I have Alvin's and Tim's setup or something very close. Best money I have ever spent, although, put a 16" rim in there and spend a few hours blasting it, or something just long enough to fit diagonally, and you will wish for more. More is always equal to more space. Not more volume, or anything else. If you don't have TIPS vac, a shop vac will work for awhile, putting a Carbide tip on the gun is a no-brainer, but size/capacity is a big concern. I have a standing offer with friends in the local area to PLEASE purchase my 980 so I can get a larger one.
There is a Demarcation. Its the boundary between doing it in the comfort of your shop, and going outside and doing it the hard way. Do you Demarc at tire rims and larger? Or after tire rims? What about the radiator bracket? Going outside to do that?
You can sandblast in a cardboard box for a time. When it comes to doing it for more than just one restoration, sorting this issue out will become important enough to you, to fix it.
These days, if you are a good welder, just purchase TP Tools instructions on how to make it yourself. Some 22 gauge tin and some ingenuity, you can do it cheaper. Is it worth the time to reinvent the wheel? Maybe. In my case no.
My 980 model is great, lights, vac, carbide tip, NOT ideal due to space. Everything else, including my motorized small parts tumbler is just fine. I use #1 Silly Sand in mine. My mistake was not spending the few hundred more for the larger cabinet. If I could take back that decision, I sure would in a jet second.
We are all different and have different needs. No right answer.
I personally have a real distaste for hauling stuff outside, getting out the pressure blaster, stringing the hoses out, the tarps and backstops, waiting for Spring, etc. But that's assuming you have the CFM and your air compressors are about two times more expensive than my blast cabinet to do that. Its why everything I write about sandblasting starts off with me complaining about it.
