Working in the Dark
I had an “aha” moment the other day. But this time instead of the light bulb going on, it went off… literally.
When using my sandblaster, it can be difficult to see the piece I am working on in the cabinet. The sand and dust that circulates in the box dulls the window area that I look through. There are Mylar sheets that cover the viewing window that need to be replaced regularly, but it doesn’t take much for them to get dull. I’ve tried shining an overhead light into the box at just the right angle to help my viewing, but the glare was bad.
Recently, I was in the studio with the garage door open and the lights on. While sandblasting some pieces a storm blew in. It got very dark outside and inside my studio. I noticed that the darker it got, the better I could see my work. Aha! I turned off all the overhead lights and sure enough, the one little light bulb that was inside the box illuminated everything much better. So from now on I will be working in the dark!
Wow, that’s a small sandblaster! what brand is that? I’ve only seen really large ones before.
It’s by Cyclone. They actually make an even smaller one. It does what I need for now, but it isn’t great. The sand doesn’t flow to the bottom well and so I have to stop and move the sand with a spatula.
Many things are discovered while working in the dark!
Hi! Have just found your blog re your sand blaster – I’m curious what your set up is and how it works for you? I’ve been thinking about one for a long time but have not jumped in – have relied on a friend’s blaster but that isn’t always an option. Looking forward to hearing about your blaster.
It it is okay, but not great. I use my husbands craftsman compressor which is really under powered for the job. But I am not willing to shell out the big bucks for a big compressor. The sandblaster cabinet is not my favorite either. The sand tends to build up around the sides and not fall back down to where the sand is sucked up. I am constantly stopping and opening the cabinet to scoop down the sand. Hope to upgrade someday, but for now it is working just not as efficiently as I would like.