Harbor Freight Pressure Blaster Upgrade

thebronc4019

thebronc4019

Active Member
#1
#1
15 Years ago I bought a Harbor Freight pressure blaster to build my "Pro-Street" 1967 Nova. Since then I have used it on a number of car and minibike projects. I originally put a better water seperator on it and re-welded the leg on the bottom of the tank. I have had to replace the ball valve and nozzle assembly a number of times. Recently I purchased a new lower maniforl for the blaster because it had been eaten away by the boiler slag that I use. I also upgraded to a "deadman" valve. A good "deadman" is about $70. I bought a cheepie from H.F. for $14 on sale. Last weekend I was doing some blasting on my current project, a 1959 Nash Metropolitan. The "deadman" valve works great. The blaster works better now than it ever has. I strongly recommend the upgrade to a "deadman" valve for hours of trouble-free blasting. Best $14 I have spent in a long time.

Hope this helps someone.
 
thebronc4019

thebronc4019

Active Member
#3
#3
Nova use to be my avitar. Runs 10:70's through the mufflers but 95% of its running time is on the street. Did all fabrication, bodywork and paint and everything else in my garage over a 71/2 year period. Did not build motor. Car has been done for 7 years now,

Metropolitan will be a stock restoration. Very rusty so I had to put it on a rotisseri. Will probably take me about 4 years. Doing everything myself in my 2 car garage.
 
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fast tote goat

New Member
#4
#4
I have used many different blasters through the years and have two of them at the present time. But the best one for the hobbyist that I have found is a sand blast attachment for your power washer from Northern Tool that replaces the wand on your pressure washer, (simply screws on) it has a y in it that has a hose on it that you stick into the sand, this thing really takes it off, I have done some frames for my own cars and my car buff buddies were amazed. Only draw back is you have to have good drying weather, take your blow gun or leaf blower and dry it off, then put a good sealer on it.
 
125ccCrazy

125ccCrazy

Well-Known Member
#5
#5
thebronc4019 said:
15 Years ago I bought a Harbor Freight pressure blaster to build my "Pro-Street" 1967 Nova. Since then I have used it on a number of car and minibike projects. I originally put a better water seperator on it and re-welded the leg on the bottom of the tank. I have had to replace the ball valve and nozzle assembly a number of times. Recently I purchased a new lower maniforl for the blaster because it had been eaten away by the boiler slag that I use. I also upgraded to a "deadman" valve. A good "deadman" is about $70. I bought a cheepie from H.F. for $14 on sale. Last weekend I was doing some blasting on my current project, a 1959 Nash Metropolitan. The "deadman" valve works great. The blaster works better now than it ever has. I strongly recommend the upgrade to a "deadman" valve for hours of trouble-free blasting. Best $14 I have spent in a long time.

Hope this helps someone.
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Is this the valve?? I looked at them before but wasn't sure if it was any good.. - Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

Where did you get the manifold?? mine is eating through on the hose side also..

fast tote goat said:
I have used many different blasters through the years and have two of them at the present time. But the best one for the hobbyist that I have found is a sand blast attachment for your power washer from Northern Tool that replaces the wand on your pressure washer, (simply screws on) it has a y in it that has a hose on it that you stick into the sand, this thing really takes it off, I have done some frames for my own cars and my car buff buddies were amazed. Only draw back is you have to have good drying weather, take your blow gun or leaf blower and dry it off, then put a good sealer on it.
Click to expand...
sandblasting with water and sand?? hmmm thats interesting... does the metal rust pretty quick? I know when dry blasting if it just sprinkles the part starts rusting before you can get it dried off...
 
H

Hosscatt

New Member
#6
#6
fast tote goat said:
I have used many different blasters through the years and have two of them at the present time. But the best one for the hobbyist that I have found is a sand blast attachment for your power washer from Northern Tool that replaces the wand on your pressure washer, (simply screws on) it has a y in it that has a hose on it that you stick into the sand, this thing really takes it off, I have done some frames for my own cars and my car buff buddies were amazed. Only draw back is you have to have good drying weather, take your blow gun or leaf blower and dry it off, then put a good sealer on it.
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So how exactly do you go about this process? Can you tell me how you keep it from immediately getting surface rust from the water and if it does rust, how do you clean it off to prep it before painting? Sounds like a great idea but there must be some trick you have for cleaning up the rust or to keep it from rusting. I remember in my younger years sandblasting metal and we would have to use rubber gloves to handle the parts afterwards or they would start to rust just from fingerprints.
 
125ccCrazy

125ccCrazy

Well-Known Member
#8
#8
olajoe808 said:
you outta get with Hent and change that name so the shoe fits. amazes me everyday how much the value of someones response is worth. btw don't need a response it's crystal clear as is, thanks goat.
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If you don't have a worthy response why even reply? seems like all you have better to do is bash someone, pretty easy to do setting behind a keyboard where no one can see you... You should read what you write before posting...

The questions that were asked in regards to the metal rusting with using water is pretty obvious, anyone that ever used a blaster knows moisture contact with bare metal results in immediate rust, just humidity in the air will rust raw metal and if you knew anything about body and paint, any rust under the paint evetually will result in future problems like bubbling or peeling unless using a product like POR15 which encapsulates the rust and cuts off it's air supply so it doesn't keep growing..
 
olajoe808

olajoe808

Banned
#9
#9
125ccCrazy said:
.............roblems like bubbling or peeling unless using a product like POR15 which encapsulates the rust and cuts off it's air supply so it doesn't keep growing..
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you don't like me i understand. I should have given you the cam for free. But what good would that have accomplished, maybe you fall down get hurt and then what blame the cam?:innocent:
 
125ccCrazy

125ccCrazy

Well-Known Member
#10
#10
olajoe808 said:
you don't like me i understand. I should have given you the cam for free. But what good would that have accomplished, maybe you fall down get hurt and then what blame the cam?:innocent:
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LOL.... Brother you obviously have me all wrong, I simply made an offer on a part no one wanted but you got offended and have since had a vendeta to run me down but it's all good, I'm above that....

I hope you have a great New Year ....
 
F

fast tote goat

New Member
#12
#12
Sorry if I have offended all the doughters and bashers, I thought my post was self explaniatory, I thought I had mentioned about how the drying process goes, here in central cal. it gets very hot and there is almost no humidity it dries almost instantly leaving a very nice clean metal finish. metal here certain times of the year gets so hot you ca'nt touch it, ithis process can't be done in every situation, but when the variables are correct it is very lucrative, :shrug: don't be scarred :scared: try it.
 
vette66_00

vette66_00

Active Member
#13
#13
Fast Tote Goat,

Don't worry about I totally understood your post. It's the uneducated that don't understand and need to be hand feed. Sometimes English is not there first language or they have been speaking another language so long they forgot how it works.

And if anybody doesn't like my response Look at my avatar.
 
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