Dry compressed air for your blast cabinet

[Turbinator]

Gents, I clean parts for powder coating and painting for Rivieras. I had the hardest time correctly configuring a compressed air supply with a media blast cabinent. Once the proper configuration was solved so I could media clean my parts I added a refridgerated compressed air line dryer to the system. Ingersol Rand recommended I put a water trap before and after the line dryer. Additionally, it was suggested a dry compressed air reservoir tank be added. The reservoir tank comes right after the second water trap in the supply line. Dry air is critical if you expect any productivity in media blasting, painting, and powder coating.

 

[Barney Eaton]

I would love to have that much air.........wet or dry

[Turbinator]

10 minutes ago, Barney Eaton said:

I would love to have that much air.........wet or dry

Barney, yep. You can use the wet air to blow stuff off or use pneumatic tools, although we know the wet air is not good for the tools.

I was self taught on getting my 5 hp 60 gallon (15 CFM)Quincy matched up with the an adequate blast cabinet. Stuff like nozzle and orifice in the gun is real important. None of it is hard, but I had to learn the hard way. Then the media was clogging up in my hose! Well, two expert sources said right off you need a line dryer. My father in law put me on to the reservoir tank.

[Barney Eaton]

Keep rubbing in the toys you have that i want..... I would use a blast cabinet almost every day but without a large compressor

they are useless.   Guess there is always something we want/need.

Do the better cabinets have a vibrator or low pressure air to keep the media moving?    Anyone here ever use a 'fluidized bed'

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[Turbinator]

Barney, you are correct 100%. Space, budgets, installing the tubing/piping is all time and $$$$. 
I got the reservoir tank used at $150. That is the only deal I got. I first bought an Empire industrial grade unit that was too big for my compressor. So, I sunk a good $300+ trying to get it to work. I sold the Empire and got most of my money back. I bought a Cyclone media cabinet made in USA with a dust collector. If I added it all up we’d both say I spent too much, but not by much. I’m reluctant to buy anything sophisticated second hand. Mostly b/c I’m not a trained mechanic.

I persist and won’t give up. 
I use the media blast cabinet to restore turbine wheel covers. 
Here is one of my gems:

Thank you for your interest.

Bob Burnopp 

[Turbinator]

Barney, never used a fluidized bed.

The Empire 2636 S had a hopper that dropped media through a mechanical media regulator. The service man talked about a “ Venturi” that would draw the media down to the proper hose that mixed the air and the media.

My 15 SCFM compressor could have worked with dry air, the right air pressure for the nozzle and orifice size. As I said there must be a better way which I did find.

[Ted "Wildcat65" Nagel]

I need one of these "mechanical media regulators"   

All the blast media I take out has fine dust and chunks of gunk.  

If it was sifted as a part of the process that would help.

 

[Turbinator]

29 minutes ago, Ted "Wildcat65" Nagel said:

I need one of these "mechanical media regulators"   

All the blast media I take out has fine dust and chunks of gunk.  

If it was sifted as a part of the process that would help.

 

The mechanical media regulator is in fact a manual L shaped pipe fittings with a hole on the top of the lower leg of the L. In addition the lower leg of the L has a thumb screw you use to set the suction hose for material draw.

The Empire 2636S media blast cabinet on their obsolete parts website will show diagrams of how the cabinet works. The industrial level cabinets are more robust and sophisticated than what we normally see. Can’t find the pic but I’ll get it to you. 
The dry compressed air keeps your media dry and from clogging up your hose. The manual media regulator works in concert with your air pressure and suction.