Source for small Ceramic Nozzles

[GlassSculptor]

Greetings all! I've been lurking here for the past few months and have been tinkering around with pipe kits and refinishing a few of the pipes I've bought. I'm really interested in sandblasting but am not clear on where to get the proper nozzles.

I have a blast cabinet from TPtools that currently has this power head. http://www.tptools.com/p/293,22_Power-H ... embly.html

I can't seem to find a source for some small internal diameter nozzles for this head and I'm not sure if the tapered ceramic nozzles (3/32") will fit. Has anyone tried the tapered nozzles in the above power head? If not, could someone recommend a source for a decent head/nozzle combination for detail blasting?

My compressor is a Champion 5hp- 2 stage with a 60 gallon tank.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Steve

[KurtHuhn]

The tapered nozzles will not fit, and I'm fairly confident (even not knowing the jet size) that 3/32" is far too small to provide a venturi action in the gun. A lot of nozzles have an orifice diameter of 1/4" at least, some as much as 1/2" depending on jet size. For siphon guns you have to be very careful about sizing the nozzle to the jet.

For your gun, I'd take a look at the jets and nozzles on that site. They're actually a really good price. Look at the small and medium ceramic combo packs, based on your compressor size. The medium might overrun your compressor, but it may be able to hold 80PSI at 15 CFM - your compressor will just constantly run while blasting.

If you want a small nozzle like that, you're going to have to get creative - and possibly even make your own gun. Or get a pressure pot setup.

[GlassSculptor]

Thanks Kurt!

I didn't even consider the venturi action. I do have some of the smaller nozzles/jets for the power head but was under the impression that I needed the 3/32" tips to do detail blasting or are they primarily used for growth ring blasting?

Is 180-220 grit silicone carbide way too aggressive? I do have 25lbs of glass beads somewhere and I believe the grit is around 100-120.

[KurtHuhn]

Experiment and give them both a try to see which you prefer. I use both aluminum oxide and glass beads, a combo I hit on following advice of another pipe maker. If you use aluminum oxide (IMO silicon carbide isn't aggressive enough for smaller compressors), use the smaller jet and nozzle. Be very careful with aluminum oxide though, it wants to remove ALL the wood, so you need to play with pressure, feed rate, and distance to the stummel.

[GlassSculptor]

Thanks a lot and I appreciate the help!! I'll post a pic of my results in a year or two....

[KurtHuhn]

Please do, and I hope so!! That's the kind of dedication I like to see.

[GlassSculptor]

I blasted the first pipe I made from a PIMO kit and it worked surprisingly well. Didn't help the shape much..... but I think the pipe looks much better now


Thanks again for the help Kurt.