not to do a sandblasting gun with your own hands from start to finish, but purchase a ready-made one, especially if you plan to use the device intensively. But for home use, it is quite possible to collect from what is at hand.

First of all, you need to choose a nozzle, that is, a nozzle through which a jet of air with an abrasive is ejected. It makes no sense to sharpen it yourself or order it, you will not achieve a decent quality and resource. Better to buy one made from tungsten carbide or boron. Their service life before wear is hundreds of hours, while ceramic or cast iron lasts for two to three hours. High abrasiveness of sand multiplied by high speed feed, lead to rapid wear of the outlet channel.

An example of a homemade sandblasting gun made from a valve from a spray gun, a tee, ball valve and a ceramic nozzle from a dental machine.

The body of the gun is sharpened to fit the size of the nozzle. The handle and fittings are attached to it. The simplest option assembled from several plumbing fittings, a tee and a plastic sand container - it can serve as a cut plastic bottle fixed at the top.

Such a sandblasting installation is literally assembled with your own hands in a few hours. Sand is poured into the bottle, the pistol is connected to ... Yes, compressed air is supplied to the pistol from a compressor or a pipeline.

This is the first, but not the last, difficulty that a novice sandblaster has to face. You will have to get a compressor, late or early. It is possible to rent, of course, but this will be a temporary measure. Alternatively, you can.

Consumable material

Suppose you have both a gun and a compressor. It's time to take care of the abrasive as a consumable. Sand, in the usual sense, is not very suitable for the task at hand. Its composition is heterogeneous, the particles are of unequal size and shape. Hence the nature of the resulting surface. In addition, grains of sand are shattered in the process, turning into dust. Very soon the sand mass becomes completely unusable. In short, you can buy consumables.

The fact is that for high-quality sandblasting, special types of abrasive are needed. Often it is not even sand, but materials of artificial or natural origin. Their choice depends on the specifics of the work and is determined by the following parameters:

hardness
grain size and shape

After using it for some time, the author realized that its application itself is rather limited. For large areas, it is not very efficient. Decorative processing is complicated by the fact that the sand scatters in different directions. It turns out that you need a considerable supply of it or you have to go to forced stops. Thus, by itself the thought has ripened to conduct the process not on outdoors, but in a confined space.

Universal sandblasting chamber

So we got down to the idea of a camera to handle small parts. By design, it is a rectangular box, welded from a metal corner and sheathed with steel sheet 1 mm thick. It will be most convenient to place it on a table or on a stand. A glass viewing window must be provided along the long side of the chamber.

In order to be able to carry out internal manipulations, two holes with a diameter of 100 mm are made in the front wall. A pair of matching gloves is attached to them. Both glass and chamber gloves will wear out and should be replaced.

The bottom of the box is taken by a wire mesh, under it there is a chute that goes into a container for collecting waste sand. The inside of the gun is supplied with air through a socket in the wall. The sand hose is lowered into a container with sand. Thus, the sand during work is poured back and does not go beyond the working area. For indoor lighting, two fluorescent lamps of suitable sizes are used. The design will be more perfect if it is supplemented with ventilation.

On the side there is a hatch through which the product is placed inside. To ensure the possibility of processing long workpieces, it is better to make loading windows on the sides. Collected with a tarpaulin, they will allow you to drive long products through the chamber.

Pressure type apparatus

If desired, you can also make a home-made pressure-type sandblasting unit. Its design is not fundamental. Suitable for this purpose metal barrel... The bottom should be cut and replaced with a cone. In its lower part, a sand gate with a tee is attached, to which a hose from the compressor is connected on one side, and a hose with a nozzle leaves on the other.

The author also had to meet with the design of a homemade sandblasting apparatus from a fire extinguisher. From the fire extinguisher, only the body was used, a perforated tube was passed through it, after which the container was filled with sand and compressed air was supplied. Something like an injector turns out. The design is simple, but it can only be recommended as an amateur device.

The above constructions describe only the general scheme and principle of operation. If you decide to make a homemade sandblasting machine for long-term operation, you should set specific parameters and get down to the calculations - you cannot do without it. I would like to wish success to all home-builders, and sandblaster in particular.