Import Blast Cabinet Upgrades

[moparcar]

I've had an import (Harbor Freight) blast cabinet for around 6-years. I'm not a fan of HF tools by far but this particular cabinet has been OK for what it cost on sale at the time and I needed it that weekend. It worked OK when new but seemed to get worse and worse even with new ceramic nozzles and abrasive material. I did some research on mods/hacks that can be done to make them work better. There are a lot of DIY mods that change the suction and create a different venturi type setup. Along with some of the mods, many people said just get the Skat Blast import cabinet retrofit/upgrade kit. I didn't really want to spend $89 dollars on this but at some point I decided to just bite the bullet and go this route since it received many good reviews and it was a simple solution. One stop shopping and to may door in a couple of days.

https://www.amazon.com/Skat-Blast-Cabinet-Sandblasting-Cabinets/dp/B01MQGWQIG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1523664512&sr=8-1&keywords=skat+blast

First off, if you have one of these cabinets and did not silicone/RTV the seams when you first assembled it, take it apart and seal all the bolt together seams. This keeps the mess inside and makes a difference in how you perceive the cabinet and it's quality (after all it's just a big metal hopper).

Second the stock lighting is terrible. Stock mine had two (2) 24" T8 fluorescent lamps in the overhead sealed enclosure. (Maybe they changed this since mine-I did not research this). I decided to do a simple upgrade to the lighting also at the same time.

This is what I started with.

[RUNCHARGER]

I had that same cabinet with a different brand name of course. I gave it to my son. So the upgrade kit helped things?

[moparcar]

How does it work after the mods? Follow along.

This isn't really a step-by-step, rather just a quick documentary of what I did and used.

This is the Skat Blast kit and the stock pick-up/suction tube. Not much to look at and not all that different that the stock setup.  It made me wonder if it would make a difference. Slightly different suction tube, bigger suction hose and a much nicer gun with metal tips.

Installation is easy. Just remove the old, install the new one with the new hose and reattach the air hose. I had to cut the webbing on the tray a bit to make the new one fit. Pretty easy---All you need is some Teflon tape and a few hand tools.

[moparcar]

This is stock lighting and what I replaced it with. Not a whole lot of light with the original especially after the lamps age and the protective plastic gets a bit "foggy".

I removed the stock light and installed a caged glass jelly jar light I had left over from a project. I was going to install two but couldn't decide where the best location would be out of the way. I didn't want to interfere with items in the blast cabinet or obstruct my view. I left it at one and installed a 100W equivalent LED lamp.  I picked I cooler color temp on the lamp to have a bit crisper lighting. I also replaced the T8 fluorescent lamps with new. I got a short piece of SJO rubber cord and cord grips and wired this from a new junction box on the outside to the existing switch in the fluorescent housing. No worries about load since the LED lamp is not many watts.

Lights and Lighting Results:

[moparcar]

So overall how did it work? Excellent and highly recommended. The Skat Blast kit makes this blast cabinet work like it should. Very efficient and makes it like a whole different blast cabinet. I am very impressed with the results. It's now fun to use again! 

This front leaf spring hanger before and after shows the results. This is approximately 10 minutes of blast time with aluminum oxide material.

Hope this helps a few others that may be frustrated with their import blast cabinet.

[RUNCHARGER]

Ah thanks: I posted while you were adding apparently. Yes mine didn't like to blast well after a while, it looks like yours is back maybe better than new. The light I could work around but the anemic blast results after awhile weren't acceptable.

[moparcar]

@RUNCHARGER  Yep I think you caught me in between posts! Anyway, yes it's a huge improvement and well worth it. It now blasts pretty effortlessly.

[screamindriver]

Nice upgrades..I have the tabletop unit for glass beading...I've already changed the lighting and caulked the seams {something you'll do in short order after the first few uses} and even sprung for a box of plastic shields when I bought it new...I didn't know about the gun upgrade thanks for the link..That's probably the cheapest set of parts you'll buy from that company I have a scat blast larger floor model and those replacement parts aren't cheap for it...

[headejm]

@MoparCar How much air is required to operate the cabinet? What size compressor? 

[Timbbuc2]

@MoparCar you are spot on with everything you have mentioned. I have one of these, cabinet is ok but as you mentioned the rest needs up graded. I did something like this but I still need to upgrade my light. Good info

[RUNCHARGER]

You want at least a 5HP with a big tank to run that cabinet. You can use a smaller compressor for spot blasting but you will want a bigger one if you are cleaning a lot of parts. Waiting for air to build up is a drag and hot air is a bigger drag.

[1 Wild R/T]

Blast cabinet & painting use allot of air..... Use the equipment to hard & the air gets hot... Hot air equals wet air... Wet air mixes with sand & clogs up the blaster..... Water traps don't work if the air is hot because the moisture is is suspension.... You have to cool the air.... Which is why I built this....

[moparcar]

Yep I have a 3 cylinder 5 hp 80 gallon with about 90-100 CFM and it runs a lot. It's a big air hog. You can get by with less pressure sometimes though. But CFM it likes a whole bunch.

Wes

[1Burgfish]

  I have been contemplating buying one of those cabinets, how do they work?   Thanks.

[Cudakiller70]

Thank you! Great info, this was on my list before. Now with this upgrade it will be a much better  tool.