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I'm looking to purchase a blast cabinet/s. I was looking at the cyclone e-100 and was also going to order the small pencil blast cabinet. I know many of you have the E100 but has anyone used the pencil blast set up? My thoughts were to set up the e100 5cfm gun with 100-170 grit glass beads and the pencil blast with the .060 nozzle with 175-320 glass beads. That way I dont have to change nozzles or media, just switch the air hose. Any suggestions? I have a 220v 5hp 30 gallon compressor that was given to me by my employer. I love freebies! The compressor is abot 30 years old but has a new motor and the pump (2cyl) was recently overhauled. I got it in the shop and it runs like a champ. Was planning to order the cabinets on monday. any suggestions?

I think you'll be much happier if you go with an E-500. It's a few dollars more, but that extra airspace will really help with visibility. Not that it's easy to see in the E500, but it'll be a far sight better than the E100.

I actually have two E500s, and one also is equipped with a bottle blaster. I have the small orifice (.060) pencil blaster, and it certainly has it's uses. I mainly bead blast knife blast knife blades and glass with it, since .060 is far too small (IMO) for use on wood.

Hi Larry,

I don't think the pencil blaster from Cyclone will do you much good.

The ones being used for those deep ridged blasts are very expensive (around $500) and a totally different animal. They aren't siphon feed. They have a seperate media cannister that blasts under very high pressure.

And that's all I know about that. I've never actually seen one.

Rad

I looked at the e500 maybe thats the better way to go. Kurt have you tried the pencil blaster on a pipe? what were the results. With the 5 cfm gun what grits give the best results? Do you typically change grits or just vary the pressure? Rad I know you have a more elaborate system but what grits do you typically use? I really don't want to waste money on beads that won't give good results.

I know that many guys consider thier blasting styles a trade secret and I respect that. I hope the questions I've asked are general enough that I'm not intruding in that area. Kurt in a post from a few years ago you seemed excited about the pencil blast setup.

The pencil is a great tool, but unfortunately it doesn't give enough volume at a high enough pressure to blast away wood like you'll want it to. Even running at the upper edge of it's limits (100psi) it won't be able to wipe wood away like you'd expect. It can be used for detail work, but it slooooowww.

However, where the pencil blaster really shines is in etching glass (using aluminum oxide) or in bead blasting knife blades (using glass bead). The control you get from a nice tight stream like that is incredible. The one drawback is that, if memory serves, you can't use media larger than about 180 grit. Anything over that is okay, but trying to push 120 grit media through it can result in clogging.

As for the rest, well.... Lets just say you can't got wrong with the E500.

Mytoolstore.com has the full line of Cyclone blasters and media. I strongly suggest trying a selection of them so that you can see what does what. I'm not really trying to be snarky here, it's just that different folks will get different results with different media. For instance, another pipe maker and I have discussed sandblasting in somewhat more detail than what goes on here in the forums, and he and I get very different results from the same type of media - and similar results from different media. I chalk this mainly up to technique, and possibly the specific equipment we use - though they're nearly identical in function.

I will tell you, however, that aluminum oxide will remove material very quickly - even in a 5cfm gun.

Hi Larry,
We met at the pipe making seminar and I'm the guy that kept asking you about training with certain people. You know, the guy that lives south of you. I just bought a 60 Gal. 3.7 HP compressor this past weekend and hooked it up with the Cyclone E100 cabinet. Works great and now to find the correct media to get the desired results. I found some 80 grit glass bead at Harbor Freight and it's doing what I want it to do. I've also got my kids looking into other sources for different grits since they have all the connections. We should compare notes if you want and maybe that will cut down the cost of experimentation for us both. PM me if your interested and we can go from there.

Regards,
Kevin

pipeyeti wrote:I looked at the e500 maybe thats the better way to go. Kurt have you tried the pencil blaster on a pipe? what were the results. With the 5 cfm gun what grits give the best results? Do you typically change grits or just vary the pressure? Rad I know you have a more elaborate system but what grits do you typically use? I really don't want to waste money on beads that won't give good results.

Hi Larry,

My system is just like the one that they set up at Pheasant Run, although my compressor may be larger. I use the smaller glass beads that Cyclone sells. I can't remember the grit size, 180-320?

The 5CFM gun will take a very long time to blast a pipe. The more air, the better. My system pushes something like 14-15 CFM through the gun.

It blasts a pipe in a jiffy.

You want your gun to be the limiting factor in your system, not the compressor.

I suspect that your compressor may not be up to the job. What CFM does it deliver @ 90-100 psi?

Rad

The cfm sticker is long gone, but I called the air compressor service that or shops use . They have been doing the maint on this thing for years and the guy said its between 15 and 20 cfm. Should be plenty. If not it was a freebie what have I lost.

Kevin I sent you a pm with my number

pipeyeti wrote:The cfm sticker is long gone, but I called the air compressor service that or shops use . They have been doing the maint on this thing for years and the guy said its between 15 and 20 cfm. Should be plenty. If not it was a freebie what have I lost.

15-20 CFM is good. Get a bigger gun.

Rad

From talking to the people at Cyclone the 5 cfm gun is the same as the 14 cfm it just has a different nozzle and orifice. I will order the larger nozzle and orifice with the cabinet. That way I have both sizes in case the larger nozzle is too much for my compressor.

pipeyeti wrote:From talking to the people at Cyclone the 5 cfm gun is the same as the 14 cfm it just has a different nozzle and orifice. I will order the larger nozzle and orifice with the cabinet. That way I have both sizes in case the larger nozzle is too much for my compressor.

Good idea! That's the only difference in the guns.

I turned my small gun into a large gun when the large gun's trigger wore out. I never used the small gun. I tried it once. It delivers 8CFM, and it goes way too slow on a pipe.

Rad

hmm...
how long does it take to blast a pipe?
using my methods (i have blasted 5 pipes so far), it takes at least 20 min
per pipe. is this bearable, or should i try to modify my equipment?
the compressor i use, i´m not sure how powerfull it is, but if the size of it
tells something, it is/would be big enough for me, my wife and our dog to sit
in it comfortable.. in theory.

daniel wrote: how long does it take to blast a pipe?

That depends on gun, media, technique, briar, etc. Anywhere from 10 minutes to several hours.

daniel wrote:hmm...
how long does it take to blast a pipe?
using my methods (i have blasted 5 pipes so far), it takes at least 20 min
per pipe. is this bearable, or should i try to modify my equipment?
the compressor i use, i´m not sure how powerfull it is, but if the size of it
tells something, it is/would be big enough for me, my wife and our dog to sit
in it comfortable.. in theory.

Hi Daniel,

If you're getting results that make you happy in 20-30 minutes, I wouldn't worry about modifying anything.

Rad

okay, well i´m at the start with blasting, but good to know.
thanks for the answer.

When using the e-100 do I need a dust collector? The cabinet itself leaks. The plastic top lets the glass bead build up on the sides and leak out.

Briarfox wrote:When using the e-100 do I need a dust collector? The cabinet itself leaks. The plastic top lets the glass bead build up on the sides and leak out.

Yes, and especially if you're using something like aluminum oxide at some point because it can be very harmful to your lungs when atomized.

Todd

P.S. Depending on the strength of your dust collector, you may need to drill a 2-3" hole in the opposite side of your cabinet and cover it from the inside with a piece of dense foam rubber. This will keep your cabinet positively sealed with respect to the blast media but allow outside air to be pulled in by the dust collector. Without an additional port like this you may create a vacuum and the walls of the cabinet start to suck in when you're not blasting at a high pressure.

You should always use a vac system when blasting. Blasting into a cabinet pressurizes that space and needs somewhere to vent the excess air. That might be the seals, bolt holes, or an actual vent on the back. The problem is that it carries the media with it when it goes and this can get in your lungs, motor bearings, the floor, etc. Use a vacuum and it will eliminate this problem and collect the briar dust and evacuated media.

Best,

Jeff