Tungsten Nozzles for Sandblaster

The ceramic nozzles supplied with these blasting pots wear out very quickly, the solution is to replace them with easily obtainable tungsten carbide ones. This is how I did it

In the picture below we have, left to right, top to bottom.

1) Tungsten carbide nozzle, 10mm OD, 3mm ID and 52 mm long
2) Oilve from a 10 mm compression fitting (Screwfix 35490). Use the fitting as a tool to fit the oilive to the nozzle.
3) 3/8 BSP compression nut, the hole may need reaming out very slightly.
4) 3/8 BSPP (parallel) nickel plated brass barrel nipple
5) Steel tube, 10mm OD 1mm thick and just longer than the nipple

The above items will allow the new nozzle to fit into the existing ball valve on the end of the hose, if like me you've dispensed with the valve, the following items will allow the nozzle to fit into the hose itself. If you have a 10mm ID hose just shove the nozzle up it and secure with a Jubilee clip.

4a) 14mm - 3/8 BSP mickel plated brass hose tail.
5a) Steel tube, 10mm OD 1mm thick and just longer than the hose tail.



This is what you do.

1) Secure the olive onto the end of the nozzle. Do this in two stages

a) Insert the nozzle into the compression fitting as you would a piece of pipe. Tighten the nut just sufficiently to allow the olive to slide up and down the nozzle with moderate finger pressure, i.e. it will stay put.

b) Push the olive to the very end of the nozzle, put it back in the fitting and tighten fully. See the next picture.



Next we need to line the nipple or hose tail as appropiate. I did this by sliding the tube into the fitting and peening each end over with a hammer. Try to get the nozzle end as flat and as flush, or even recessed into the countersink, as you can.

You may need to open up the hole in the 3/8 compression nut slightly, the nozzle should be able to turn freely in it.

To prolong the life of the steel sleeve, turn the fitting through 180 deg. occasionally, it wears down one side rather than uniformly.

This chap is selling nozzles on Ebay http://shop.ebay.co.uk/merchant/pete_booth

The finshed item

I've just bought one of the 3mm tungsten nozzles from Pete Booth. Asked about larger ones but he doesn't do them.
I've experimented with a home spun steel nozzle of 6mm bore the other day and pressure is still up at 90 psi with my 130cfm compressor. Only troubled is the grit tended to get damp. I think the built in water seperator is struggling to keep up with the higher airflow.
I've also recently purchased a large filter regulator kit so I may fit this upstream of the inlet to the pot to help and T off for an air-fed mask.

RTB,
If your running the nozzle straight out the end of the blast pipe with no ball valve, how are you shutting off the supply?

Originally Posted by stormin

RTB,
If your running the nozzle straight out the end of the blast pipe with no ball valve, how are you shutting off the supply?

Just turn the air off at the pot, it takes some time to run down but as I'm in a blast room no media is wasted. I have a cunning plan to fit a lever to the pot that closes the bottom valve and air supply simultaneously, whilst maintaining the setting on the bottom valve when it is re-opened.

As for a bigger nozzle, the one you've got will have worn to 3.5mm in about 12 months if you use it every day!

That moisture trap isn't brilliant, I get some dampness creeping through. The place I got my helmet from sells filters to provide breathing air, but I don't know whether it will handle the flow to the pot as well.

rtb ii used to have one of the sealey sand blasters that had a tungsten end, i shuffed loads of grit through it before some little soul nicked it

Originally Posted by rtbcomp

Just turn the air off at the pot, it takes some time to run down but as I'm in a blast room no media is wasted. I have a cunning plan to fit a lever to the pot that closes the bottom valve and air supply simultaneously, whilst maintaining the setting on the bottom valve when it is re-opened.

As for a bigger nozzle, the one you've got will have worn to 3.5mm in about 12 months if you use it every day!

That moisture trap isn't brilliant, I get some dampness creeping through. The place I got my helmet from sells filters to provide breathing air, but I don't know whether it will handle the flow to the pot as well.

Don't suppose you got any that you've worn out to 3.5mm or larger then?

Originally Posted by stormin

Don't suppose you got any that you've worn out to 3.5mm or larger then?

They don't wear evenly, I've got a couple that go from 4.3mm to 3.5mm. The least wear occurs at the olive end, I dare say you could fit the olive to the other end and even up the wear. I can spare one of these, subject to a donation to forum funds, if you're interested drop me a PM.

Originally Posted by rtbcomp

They don't wear evenly, I've got a couple that go from 4.3mm to 3.5mm. The least wear occurs at the olive end, I dare say you could fit the olive to the other end and even up the wear. I can spare one of these, subject to a donation to forum funds, if you're interested drop me a PM.

Posted this morning

This is how modded the original fitting that came with the pot.


I drilled out the fitting with a 10mm drill then chamfered an edge so the olive had some where to bite.



Put the olive on the nozzel




All together. Only cost 10p for a 10mm olive

I can also still use the ceramic nozzels that came with the pot if I ever need to.