Thread: Pressure Washer Sandblaster

Hi I have had a Karcher hot /cold pressure washer1000psi for about 30 yrs now.I bought a sandblast attachment for it a few years later. Works well but by the time the wet object dries unless you are using air [dry] it rusts as you watch it As most of the stuff i used to do was steel it was a PITA.
Only beauty is that there is no dust horrible mess to clean up and keeping your sand dry as dampish sand around these units clogs the nozzle.
Am assuming[ that word ] is a bolt on att that goes on the end of your p wash wand and the sand is drawn out carburettor style with the jet.
Economic use is the question.And time to immediately treat bright surfaces straight away.You are running electricity water and air.
For a 120 dollar investment I say go for it given these facts.). 0.02cents worth John. ps 3 boilers later it still works ok.Hot is the key.J
Sorry 140 dollars. Contractor to do that job prob cost you 5 -600 dollars be dry and a dusty mess. The sand I have used has been clean washed and seived brickies sand[time consuming] to bagged commercial sand for blasters [expensive] it must be bone dry. and keeping the in going sand is a problem as you need the sand supply close to you to get the maximum draw of sand. What ever way you go there will be a messto clean up. seal your door way windows with plastic sheeting and duct tape.J

What would the cost of a soda blasting contractor be.

Originally Posted by pipeclay

What would the cost of a soda blasting contractor be.

If anyone has an idea would love to know. I rang some mobile places and most wanted to cut the railing out and take off site so I have not been able to get an actual cost. I also have some areas that need to be done onsite. If I am going to all the cost of removing them I might as well just replace them with new railings not have these cleaned and repainted I figure the cost would not be much more. Other problem is if I can get someone to just blast them clean I would need to get them painted very quick. If I DIY I can do sections and alternate between the back and front patio and at least get the rust inhibitor primer and under coat on each section then finish with the top coats.

Hi there,

I had a gerni with a sandblasting attachment. When it was working it was pretty good as an alternative to paying for a proper sandblasting job but I had issues with it most of the time. Either the sand got wet in the hopper (has to be bone dry or it won't feed) or the hopper did not feed properly. Also, as mentioned, if you want a very clean finish before painting then wet sandblasting won't be any good as the metal tends to rust almost instantly as it's so clean. But, unless you are building a ship where you are sandblasting just before you zinc spray it then this would not be an issue. For small jobs, it certainly an alternative. You just need to make sure your hopper is set up properly so the sand does not get wet and also that it allows a good flowing sand supply. Probably the best sand to use (for free flowing) would be gap sand, the stuff used to fill in between pavers. Sieving it with a flyscreen would also help.

The lack of dust (because it's wet sandblasting) is a bonus!

Cheers,

Simon

The other alternative is a needle descaler, but you won't get that nice edge grading that a grit blaster gives you.

I didn't know you could get a sand attachment for a jet washer. Always learning.

That's why these forums are so good, particularly when you have decent members who are practical people and not out to win a hero award

Rob

Me again,

I just had a look in the shed. I still have the gerni sandblasting attachment. It's missing the clear nylon tube for the sand pick up but that's all. I'll take a pic of the HP water connection, let me know if it's the same as your model. If it is, I'm happy to post it to you if you want to use/trial it before deciding to purchase one of your own. If you can get the job done using mine, without purchasing then happy for you to do that too.

I'll attach a pic in a couple of hours......

Simon

Well, here it is.

PM me if you think it will fit and you are interested....

P8180101.jpgP8180098.jpg

Cheers,

Simon

I appreciate the offer Simon but the old man has said he is pretty keen to do some work with it too so we might just bit the bullet and get one.

No worries. Simon

My son has a water blaster 2000psi and sand attachment which I used to use ,with the type of hand rail and railings you have it would use a lot of sand and it would be wasted, much quicker would be a 4 inch grinder with a flapper disc would be quicker and less messy than sand blasting with water, and you can paint strait after, just my opinion.


Eddie

Should have said that a Karcher would probably not be as wasteful

Hi aussieorchid,

What about brushing liberally with caustic soda, and when the paint softens, hit it with the pressure washer.

We do a lot of paint stripping this way and use a dilute caustic soda bath, followed by pressure washing.. only resorting to sand blasting for the really hard stuff. Because it's not fully immersed you probably want to have a higher concentration of caustic..

Some warnings to follow Don't use on Aluminium. Use protective gear etc. etc..

Of course try a small section first, before commiting to doing the whole thing.

Regards
Ray

A good idea Ray.
I had thought about one of these units for my karcher to do the leblonds bed with. I like the caustic idea better though. Bet it cleans the driveway well too. What about oil/grease residue? And when you say dilute caustic mix how much do you use roughly?

Cheers,
Ew

The only problem with the caustic is I have a two story house and I was worried about all the drips from the caustic running off and onto the driveway and grass below. With the sandblaster I was just going to put some board on the patio and move it along as I go. The sand should be easy enough to wash off the driveway later and on the grass it will make a great top dress.

Wet sandblasting is increasingly used in industry due to it being less troublesome from an OH&S perspective. Having said that, industrial set ups are a far cry from these basic set ups. I must confess to not being positive of the situation relating to the use of sand when wet blasting, but I do know "IST VERBOTEN" when air sand blasting due to its links to silicosis.
I would be thinking really hard before I sandblasted that ballustrading, either wet of dry, because my crystal ball sees a big mess for the outcome in your future. I think that a combination of stripper disc on a grinder, (definitely wouldn't use a flap disc as they clog with paint too easily), wire brushing, hand sanding and rust converter will provide your best outcome. If it were me, I would throw a needle scaler into the mix too. Beware though, needle scalers have a way of jangling neighbours brains and putting them in a very bad frame of mind, so much so that they complain to councils etc. You know, a spot sandblaster, (using garnet or aluminium oxide), could also be a viable option. They are pretty cheap too.
Not too keen on the caustic soda/ paint stripper for your application, apart from the obvious safety issues, many jurisdictions have strict rules regarding run off and chemical disposal.
Thinking outside the box, is it viable to remove the ballustrading, strip, treat and paint it, (maybe even galvanise), and then replace it? The application of an angle grinder, hacksaw and welder may actually simplify the job overall.