[Rockhounds] air abrasive units - sticker shock!!!?

[Tim Jokela Jr.]

Living fifteen minutes away from a superb fossil locality, I've accumulated 
a modest collection and have begun looking into how to properly prep them.

Micro air abrasive tools look fabulous, and their versatility is intriguing, 
but the $2,000 bare minimum price tag kind of puzzles me. All this thing 
does, as far as I can see, is add powdered abrasives to the air stream. Why 
the huge price tag? Are there some expensive components in there, or some 
advanced technical wizardry? Do you really need to budget three grand 
minimum for a complete air abrasive system?

What are the options if one wants to get into air abrasive units without 
spending a small fortune? Are there cheap units that work as well as the 
Swam Blaster and the Comco units? Any DIY possibilities here, or is the 
system too complex? Are museums using these multi-thou units?

Any info would be most appreciated!

Tim Jokela Jr., tjokela at execulink.com
Business: http://www.element51.com
Pleasure: http://www.ontariominerals.com