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Who builds a decent reasonably priced glass beading cabinet that doesn't blow sand every place?
Ive had it with my harbor freight pos .

Don't know about "reasonably priced" but I purchased a Skat Blast cabinet from TP Tool back in 2001, with the vacuums system, and have never looked back. Its 48 wide 28 deep and 28 high inside. Best 1100 bucks I ever spent. I just changed the sand/nozzle and glass saver yesterday. Sometime I wish I'd have went just a bit wider but this one has stood up to my abuse doggone good for years. I use it just about every time I'm in the shop. I think today they still sell the same unit for about 1200. From memory its called the Patriot 960 version. I like the two lights inside, easy change of media. If it don't fit in my blasting cabinet it goes somewhere else!

Note to current owners....over the last 14 years I've found the two little bearing in the vacuum motor WILL go bad. A local place charged me 18 bucks for one and I said WHOA. I found the same bearing for a buck a piece. I ordered 20 new ones last year so I have plenty. If your paying to much for them let me know and I'll give you a couple!!

I have a HF blast cabinet and like every other one they produced mine leaked quiet a bit. I did some Google research and found many ways of upgrading these HF cabinets.
In the end I completely dismantled mine then, reassembled it with silicon in between the cabinet pieces. I also upgraded the gun and pick-up tube. Installed LED strip lighting, a small shop vac with a Dust Deputy, added an air dryer, and regulator.
It probably took 6 hours and cost me $300. It works great for me now.
My $.02

I've got the same cabinet Alvin has. Love it, and so much nicer than without a cabinet, but in hindsight, if you're doing more than one truck, sure would be nice to be able to put a fender in it. Then about all you would have to sub out, would be the frame, cab and hood. Just depends on what you're planning to do. Curt has a good idea also, since you already have one.

Alvin,

I have the next size up (970 DLX - longer than the 960): 58" WIDE, 28"D, 28"H Work Area. However, I think the length of your unit would have been OK for everything I have blasted.

It was on sale in 2008 for $1300 (they have a sale every year).

One the highest quality and most useful buys I have made. I put put a 3/4" flywood base on it (for storage) and rollers/wheels.

That's the same model that I have now,I might break down and try some of those tricks on my pos 1st.
If that doesn't do I might have to bite the bullet and get the $1200.00 job.
Thanks guys.

Tim, I know we can buy/put an extension on the cabinets we have. However, 99% of what I need, like you, I can do it in the one I have.....and room in my shop is getting to be a premium!!

....a fellow bolter, "Dakota" had made him one out of an old AD cab. Man, he could blast about anything in that thing!

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.

ps. mine looks more like todays 850-T.

Deve & Alvin -- Concur with all above. I, too, have the TP Skatblast. Been using mine for nearly 15 years and love it. Hambone uses it about as much as I do ... he can speak for himself about it, but I think he likes it, too. At anyrate, I started out going cheap with the HF blaster and quickly decided to move up to a big boy tool.

Like all said above, if you are working on a restoration, or are planning on doing a fair amount of refinishing, a quality blast cabinet is a must. Go big early. Go bigger. Get as big a cabinet as you can afford, and then, go a bit bigger. You'll thank us down the road.

I sold my pressure pot sand blaster at the consignment auction a few years back. It was a HF one anyway. And haven't looked back. If it doesn't fit in the cabinet but needs to be blasted, I happily break out the dollar gun and fire away. Suiting up and running the sand blaster ... sux. I think my personal record for continuous blasting is about 4 minutes (enough sand, enough air pressure & volume, no clogs, clear visor on my hood and no equipment breakage)

Milliman's cabinet is great, from a guy that never used one before. The only complaint is when John leaves his sweat in the gloves.

Hambone, a pair of rubber gloves BEFORE blasting should keep away the bo-wevils

John, I hear you about selling the pressure pot. I used my new one long enough to finish my chassis and sold it for $100. It came from Tractor Supply. (same O same O) I learn my lesson quick...in 103 hot August heat.

I never thought of that. Gloves in the gloves. Great stuff.

Come on now. It just means that John cares!!

Hambone ... NOW he tells us (I was just thinking that he (Alvin) does look pretty squared away in his shop coat ) ...

I'll get a box of gloves to set out there ricky tick.