Sand/media blasting small engine parts?

[creia]

Do any of you have experience with your own sandblasting or media blasting equipment at your shops?
I am thinking about (finally?) getting my own sandblasting equipment. For the last 15 years I have been restoring/rebuilding old Briggs and Tecumsehs and have been taking these old rusted and painted engine parts to my local professional sandblaster. He does a great job and (still) only charges me $ 75.00 for everything down to bare metal, which I think is a great deal. That being said, with as many engines as I have taken to him (30+) over the years I could have probably purchased my own complete set up a few times over.

I can get a blast cabinet, including the blasting gun, cheap enough at HF for around $ 200-$250
I already have a compressor, HOWEVER.... It is only a 21gal, that delivers only 4.0 CFM at 90 PSI. My online "research" so far suggest that this is inadequate, especially on the CFM output. What do you all think? Now, keep in mind that I am not a professional shop (far from it!), just a garage hack, and this equipment will be used only on 2-3 engines a year- the blocks and all the tins including the fuel tank. I realize that I will have to repeatedly start and stop as the compressor catches up- but will it still do a decent job?
I would appreciate your suggestions and comments...
Michael

[bgsengine]

Yeah I think you'd want a bigger air compressor for sure, and secondly, I would not expect a lot out of the HF products, and thirdly, you'll probably want to do a little research into the type of media used for blasting (perhaps walnut shells?) as sandblasting sand for steel can be extremely abrasive and easily ruin an aluminum block. I never owned one but I used an industrial Sullair sandblaster (Huge beast on a trailer with its own diesel engine for the compressor, and goes through 10 50-Lb bags of sandblasting sand in a day is used all day for 8 hour days) when I worked at GFS and we did a rebuild restoration of some oil field service equipment for another company (Gemco) where we had to sandblast and repaint the whole rig. (Drilling rig) - that beast could blow sand through the side of a 5 HP engine block in a matter of seconds.

[creia]

Thanks Brian. Yeah, If (and that is a BIG "IF") I end up trying this myself , I would go with an alternative to sand like walnut shells, glass bead, etc. That being said, the professional sandblasting shop I go to does indeed use sand even on the aluminum blocks. Maybe he is just real careful and/or turns down the pressure of the gun? My further research indicates that the CFM of the compressor is more important than the size (gallons) of the tank, with 10 CFM being the minimum with an entry level blast cabinet. Add to that the fact that compressors with this CFM are 220V, so now i have the added cost of both a new compressor and wiring up a 220V circuit for it. I think that I am talking myself out of this venture....
Michael

[KE4AVB]

Ever tried electrolysis? I found work on the tins when you use White vinegar. Walmart sells a fairly white vinegar that you can dilute about 50%. Here I use a 60 watt 12v solar panel.

Now I have tried doing a small carb but had some brass transfer to aluminum. Otherwords I came with a golden carb. Probably had polarity wrong.

[creia]

Yes KE4AVB, I am aware of the process, however I have never tried it for rust removal. The bigger issue for me, however, is removing all the paint down to the bare metal. Would electrolysis be effective for that?
Michael

[KE4AVB]

What I dealt with was tins that were barely painted. Some the paint remained but all the rust was removed. The paint was like a thin primer coat not some high gloss version. I doubt it would remove the paint without some active paint remover.

I probably be picking up the strong vinegar today since I got to refuel, buy groceries, and few other items. Walmart is higher on the gas but 3/4 down is some for $2.499 not paying 2.799 per gallon unless I have to. Beside I have fill up everytime I refuel due to a bad gas gauge. Just easier to refuel every 400 miles.

[creia]

I'm dealing with a LOT of paint (oftentimes many coats/colors) removal on these 50-60+year old engines. While using stripper on the "tins" is not to daunting or time consuming removing in some cases, removing multiple layers of paint from the blocks, on the other hand, is a real challenge with all the small nooks and crannies.
Michael

[bgsengine]

s. Walmart is higher on the gas but 3/4 down is some for $2.499 not paying 2.799 per gallon unless I have to.

Lucky you. It's 3.69 a gallon here in P>A.

[creia]

s. Walmart is higher on the gas but 3/4 down is some for $2.499 not paying 2.799 per gallon unless I have to.

Lucky you. It's 3.69 a gallon here in P>A.

Lucky BOTH of you guys. Here in Southern CA it is 4.88/gallon!
Michael

[KE4AVB]

But I have to across the southern border to get that price in Alabama. TN taxes are higher on the fuel. Just like the sales taxes in the county down there is 5.5% when my county taxes are 9.5%. So I buy a lot my groceries down there too.

But ICE might get me for not having a VISA card and that I don't have a REAL ID. So can I kick them in the nuts and they feel no pain because I am not real?