Knowing what air compressor to use for sandblasting is very confusing and there is a lot of information out there that makes it even worse!
Wouldn't You Agree?
I wanted to find a shorter answer to this problem and get down to "the basics" as far as what compressor would work for sandblasting.
What I found when researching was that the question to which air compressor is right for sandblasting is not accurate and the more proper question would be what type of sandblasting am I going to be doing.
As take a look at what I found and hopefully this article will make things a little bit easier to understand.
What Kind Of Air Compressor For Sandblasting?
The best kinds of air compressors to have for sandblasting are higher cfm models. A compressor that can produce between 10 CFM - 20 CFM is ideal for smaller sandblasting tasks.
If you want a more powerful sandblasting experience, then a compressor that can produce a CFM somewhere between 18 CFM and 35 CFM is better and for industrial type of sandblasting, look for a compressor that can pump out 50 CFM - 100 CFM+.
I what you understand that the recommended CFM is for optimal performance and you are able to use a less expensive compressor that has a lower CFM output but you will likely have to run at a lower PSI or will have to stop and wait for the compressor to catch up, every so often.
CFM Requirements For Sandblasting:
Like I stated earlier, the higher the CFM rating of the air compressor the better. Sandblasting is extremely demanding on the compressor.
You will need a lot of airflow constantly, especially if you want to eliminate stopping and letting the compressor catch up before you start sandblasting again.
I looked at a few charts online they gave a nice comparison of the CFM recommendations for specific PSI pressures and also had listed the size of the nozzle and the orifice used for the nozzle and knees three items seem to be the key to the whole process.
industrialoutpost.com
One thing I did notice when I looked at the different CFM comparison charts for sandblasting was the fact that there was not one concise answer as far as how much CFM was needed at a specific pressure and they all were a little bit different.
What I did gather is that it is best to have a compressor that can pump out around 15 CFM, if you want to be able to continually run the sandblaster without having to stop and wait for the compressor to play "catch-up".
What Kind Of PSI Do I Need?
The ideal PSI for running a sandblaster is 90 psi (in most cases) so having a look at the chart (above) we can see that the minimum CFM for an air compressor, using a small eighth inch nozzle is around 20 CFM, which is quite high.
Compressors that can produce that type of CFM output are usually pretty expensive.
The air tank will drain typically when sandblasting and you want to maintain a working PSI when sandblasting somewhere around 50 PSI to 90 PSI. If you drop below 50 PSI, there simply won't be enough pressure to sufficiently take material off then you will have to stop and wait for the compressor to catch up before you can continue blasting.
Using A Smaller Compressor Is Possible!
You are able to use a smaller air compressor that is a little bit less money than what the chart shows, something that can produce around 5 to 6 CFM and will run you anywhere from about $300-$500 in price.
I found a video online were a man was using a smaller air compressor with his sandblasting cabinet and it worked just fine but he was working with smaller materials and had to stop and let the compressor catch up every now and then but it worked.
Compressor Examples That Would Work:
I wanted to look online and compare the different compressors out there to see which ones would meet the CFM air requirements that are listed in the chart above to see which ones would work and to get an overall pricing ballpark figure to go off of.
Compressor Examples That Would Work:
I wanted to look online and compare the different compressors out there to see which ones would meet the CFM air requirements that are listed in the chart above to see which ones would work and to get an overall pricing ballpark figure to go off of.
The video that I posted (above) used a less expensive air compressor that was around $350 and it was the California Air Tools CAT-10020C, which you can find at Amazon.
It seemed to work well for him and even though the CFM output was around 5.3 CFM @ 90 psi (according to the manufacturer) and it seemed to do pretty good job for a lot of the smaller pieces he was working with.
He was using a smaller blasting cabinet with the CA Airtools compressor and glass beads, which worked out well.
I found a very short video online (Youtube) that showed someone using a harbor freight sandblaster connected to a 60 Gallon Sanborn Compressor that they bought from Menards and it seemed to provide quite a bit of power, having a rating of 11.5 CFM at 90 PSI.
The video was shot a little bit farther away than I would've liked to have seen and having an up close shot of what the end result was would have been helpful to but overall you get a feel for how quick the guy was moving and the general idea of how the compressor performed with the sandblaster.
I found another short video that showed a large nozzle being used and one of these towable compressors hooked up to it.
This is industrial sized and makes really short work of the metal piece that they were working with.
What Models To Look For And At What Cost?
I looked around and found that compressors in the 5hp - 9 hp range would work quite well for smaller sandblasting tasks and most of them have a CFM rating of around 10 -12 CFM @ 90 psi. These did cost quite a bit and some of the models I found on Amazon were priced around the $1,000 mark, so you would have to justify that type of investment.
The less powerful models that produced 5 -10 CFM ranged in price but were around the $350 - $800 range.
My general consensus is that you should expect to pay between $350 - $1,200 for a compressor that will have the CFM output you need to sandblast. This is a basic price range and probably geared towards people who are looking to do smaller tasks or those out there that don't mind the process taking a bit longer (waiting on the compressor to catch up).
Power Source Is A Consideration Too...
You will want to think about what type of power source you have available at your house if you are looking at electric air compressors.
I assume that most people are only have 120 volts to work with and there will probably even be people out there that have the ability to run tools off of a 240 V supply as well but is more rare and something you need to consider.
They do make gasoline powered air compressors that have significant CFM outputs but are typically much more than electric models and are priced somewhere between $500 and $1000 for a model that would have the CFM rating that year looking for when it comes to sandblasting.
