New Year’s Resolution: Sandblaster Maintenance

Happy New Year, everyone! We hope you all had safe holidays.

If you need a practical New Year’s resolution, Vaniman would like to humbly suggest:

Take better care of your sandblasters this year.

Microabrasive sandblasters of all kinds wear down with use. This makes sense when you think about it: you’re using high air pressure to shove lots and lots of very small sharp grains of blasting media through a series of narrow tubes and tips. What the blasting media does to its target, it also does (to a lesser degree) to its own inner workings.

So if your nozzle tip looks like this…

…Get a new tip that looks like this:

It’ll work a lot better with a new tip. Honestly. Shop blasting nozzle tips here:

Don’t know which tips to get? See our Sandblaster Nozzle Size Chart for Sandblasting Applications.

Your blasters are designed to last for decades, but like any piece of machinery, you’ve got to take care of them.

How to maintain your sandblaster

We’ve got an older post all about how to maintain your blaster, check it out here: Micro Abrasive Sandblasting Tips and Advice to Ensure Success

Things you really ought to pay attention to, in a nutshell:

Nozzle not looking so hot? (See above – worn out vs. new)
If your nozzle tips are worn out, you’re going to run into problems. Just get a new nozzle. It’s easy.

Irregular flow?
Check the tip for blockage. Check the tubing as well. Blockages are the number one cause of irregular flow.

Awkward pressure?
A few things can cause pressure problems. One could be the media tank — it helps to keep the tank mostly full. One could be the air compressor itself, which is not something that you have to think about much, but certainly is worth paying attention to if you have pressure issues.

Moisture in the air regulator?
This could also be an issue with the air compressor; it may be pushing water or even oil. This can lead to a wet air regulator, which can cause clumping in your media tank or other problems. That tank screws off and is easy to clean, don’t be afraid to clear it out. (Make sure it’s dry before putting it back on!)

Leaky tanks or nozzles?
The media tanks and the blasting tips have O-rings that can occasionally wear out, so take a look to ensure proper sealing of their respective parts. Make sure to remove them and wipe any stray particles away on a regular basis.

Clumping (which causes irregular flow or total stoppage)?
Ensure the blasting media stays clean and dry in the tank. Check to ensure there’s no contamination by water or oil (see above, the air regulator assembly). You can also check the manifold tube to make sure no clumps are causing blockage of the intake.

Speaking of clumping: avoid reusing blasting media. Introducing foreign particulates makes for unpredictable blasting results, and can also lead to clumping and clogging. Shop blasting media refills here.

In addition to taking care of your mind and body, also resolve to take care of your equipment this year. You’ll get better use, you’ll save money in the long run, and you’ll be the best version of yourself you can be. (Well, that last part is debatable, but you get the idea.)

So, to kick 2022 off right, we’ve got sandblaster maintenance deals this month — see our Deals & Promotions page for discounts on replacement sandblaster parts, upgrades, and maintenance kits!

Shop our most popular sandblaster maintenance items here: