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Date:         Tue, 8 Apr 1997 22:10:03 +0000
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         vwbus@netbiz.net
Subject:      TIP Sandblasters, part 2

> Here in Seattle I find use for a blaster almost daily - thinking about an > Eastwood unit. Looking forward to your next episode. > > Charles "Luke" Lukey

Well a bit of an update, I too thought about the Eastwood units but liked the design of the TIP deadman valve better, the TIP unit has a "built in" funnel on top with a faster (instant) closure, and the TIP price is better comparitively. So of course I could not resist and today ran out and bought everything to set it up. I bought a moderate price Milton micro filter to permanently mount on the air intake of the unit itself and ran it temporarily off a smaller 3hp compressor and 3/8" line with measely 1/4 NPT fittings. Some major observations.

1. THIS IS FREAKIN INCREDIBLE, I've owned a fairly nice siphon unit but ladies and gents, never EVER buy anything less than a pressure pot, they are so much faster and better its amazing.

2. As a result, they get sand EVERYWHERE compared to even a siphon unit.

3. TIP is ludicrous on their abrasives $$, called around today and local supplier sells "Black Beauty" (a glass slag?) for $5 for the 100 POUND BAG!!!!, at this kind of price I'm inclined to only take modest recycling steps. I like the Black Beauty as well, cuts faster than sand by a far shot and no danger of silicosis, gets the big 0, 0, 0, 0 on the MSDS frame, I like that. I can get "clean" blasting sand for roughly the same price but I'll stick to the Black Beauty, a bit coarse but seems OK on steel, on aluminum maybe not.

4. The TIP unit is very well thought out, very nicely made, very efficient, running 80 psi, and a 7/64 ceramic tip I could clean severly rusted scaled steel (the '81 propane tank) as fast as I could comfortably move and control the gun. Will easily do the 1/2 square foot per minute they claim at the lower pressure.

All in all I'd rec the TIP 70S to anyone, I'm 100% happy I spent the little more for their unit instead of the Harbor Freight. The 70S is going to be a little small, probably will wish I'd gone with the 99'er model instead later, but the $80 I saved which I applied toward glass beads which I need for my cabinet blaster, and the "acessory kit" is worth it for me. BTW the acessory kit is probably worth the price, the custom screen pan that fits the blaster I would not want to live without, and the price is basically even to that of the added parts (gun wear items, 3 more nozzles, etc.)

Things I don't like, they could have included a nicer blast hood, they tell you freely the one provided is a 1 day temp piece of crap, still a nicer one thrown in for a slight increase in price would be good. But as I'm a bit respiratory sensitive anyway and have been meaning to spring for an air supplied hood for painting recently, I'm not to concerned. A thing I guess I don't like about pressure pots in general is that for a few seconds when you open the valve you get monstrous sand flow with no velocity that has been stuck in the hose until the pressurized accelerated abrasive gets there, and when you are shutting down and letting off the pressure, you dump major abrasive as well. The siphon units by virtue of not accelerating the stuff till it hits the gun avoid this.

Anyway to anyone looking I'd go with the TIP unit without reservation, I note they have just jacked the prices a little across the board, the 70S lists in HMN this month for $329 BUT they still have it at the old price on a "spring special". These might sell at the big shows for a bit less, I meant to check Carlisle last fall but missed it, TIP is always there. The unit comes with a 5 yr warranty and a 1 year warranty on gun wear items (except nozzles of course), and lifetime rebuild support whereby they charge only parts no labor if you ship it in for rebuild, of dubious value to me, but that makes some people happy.

Over all WAY positive impressive experience, stripped half the propane tank in maybe 5 minutes tops, dad had been tinkering with it and an angle grinder with wire brush for about an hour previously, no comparison. No comparison to my old siphon unit either, last Bus I stripped parts of I could have done at least 4-5 times faster.

John vwbus@netbiz.net


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