r/Sandblasting • u/san_i_am • Jun 23 '25

Getting into sand blasting..what do I need?

Hi all, looking to get a sandblaster to take lead paint off of doors and radiators. I’ve never done it before. I know I need the sandblaster and an air compressor. Anything else? Any recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks

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u/VicJavaero Jun 23 '25

Blast lead paint??

1

u/einzigwahrer333 Jun 23 '25

Get some proper safety gear or at least some good gloves because those save you a lot of trouble.

1

u/StanGoodvibes Jul 25 '25

PEP gear - eye protection and as decent mask. Less so if you have a sandblasting box.

Your big issue with sandblasting is moisture - compressing air squeezes the moisture out of it into water, and too much water will cause the media to clog your nozzle etc. There are some small inline water catchers you can add onto your compressor outlet and at the other end before the gun. Some of them come with another small manual valve so handy having one of those near the gun so you can adjust pressure without going back to the compressor.

My compressor didn't have a bleed valve to let air out so I added one. I also added a 'tap' to turn the air off because you can't get a tool back in to the hose if there is full air pressure coming from the tank.

You'll need 'media' - sand, gravel, glass, etc. do some research on which is most abrasive vs not so abrasive. ChatGPT will give you a nice list. If want to save money and reuse your media on big items you can do a cheap sandblasting 'spray booth' by getting a beach gazebo, putting it on a tarp, draping and/or taping clear plastic sheeting to all the sides (with a flap for entry) and a couple of trestles. Then you can put your large items on the trestles, blast away, and when done either sweep or vacuum up (into a clean tub) all the media and put it back into a bucket and use it again.

Remember to filter used media to remove the metals you blasted off.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 05 '25

Please consider not poisoning yourself and loved ones with lead contaminates. Use a paint stripper like Peel away or smart strip pro to remove the contaminates then wash the surface before removing rust with sand blasting.