Sandblasters

Finding the Right Home Air Sandblaster and Supplies for Your Next Project

If you do a large amount of sanding in your daily professional work or as part of a hobby, like wood restoration or automotive body restoration and painting, then having a reliable sandblaster can radically reduce the amount of time and effort spent sanding away paint, rust, or other grime. An affordable home sandblaster or portable sandblaster can be ideal for smaller projects around the home or for hobbyists. Understanding the features of different sandblasters and supplies needed can help you search for the right sandblaster on eBay.

Sandblasters have a wide range of applications ranging from industrial to small business to home and hobby use. Smaller sandblasters may be portable and even handheld for smaller projects requiring a finer touch; larger sandblasters for industrial-scale projects like blasting paint off commercial buildings may be truck-mounted. The three main types of sandblasters include:

• Pressurized canister sandblaster - Common for home and DIY projects, these sandblasters are portable and use a canister of pre-pressurized sanding grit that is deployed by trigger action from a pointed nozzle. While easy to handle and use, these units are not reusable; once the pressurized canister of sanding grit is empty, you cannot refill it.
• Siphon sandblaster - These are a step up from a pressurized canister version, requiring a separate air compressor to create air pressure for the sanding grit which is loaded and can be refilled into the sand container below the nozzle. Air is blasted through the sand causing the siphon to suction the sand upward and out at high force and speed.
• Gravity fed sandblaster - Similar to a siphon sandblaster, this uses a refillable hopper located above the nozzle; an air compressor forces air through the sand and down and out through the nozzle at high force and speed.

While the name of the tool implies that sand is always used for sandblasting, this is not accurate. Several different types of media can be used and customized to each sandblasting project to achieve the desired result. Media used include those with a higher, rougher grit as well as those with a finer grit. Different media include:

• Glass beads
• Aluminum oxide
• Ground walnut shells
• Ground pumice stone
• Steel shot and steel grit

Depending on the make, model, and type of the preowned sandblaster for sale, you may find that there are different types of original parts. The most common parts to look for when purchasing a used sandblaster for sale include:

• Ceramic nozzle tips in different sizes
• Abrasive hose for moving the grit through the sandblaster
• Mixing valve where the sanding media and pressurized air are mixed
• Safety release valve that allows you to control the amount of pressurized air by venting