Gangnam Style Animal Style

Sandblast in your garage

   Are you looking to restore an antique or something accumulating a lot of rust? You can do this in your own garage and not spend your life savings in the process. I'll explain what I have done to turn a piece of my garage into a sandblasting work station.

   It started off I was unable to purchase new things as often as I would like. We all want nice things to use for ourselves or to display for all the world to see. Now how in the world can you have something that looks nice on that limited budget? Gain the skill and the ability to restore those old things and revive them to like new and useful once again. 

   I began with a purchase from my local Northern Tool. Keeping in mind the type of work I wish to be doing with my new equipment, along with research on the types of blasters that would best suit my needs. I chose a pressure sandblaster for it's ability to keep a consistent flow of media while delivering high pressure to rip off any unfavorable eyesore that may confront me. I chose the $140 5 gallon for the fact that it has everything I need and the style nozzle I was looking for. Yes, it is a small tank and will require many refills, although to save me $60 on the purchase price as compared to its larger $200 20 gallon version, that was worth it to me. 

   To power my new rust ripping sandblaster I needed 80 to 110 psi at 6 to 25 cfm. I chose a gas powered air compressor  for $950 with the future in mind to make a portable unit. 13 cfm at 110 psi will do just fine.  To accompany my new compressor and capture any water and oil attempting to pass through my lines, I needed an air filter and dryer. Those can be a bit spendy but I found a nice simple setup for around $200. 

   Here I am with about $1350 invested into my new hobby. Abrasive is cheap, black diamond works great in this blaster and depending on your pressure setting it has a wide range of material you can blast. The softer the surface, the less pressure you use and vice versa. 

   First job with the new equipment above. Before and after. Took approximately 10 minutes per rim to do a nice job. 

   This chest stripped really fast. Being and inside object, the paint was low quality and thin. Just a couple examples how something old and ugly can be restored back to a beautiful and useful state. 

   I hope this inspires you to take on new projects and focus on reviving the beautiful things and bring out the full potential in everything you do.