Kicking around the idea of changing up my trap treatment method.

I need a way to clean traps though.

I initially was planning on utilizing a cement mixer and sand/gravel to scour clean them. But I’ve sinc learned that’s not exactly a fast process, and I have a LOT of traps.

Than I though about a media blaster.

I was privy to a giant drive through sandblaster in the Army. It worked pretty slick!

I’ve been looking at the harbor freight ones. Anybody have any experience with these?

https://www.harborfreight.com/30-lb-capacity-benchtop-abrasive-blast-cabinet-59477.html

https://www.harborfreight.com/40-lb-capacity-floor-abrasive-blast-cabinet-68893.html

I did security at an electric plant that had a large sand blaster, that they let us use. It was a blast both figuratively and literally. My partner and I ran everything rusty we had and could find though it. It used silica beads and was very powerful. It was self contained, so there was no mess. It made rusty metal shiny like magic. It also seemed to leave some sort of protective coating. I'm not sure if it was silica, oil or a combination. My partner blasted a huge rusty file cabinet, he spray painted and put in our office. It came out like new.

We ran all sorts of old tools, traps, horseshoes and even rail road spikes through it. I was with my partner when he was using it and blew a whole through one of the rubber gloves, affixed to the blaster. He abraded his skin and embedded silicon beans in it, in a fraction of a second.

After playing with one, I've wanted a sand blaster ever since. A few times I came close to purchasing one, but didn't because the good ones take up so much room and I just don't have much of a need for one. I'd still like one though. All my user tools would look shiny and new. I would not touch the antique ones with it though. I think removing an old axe, hatchet, cleaver or adze's look patina is bad.

Keith

I work on Empire cabinet blasters some at work. They use aluminum oxide media. After a little the media breaks down and can/will clog the filters. Probably more industrial than what you are looking at. Like Keith said, you puncture the gloves, and you've had a bad day.

I dont think you will like the harbor freight floor model for traps, i went and got one to bead blast knives , it works ,sort of , theres modifications on you tube that make them work better, then i went and got the little cheap gravity feed one off amazon , it blast ten times better than the harbor freight one. its my go to now. but you better wear a hood.

My dad has the second one you linked, and I have been using it to do traps. It works pretty well, but he did a lot of modifications to it (looked on youtube, like coffey says) to make it work better. I never tried to use it before he got it working like it is now, but he said it wouldn't pick up sand reliably before that. Also the light that comes in it isn't very good and I just stick a rechargable magnetic LED mechanics light in there. Once he got it working well, it will clean rust off real good, and spray paint also. I had some traps that had been dipped multiple times in paint, and while it didn't stay on the traps great in use, it also didn't come off well and took quite a bit of work with the sand blaster to clean them up. I was cleaning them all up and powder coating them. Does a good job once you get working right, but it isn't fast, for what you are talking about, I don't think you'll be happy with it, because of that.

Those Harbor Freight machines work if you only need to prep small items. Used one at my in-laws shop for about a year, then he got a longer model. We blasted lots of car parts for a restoration. Everything we sand blasted was then powder coated.

There are companies that supply dry ice beads used to blast items inside a building. The ice evaporates after being used.

I have had a cabinet blaster for years. Sounded like a good investment at the time for similiar type work. It takes time to do one or two traps at a time. It works but is time consuming.

A tumbler with media type pea gravel in a mixer would be a faster way. I have a large drum I use for a good vinegar soak and a pressure wash when done. It works as fast as anything I have found in the past to do a lot of traps. Still time consuming but that is part of the gig.

They typically make dry ice next to ethanol plants if you have one close by FYI.