3 Most Common Types of Sand Blasters

If you plan on doing your first home renovation or an automotive refinishing project, then you might want to consider getting a sand blaster for the finishing touch if you want to save time and energy when removing the rust, paint or corrosion. Blasting a highly abrasive material like sand, instead of using conventional abrasive paper will significantly speed up the process – turning hours of manual work into minutes.

If you’re unfamiliar with these power tools, then there are a few things to know before you look for sand blasters for sale. Namely, you should know that when looking for sand blasters for sale, you’ll typically come across three models which vary depending on the method which they use to blast out sand: pressurised, siphon and gravity-fed sandblasters. Picking the right one will be mainly dependent on your needs and preferences.

Pressurised Sandblasters

Pressurised sandblasters operate by making use of highly pressurised canisters of sand. The guns on the sandblaster are hooked up to the canisters and by the simple squeeze of a trigger sand is blasted out in high force. They’re the most simple and most commonly used type of sandblasting machine for DIY projects nowadays. The canisters of sand can’t be reused, which makes them costly to operate.

Siphon Sandblasters

Siphon sandblasters use gravity to blast the sand out. They feature a sand container in which the sand is stored, which is located below the nozzle. When the trigger is squeezed, air is released and sand passes through the nozzle in a suction-like process. These sandblasters need an air compressor to operate, so that may come as an additional cost.

Gravity-fed Sandblasters

Gravity-fed sandblasters are powered by, you guessed it – gravity. Sand is placed in a container in a similar fashion to the siphon blaster, but instead the container is located above the gun in a “hopper”. These are also typically powered by an air-compressor, so when the trigger is pulled, air blasts through the nozzle, which pushes out the sand at incredibly high rates.

Regardless of the type, sandblasters come in various sizes, from huge truck-mounted models that are used for removing paint from entire buildings, to small handheld models. The size of the sandblaster impacts its mobility and comfort of use. Smaller models are great for removing rust and old paint from cars, for instance, and you can conveniently use them in a garage. Large industrial-grade sandblasters are great for larger projects which require a lot of power and removal of rust, corrosion and paint from large surfaces.