A cabinet for shotblasting small to medium sized components without the mess of open blasting, built entirely from stuff I had around the house and workshop.

Step 1: Introduction

I recently bought a small compressor with tools for my father's car workshop. I also got a shotblasting gun that that uses the venturi effect to draw grit from a bag and blasts it out with the aid of the compressed air.

While effective at removing rust and old paint, it is incredibly messy. I resorted to wearing a motorcycle helmet, balaclava, overalls, gloves and boot and would still find it the grit in my ears and inside my clothes after a blasting session. Also it went all over the workshop. With blasting cabinets costing more than the compressor did, I decided to build my own.

Step 2: Tools and Supplies

You will need:

a large plastic container,
I used a recycling bin which is now defunct as the council have just switched to wheelie bins.

some clear plastic,
perspex (plexiglass) will do, i actually used polystyrene as it was what i had lying around

some strong adhesive,
no more nails or similar is perfect

some wire mesh,
mine was from the grill of a truck, and old grill tray would work even better

2 small blocks of wood and some screws,
these are to hold the tray off the floor, virtually anything could be used

Tools:
jigsaw or fret saw
tenon saw
hacksaw
drill (hand or power) with bit big enough to get your jigsaw or fretsaw blade in
files for finishing
screwdriver

Step 3: The Method - Lid

1. Mark the window hole in the lid, leaving atleast an inch of room all the way round.

2. Drill a hole in the centre to get the blade in.

3. Cut out the hole using the jigsaw or fretsaw

4. Round off the edges with a file.

5. Cut a piece of clear plastic to size, atleast an inch bigger all round than the hole, with a jigsaw or tenon saw.

6. Glue the clear plastic to the underside of the lid with no more nails or similar adhesive and allow to set for 24 hours.

Step 4: The Method - Body

1. Cut the mesh to a size it will fit in the bottom of the tub, about 3 inches from the floor.

2. Cut two blocks of wood to a suitable size that they will support the mesh 3 inches off the floor, this is to hold the blasting piece out of the grit collecting on the floor.

3. Screw the mesh to the wooden blocks using wood screws and washers to form a solid base that stands freely in the bottom of the tub.

4. Using the drill and jig/fret saw as before, cut a hole approximately 4 inches in diametre in the centre of one side, reasonably near to the top. I suggest using a round object such as a grease tin to mark this out most easily. If you are unsure, start with a smaller hole, I have big hands and wear thick gloves so you might be able to get away with a smaller hole. The smaller the hole, the less grit will leak out. Round the edges of the hole with the file.

Step 5: Conclusion

Put your blast gun in the cabinet, put the grit and air hoses through the hole, clip the lid on and you are ready to go. The cabinet will need to be periodically emptied of grit, to do this simply take the lid off, take the grid out and pour the grit back in to its storage container.

I hope this has been of help to some of you, if you have any questions please feel free to ask in comments or message me with them. This is my first Instructable so constructive criticism will be gratefully received.