HF media blaster cabinet setup with mods

[MarkT]

Want this to be searchable and archived, so posting here:

Added a video on this to my youtube channel - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei5iExMcUzg&feature=youtu.be

Just finished setting up (I think) my HF media blaster cabinet. Others have posted online, this is probably the most modified "some assembly required" kit they sell. Lots of mods needed to make it actually usable - and those are posted on youtube. With those mods, it actually becomes a good tool and comparable in quality to the expensive cabinets from Eastwood and others. These mods add a couple hundred dollars to the cost and total with the assembly, around a week's time. I have pictured the mods here, and commenting with the pics.

Painted the inside white. Helps lighting some, but overspray removes it. Oh well. Caulked all the seams - the cabinet is really leaky w/o that. Used Phenoseal Vinyl Adhesive caulk, recommended as the best - better than silicone.
Threw away the HF gun and replacd it with Eastwood gun with foot pedal. HF gun poorly reviewed, also hand trigger is tiring to use.
Threw away the siphon feed, replaced with feed from the trap door.
Replaced the POS flourescent light with 2 LED lights from Lowes - much brighter. Switched on the outside of the cabinet.
Added a airgun to clear the dust/media off the parts and inside before opening the door.
Duck taped the door to close off all the divits in it which collect media.





Eastwood air footfeed. Fed with large diameter hose. Pressure regulator from HF P/N 68280 so I can control the pressure independently. T-fitting upstream of regulator to feed full pressure to the airgun.





Media pickup off bottom of trapdoor. Ball air valve to act as siphon to help media flow. Use varies with media type and pressure. With this type feed surging is gone, and you can operate with much less media in the hopper - recycles continuously.





Dust Deputy to Shop Vac. Eliminates dust into the bucket so shop vac filter stays clean. Also augments recycling media - if some gets sucked out the vacuum port it goes into this bucket.




Added casters and lower shelf to the cabinet. You will likely want to move it around as it is large, in the way of other projects. On nice days I may want to roll it outside to get away from the noisy compressor and vacuum.





 I reversed the armhole glove mounts as it's much easier to install the glove clamps like this, than on the inside.





Safety wire the spring on the door latch. One of the youtube posters mentioned this - if the spring comes off this, very hard to put back on. I happen to have safety wire pliars after I got used to using them as a weapons mechanic in the AF - gotta have them; very handy to secure stuff.

[GiG]

Thanks for the write-up, Mark. What is the total cost? This should be a future project for me.

When I first read the topic line, I thought you had taken an old Hi-Fi (HF) cabinet and put modern electronics (media blaster) in it. 

I had started an antique Hi-Fi to modern stereo project  a long time ago, but abandoned it when the ancient wood cabinet started breaking down. I don't really like stereos as furniture anymore...

[f6john]

What size of air compressor are you using?

[MarkT]

About $200 for my mods parts plus the cost of the HF blaster kit which they sell under $200 typically, often on sale.

I'm using a 2-stage 80gal compressor rated at 5hp but the UL power rating computes to 7.  That must be for startup amps - 22a @ 240v. Flow rated at 13.7scfm at 175#.  Once it starts pumping it stays on until you stop and it catches back up to 175#.  But it's output is above the required flow for the Eastwood gun, it maintains 120# at the compressor with continuous use, but the regulator at the foot pedal indicates drop to about 50 - while the valve is open, jumps back up to 120 immediately on closing so that indicates my supply line is wanting - probably the 1/4" connector I'm thinking as the hose is half inch.  The Eastwood gun has higher flow than the HF one.  I wouldn't use a compressor smaller than this - or you'll be waiting for it to catch up.  Per all the comments on youtube and elsewhere.

I re-plumbed the supply line directly to the regulator using a union to eliminate the loss in the connector.

[Kep]

I have done pretty much the same thing..one tip..run a ground wire from your gun to the ground...some use just a washer on the ground end, I ran a Tapcon into my garage floor and attached it to that...also have one run from one of the bolts off of my Cyclone dust separator.This all keeps you from getting those nice, tingly static shocks...especially when you're sweating !!

[MarkT]

I haven't noticed any static shocks - and it's dry here.  Maybe because the gloves are rubber.

Added a video on this to my youtube channel - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei5iExMcUzg&feature=youtu.be

[Robert]

Great job and very well done, I'm impressed.

Do you own anything that you use like it was from the factory. 

Some of your mods are pretty awesome.

[MarkT]

Come to think of it, I mod many things.  Things I haven't - quality, generally American or Jap tools.  Also Jap cars, most power tools.  The HF media blaster cabinet, some posted online it may be HF's most-modified tool.  It's made to a price point, not a usability standard.  There are other makes of blaster cabinets that are much more expensive and they have the mods I did when bought. Assembly and the mods took several days for me and added a couple hundred bucks.

I just added a bull horn to my Kubota. Would have liked it on the 4Runner but not going to drill into the driver's station to install the lever mount. I looked briefly at putting it on Jade but there is no open place on it out of sight not to mention don't need the ugly lever on the bars.  Could put it on the tractor with the mounts fully reversible.  It actually calls cattle, operates with a control lever - more like a musical instrument than a horn - takes practice to get the sound right.  Go park it by a pasture, blow it a few times and the cattle run over to the fence.  Just a fun novelty for me, who NEEDS a bull horn on a tractor?  Only a rancher.  I used to have the same horn from Farm & Fleet (now FleetFarm I think) on a small pickup I had 40 years ago in Wisconsin.  Still have that horn but it's seized up inside.  BTW I blasted the paint and rust off of it with the blaster, for practice and learning the blaster use, and to see if I could restore it.  Looks good but still seized inside. I wound up buying this new one online.  Removed the back cover for access to tuning the sound lever.  It's not needed; it's mounted out of the weather.