I've got one of those bench top Sandblast cabinets....The one's that as soon as you start blasting you can't see a thing inside.
I've seen that you can get a bolt on extractor unit that fits in the hole where the filter fits and was wondering whether anyone has tried them and whether they are any good.

i use one of these and an old hoover , works ok

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Plastic-Dust-Separation-Collector-Cyclone-Separator-Vacuums-Cleaners-Filter-Tool/163629052082?epid=881597012&hash=item2 6190d30b2:g:J1gAAOSwAKxcovsT

hope this helps !

That looks good, lot cheaper than the ones I've been looking at too....think I will give one of those a try.
Thanks
Ian

That’s interesting to know - I have exactly the same issue - can’t see a thing so I’ll try the dust cyclone. Had been debating about one for a while but for under £12.00 I think I’ll take the chance :-)

On a related note - what sort of abrasive / middle are folks using? I have tried walnut shell and some aluminium oxide but always been underwhelmed by the result / time taken to blast even relatively small items. Any feedback on what others are using would be appreciated.

Sorry to hijack the original question / post.

If you do use one be careful with the exhaust from the vacuum. I would vent the vacuum outside OR make sure it's got a HEPA filter. Small (<10um) particles are very bad for your health and these do not get picked up in the cyclone.. They are also so small that you can't detect they are in the air (!)...

The small 16Lt Screwfix wet and dry vac (£34 ish) fitted with the HEPPA filter or exhaust outside would be a cheap method.

Dan

I made my own sandblasting cabinet from an old doghouse. To avoid the problem with dust inside, I have connected a vacuum cleaner to it, so I can see what I'm doing. Works fine.


Description

As said above, if you use a vacuum cleaner, air needs to enter in the cabinet. As mine is not really sealed, it is OK, air can enter a little bit from everywhere. But if your cabinet is correctly sealed, you need to install an air intake as well.

To sandblast, I use 2 different media:

For non sensitive parts, I use glass beads. This media is gentle with soft metal like aluminium (event hough it slightly attack the material), and leave a nice satin texture to the surface.

The cheapest I have found on the internet is here :
ots-store

For sensitive parts, like internal engine parts (combustion chambers, valves, pistons, carburettors, and so on), I use baking soda as it is softer than glass beads and does not attack the material (even soft metals like aluminium). Also, it is soluble in water, so it is very easy to clean the parts, like in a sink or with a garden water hose. With glass beads, even if you clean thoroughly, you can never be sure there will not be specks stuck in an oil conduct or so, which can be catastrophic for the engine.

You can find big quantities of baking soda (25 kg bags) in farmer shops as it is used as food complement for livestock. Much cheaper per kg than small quantities you find at the supermarket, food stores for humans, or hardware stores. For example, at the local farmer shop where I live in France, a 25kg bag costs 15€.

Some posts of my blog are about that. It is in French, but you can chose any language (google translate, not good, but understandable enough) in the upper right corner.

Post about my sandblasting cabinet

Post about baking soda sandblasting

Hope that will help

I tried a vacuum but found it a lot of current draw on top of the compressor for my electrics.

Got one of these bench top blaster myself and having the same problem and feed back on the recommended dust separators.