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

[gene at fossilnut.com]

Tim You are correct. Most people will not need the big air dryers. The coil 
and separator arrangement for an air dryer works as good as a $500 unit in 
removing water. I have found that you don't really need it most of the year 
or all of the year if I am using an inert abrasive. I do a lot with sodium 
bicarbonate and for that I need the coils in the summer when the humidity is 
running high here on the east coast.

Gene Hartstein
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tim Fisher" <nospam at orerockon.com>
To: <gene at fossilnut.com>; "Rockhounds at drizzle.com: A mailing list for rock 
and gem collectors" <rockhounds at lists.drizzle.com>
Sent: Monday, April 21, 2008 12:42 AM
Subject: Re: [Rockhounds] air abrasive units - sticker shock!!!?


> Doh! I meant 0.1 mm, not 1 mm nozzle. I was told by COMCO that under no 
> circumstances should I run their microblasters without an air dryer. My 
> air dryers cost $20 each and works like a charm. Google "desiccant snake 
> air dryer". Cheap, disposable, and last a long, long time. Don't be fooled 
> by the $500 dryers; you don't need them unless you live in the jungle :) I 
> have been using a Delta dual bag dust collector for about 6 months now and 
> I can report that it works splendidly with an SS White dust cabinet. More 
> suction than I need and it's in its own little house outside so it can 
> spew all the powder it wants through the cheap bags. I air it out every 
> once in a while since I am paranoid that the motor could die if it sucks 
> in too much dolomite. There are 60 (I think) micron mesh bags available 
> for them but you have to shop around for them. Since I use 40 micron media 
> they wouldn't do me much good.
>
> At 07:33 PM 4/20/2008, you wrote:
>>Typical air abrasive units have nozzle diameters much smaller than any of 
>>the cheaper units that have been mentioned. I have 2 old SS White units. 
>>The first one came with a blast cabinet and a Torrit dust collector for 
>>under $1000, The second cost me about $600. I bought 2 more and resold 
>>these. Both needed a little work and cost me in the range of $250.
>>
>>The micro blasters deliver controlled grit and controlled pressure through 
>>nozzles that range from 17 thousandths of an inch up to a whopping 60 
>>thousandths. The fine nozzle is what is needed for delicate fossil work. 
>>In additon I can control pressures down to about 15 PSI which is sometimes 
>>needed for fine and delicate work. If you are trying to clean corrosion 
>>off a steel plate, by all means use one of the cheaper sandblasters. If 
>>you are trying to prep fossils or delicate minerals, you need the better 
>>units. If you live ina humid climate you will also need an air dryer. I 
>>made mine out of a copper coil in an ice bucket, with a separator 
>>downstream. Works fine.
>>Gene
>
> Tim Fisher
> Ore-ROCK-On!
> Email address at http://OreRockOn.com
>