The Beast Has Arrived

[Kev]

Well guys..here she is..."The Beast"

Not sure when she will be up and running as I have yet to get the compressor, and wade through all the reading material that goes with it and the other pieces of equipment for making the masks. When I do get her blasting, I'll post a start to finish thread with the process. Should be fun, but I think it's going to take a bit to get it all figured out and perfected...but then again....like everything...it all takes practice.

[Amber]

omg omg omg,  I'm so jealous *lol!! Eeek, I can't wait to see what you do with that beast!

[ct4mom]

Wow Kev that is sure a beast, Id need a ladder to see in there. Cant wait to see what your first project will be!!!

[Kev]

I can see into it, but I am going to make a small step stool so I can see better. It comes with to extensions that go on the sides and has rollers so you can roll a large sheet of glass through it and etch as you go. It says you can do a 4x8 foot piece of glass. I doubt I will ever do a piece that large, but I did not want to be restricted. I can also extend a large piece of glass through the top as well, so it should be pretty flexible. I wanted it to be a one shot deal and not regret that I did not buy a larger one in the beginning.

[Graham]

I can see into it, but I am going to make a small step stool so I can see better. It comes with to extensions that go on the sides and has rollers so you can roll a large sheet of glass through it and etch as you go. It says you can do a 4x8 foot piece of glass. I doubt I will ever do a piece that large, but I did not want to be restricted. I can also extend a large piece of glass through the top as well, so it should be pretty flexible. I wanted it to be a one shot deal and not regret that I did not buy a larger one in the beginning.

As they say in the 'hood "That is one big muthuh!!"

I'm puzzled as to how you could do a 4X8 sheet though. Can we have a couple of different views and an explanation as to how that would work. As best as I can tell, you can slide a big sheet through that black strip down the side and out the other side, stopping anywhere you like along the way - right??

[Kev]

You got it! I don't have the extended arms on the sides attached in these pics. I'll take some more pics of it tomorrow.

[Anne]

Cool Kev!  You'll be pumping out product in no time!  Can't wait to see what you do with this. If you can do a 4x8 piece you could do a door - woo hoo, isn't this going to be fun.........

[Tom]

I can see into it, but I am going to make a small step stool so I can see better. It comes with to extensions that go on the sides and has rollers so you can roll a large sheet of glass through it and etch as you go. It says you can do a 4x8 foot piece of glass. I doubt I will ever do a piece that large, but I did not want to be restricted. I can also extend a large piece of glass through the top as well, so it should be pretty flexible. I wanted it to be a one shot deal and not regret that I did not buy a larger one in the beginning.

As they say in the 'hood "That is one big muthuh!!"

I'm puzzled as to how you could do a 4X8 sheet though. Can we have a couple of different views and an explanation as to how that would work. As best as I can tell, you can slide a big sheet through that black strip down the side and out the other side, stopping anywhere you like along the way - right??

you would put the 4X8 sheet in on its side so to speak, shoving it thru the long way.  when the "bottom" half is sandblasted, you turn the sheet so the "top" half is now the bottom half and blast it like before.  Depending on your stencil or resist or mask or whatever you want to call it you might be blasting the entire sheet "sideways" or  half of it would be blasted upside down.  Dont know if that makes sense to you, but hey I am all turned around just trying to "splain" it, so if you spin your self in circles 5 times and read it again you might understand.  LOL.

[Malinda]

wow Kev....what an investment...look at you go!

[Wayne]

When I used a cabinet like that for glass beading racing engine parts, I found the limitation of the part size to be the cabinet size.  The dust created by blasting the item(s) in the cabinet is terrific and opening it while running was not an option.  For engine parts it was fine since they all fit inside.  When I sandblasted long bathroom mirrors, it was always done outside and I had to wear a mask for eye protection as well.

[Kev]

I imagine there will be dust with this as well, because of the openings for the pass through. There are small areas that have openings where they meet at the top and bottom. I'm thinking of making a strap to wrap around it and secure it with velcro to reduce that, but I will wait till I actually get it up and running to see if it is a problem or not before going that route.

Tom you would be somewhat right in your explanation at least from my understanding at this point. You would insert the large panel into a side opening and begin blasting the portion inside the cabinet. As you progress, you feed more into the cabinet and out the other side until the entire piece has been done. It has rollers on the inside as well that complete the rolling track from side to side.

[Wayne]

Tom's method would work if the cabinet was outside and you wore a mask.  You would also need extension tables so that they could support the length while you blasted the end.  But the idea of a cabinet is to be able to work inside with a safe environment.

[Becki]

Whoa!  Helluva beast, Kev! 

[Kev]

I believe Tom was explaining the process using this cabinet in passing it through as the glass was blasted. I don't think he meant through open doors, but if so, then your right..there would be way too much dust to do it indoors with the side doors open.

[Kev]

Here are some additional pics that might explain it better.

The white free standing unit is the blasting pressure pot.

The black canister is the filtration unit....glorified Shop Vac ..LOL

The last pic is one of all the girls...they just all had to get into the pic...lol

I have yet to purchase the compressor...it too will need to be huge...eeek!

[Audrey]

Congratulations. now the fun begins

[JoanFrances]

Kev, you have become "a boy with his toys" LOL.  Can't wait to see what you will be doing with this new adventure.     

[Kev]

Should be a (pardon the pun)...a real blast!

[Malinda]

so i see you're taking over part of the garage now? lol

[Alan]

so i see you're taking over part of the garage now? lol

From what I see - no "taking" - IT'S TOOK!