Came with one of each nozzle: 4-5-6-7 mm orifice, I ordered a set of 3mm orifice nozzles hoping to reduce the air consumption a little.
Blasting Media:
I started out using 80 grit aluminum oxide that i order thru Amazon. It worked fine but it was quite expensive for only 8 lbs so I found a 50 lb bag of 70 grit aluminum oxide at Harbor Freight for a much better price per pound. The 70 grit worked well but aluminum oxide leaves a dull sheen that requires additional wire brushing before plating. I’ve read that glass beads leave a more shiny surface so I’m going to make this change and see if I can skip the wire brushing step.
I bought two types to test, fine and extra fine beads. I’m going to start with the extra fine beads and keep the fine for backup.
If using the glass media turns out a nice finish but is not aggressive enough, I will consider getting a second blasting cabinet so I can blast with Aluminum Oxide for the rough work and then finish with the glass beads.
Air Compression:
I’m have an nice Makita compressor (MAC2400 2.5 HP Big Bore Air Compressor) but it is really designed for the jobsite to supply multiple nailers. It has a pretty decent 4.2 SCFM @ 90 psi which almost keeps up with my blasting but its duty cycle is 50% and I’ve pushed this too hard on a few occasions.
I would be willing to invest in a stand up compressor and I would love to have an 80 gallon two stage compressor but I don’t have 220 volt wiring available and though I don’t mind getting that done, I really don’t have the space in the garage. So my plan is to get a 30 gallon compressor that runs on 110 volts. I will get a Campbell Hausfeld 30 Gallon Vertical Portable Air Compressor (XC302100) two stage compressor that runs on 110 volts but can be rewired for 220. I’m guessing there will be a duty cycle limitation running it at 110 volts (I haven’t found one stated in the manual). If needed, I will mess around with combining the output from the Makita with the 30 gallon to boost my CFM above the sandblaster consumption. I’ve seen where running the glass beads at over 70 psi will reduce their longevity so I’m hoping that running at 60 psi with the small 3mm orifice will work with the glass beads, reduce my air consumption and help the compressor(s) keep up.