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

[John Dach]

Check out the mini air blaster found in well stocked art supply  
outlets.  Did a quick Google for micro sandblast units and got this  
http://www.profitablehobbies.com/ParaBlaster.html  right off!!

John Dach
On Apr 20, 2008, at 7:20 AM, Tim Jokela Jr. wrote:
> 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
>
> -- 
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