- Joined
- Sep 25, 2012
- Messages
- 302
I saw a post on another thread about blast cabinet problems so I thought I would post my dust solution instead of hijacking the other thread. I do a lot of glass bead blasting because I refinish guns and no matter what I tried I was unable to keep the dust from getting everywhere in the "man cave' including me. First I used the shop vac that I had with a paper filter. The shop vac filter filled fast lost suction quick then started spewing dust out the exhaust and it filled the “man cave” and started to ruin my nice vac. The only solution I could find on the web was to make a complex flow through water system or was to buy a$400 HEPA system. I started to experiment on my own and after lots of different ideas and much trial and error this is my result. It puts absolutely no dust in the man cave and keeps super visibility in the cabinet. Hopefully it will also save some fellow HM lungs.
The heart of the system is a Dust Deputy from oneida-air.com. It sells for $40 plus shipping. It is just a simple cyclone dust separator designed for wood workers that works just like a Dyson vac. To save space I mounted it on a piece of landscape drain pipe Instead of the recommended 5 gallon bucket. I used 4” landscape drainage pipe instead of the heaver PVC because it was cheaper and I was able to get the flat end cap for mounting the Dust Deputy onto. All of the sewer PVC pipes used a curved end cap. Be aware that 4” landscape drain pipe and 4” sewer drain pipe have different outside dimensions so you can’t mix and match fittings. On the bottom is a screw in plug that allows you to empty the dust into a bucket.
Suction is provided by a “Lowes BucketMax” shop vac that costs about $20 in the store. The directions say that it only uses a foam filter but the HEPA “Shop Vac” brand on the same shelf will fit fine. You provide your own 5 gallon bucket. Because the BucketMax comes with a small hose I bought a 2.5” replacement from Sears for less than $20. NOTE: You cannot use the Home Depot equivalent vac as it won’t take the 2.5” vac hose and will only accept a foam filter. The 2.5” hose is a must for proper air flow. I also use a Harbor Freight speed control to slow down the vac and greatly reduce the noise. I think the lower suction even helps control the air flow better.
The photos show the dust collection after about 6 hours of blasting with very fine glass bead. I have never emptied or cleaned the vac bucket after 2 months of use. I still have to make a bracket so the bucket will sit uner the blast cabinet shelf since I wont need to empty it any longer. Chuck.
The heart of the system is a Dust Deputy from oneida-air.com. It sells for $40 plus shipping. It is just a simple cyclone dust separator designed for wood workers that works just like a Dyson vac. To save space I mounted it on a piece of landscape drain pipe Instead of the recommended 5 gallon bucket. I used 4” landscape drainage pipe instead of the heaver PVC because it was cheaper and I was able to get the flat end cap for mounting the Dust Deputy onto. All of the sewer PVC pipes used a curved end cap. Be aware that 4” landscape drain pipe and 4” sewer drain pipe have different outside dimensions so you can’t mix and match fittings. On the bottom is a screw in plug that allows you to empty the dust into a bucket.
Suction is provided by a “Lowes BucketMax” shop vac that costs about $20 in the store. The directions say that it only uses a foam filter but the HEPA “Shop Vac” brand on the same shelf will fit fine. You provide your own 5 gallon bucket. Because the BucketMax comes with a small hose I bought a 2.5” replacement from Sears for less than $20. NOTE: You cannot use the Home Depot equivalent vac as it won’t take the 2.5” vac hose and will only accept a foam filter. The 2.5” hose is a must for proper air flow. I also use a Harbor Freight speed control to slow down the vac and greatly reduce the noise. I think the lower suction even helps control the air flow better.
The photos show the dust collection after about 6 hours of blasting with very fine glass bead. I have never emptied or cleaned the vac bucket after 2 months of use. I still have to make a bracket so the bucket will sit uner the blast cabinet shelf since I wont need to empty it any longer. Chuck. 
