How To Media Blast Parts At Home with Mike Finnegan

Shop Mate™ Blast Cabinet from Clemco Industries
Shop Mate™ Blast Cabinet from Clemco Industries

Have you ever wondered how to media blast and remove powder coating without killing yourself? It’s not easy.

Mike and the guys at Finnegan’s Garage have tried all kinds of ways to do the job. Today, Mike is finally stepping up to a media blast cabinet so that he can strip the coating off of some jet boat parts.

The guys are working on the turbo boat, a lightweight water rocket powered by a 711ci Sonny Leonard Chevy Hemi with twin Precision turbos and a custom jet drive.

Today’s task to undo some work they previously did when this boat appeared at the 2016 SEMA show. The charge tube, which connects the intercooler to the Accufab throttle body, no longer fits and they must build a new one.

But, before that can happen, they’ve got to remove some old powder coating from the aluminum tubing.

Enter Clemco Industries and Rock Ridge Abrasives — Mike worked with both companies to set up a media blasting station in his home garage beneath his house.

The Shop Mate blasting cabinet from Clemco is a great solution, offering the ability to strip small and medium-size parts (they’ve fit a trailer hitch and long tube header in there) without filling the garage, or the Wifey’s kitchen, with a dangerous dust cloud!

Media blasting small parts in the Shop Mate™ Blast Cabinet.

This video will school you up on the different types of materials available for media blasting, what each is used for, as well as the finer points of the Shop Mate blasting cabinet while the crew keeps moving along on this fabrication project…

About the Shop Mate™ Blast Cabinet

The Shop Mate is a hopper-suction-feed cabinet for entry-level and intermittent-use applications.

It has a 48” W x 26” D x 26” H working chamber with dual side doors and a flip-up, front-access panel for loading heavy parts. A 120-cfm dust-bag drum collector optimizes visibility inside the cabinet while blasting.

Shop Mate™ Blast Cabinet from Clemco Industries

Although the Shop Mate does not have a media reclaimer, it has a spring-operated quick-drain hopper designed to accommodate a standard-size, 5-gallon bucket. This feature makes disposing of worn-out media a quick, simple, and clean process. Optional drum-liner bags ease the disposal process.

The Shop Mate comes with a No. 4 BNP® Gun with a 5/16” orifice ceramic nozzle, but can be used with a long- wearing tungsten-carbide or boron-carbide nozzle when aggressive media is used.

An interior-mounted, roll of protective film prolongs the life of the view window by shielding the view window’s inner surface. The system makes it easy to replace a worn section of film with a fresh sheet.

Features

  • High-output fluorescent lighting
  • Large safety-glass viewing window
  • 14ga-steel construction
  • Two side doors
  • Front-access panel
  • Pedal-Activated BNP® Blast Gun
  • Neoprene-on-fabric gloves
  • Pressure gauge & regulator
  • Moisture trap

Specifications

  • Blast Gun: No. 4 BNP® Gun with 5/16” orifice ceramic nozzle
  • Air Consumption: 21 cfm @ 80 psi
  • Electrical: 115V, 1 PH, 60 Hz
  • Dust Collector: 120-cfm dust bag in drum
  • Cabinet Work Grating: 500 lb
  • Uniform Load Amp Draw: 8
  • Working Chamber Size: 48” W x 26” D x 26” H
  • Viewing Area: 18.5” W x 10.5” H

Learn More at Clemco Industries

Shop Mate™ Blast Cabinet Brochure