Graniteguy

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    82
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About Graniteguy

  • Rank
    Advanced Member
  • Birthday 08/16/1945

Profile Information

  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    Monroe, Wa
  • Interests
    Stonework, blacksmithing, graphic design
  1. Graniteguy

    Sandblasting!

    You should be ok with a compressor of that size. Glass usually doesn't need to be cut deep like stone. Eventually you'll probably want something a little bigger, but with the HF cabinet and such, your setup should give you plenty of satisfaction.
  2. Graniteguy

    graniteguy

    Examples of sandblasting art on stone
  3. Graniteguy

    Sandblasting!

    More eyes, more solutions. We don't all see the same thing at the same time, but together we see everything. I hope everyone had a super Christmas and New Year. Another thing about the Rub n Buff: Harbor Freight has a nice little flexible shaft unit with a foot pedal speed control. I've had one for a couple of years now and wouldn't trade it for much of anything (yes, everything has a price) except maybe a name brand version of the same thing. JT
  4. I've met the owner personally and he's a straight up guy. He's taken the time to show me how the software works and I will be purchasing the package as soon as Uncle Sam gives me my tax refund. The on-board tutorials are great and will walk you through just about anything. Like all powerful software, there is a learning curve. For me the curve is steep and short, probably because I think like the guys who wrote the program. But. If you invest the time to learn, it will pay great dividends. JT
  5. Graniteguy

    Sandblasting!

    What little experience I have with rub n buff has not been on blasted glass. I did put on a good layer, wait awhile, then buff. It is a very interesting and versatile product.
  6. Graniteguy

    Not your granddaddy's cough syrup :)

    Cool. Is that vinyl or is it blasted? JT
  7. Graniteguy

    Large Tiger

    Thank you. I kept that piece of granite for 2 years knowing a tiger had to go on it.
  8. Graniteguy

    Frozen

    Really good one. It finally warmed up to 34 degrees here today. Positively balmy. JT
  9. Graniteguy

    Sandblasting!

    lueman, check out dickblick.com. That's a glass art supply and they have glass paints there. The rub'n buff is a great idea too. JT
  10. Graniteguy

    Sandblasting!

    That looks nice. You might try a bolder font, but I do like the looks of what you have there. I use epoxy paint on the stone I blast. It's the stuff they use to paint brake calipers for cars. VHT is the brand. It heat cures in 20 minutes at 200 degrees F. If you strip the stencil off when the paint is just dry to the touch, you don't get much flash. You might also check out some of the glass art sites. Seems like I saw some dyes and other coloring agents. JT
  11. Graniteguy

    Sandblasting!

    Seems like the best compressor for a small cabinet like the HF is one that puts out about 20 cfm at 100 psi. The one I have now doesn't have that much muscle, so I have to wait for it to catch up. If you have access to 220 power, its much easier to find a compressor that will do the job. Even easier if you have 3-phase. I see used ones for around a grand that would do the job for me. A lot depends on your system. A siphon unit uses a lot more air than a pressure pot. I modified my gun so it only uses around 12 cfm. Since I'm only doing detail work and not cleaning large items, it works. Sort of. I plan to upgrade when the IRS smiles on me. JT
  12. Graniteguy

    Sandblasting!

    OK, so it's too cold to stand out there at the sandblaster, so I took some pictures. I modified the HF cabinet a bit as mentioned in my previous post. These shots show the mods I made for lighting and air. I don't know who the old guy is, he just keeps showing up.
  13. Graniteguy

    Sandblasting!

    As for the grit, it just recycles. I don't screen it unless I start having problems with clogs. That sometimes happens when I'm blasting pieces that I've chipped along the edges. I usually smooth those down with a wire wheel if the piece is going to be handled. If it's a garden stone or a wall piece, I don't. Chunks of stone sometimes come off these rougher edges. For a mask I use a 3M mask with P100 filters. You can find that at a welding supply. It's the same one I use when I weld something. The mask is comfortable and the filters are easy to breath through and don't clog easily. My dust removal system consists of an old Kirby vacuum cleaner head with some a hose attached to the output that runs out into the blackberries. It draws well enough that I get very little if any, dust. For lighting, I removed the feeble florescent fixture in the light box and cut the top out of the cover. I attached 3 cheap 150- watt halogen work lights from Lowes. I removed the cover glasses from the lights to allow some cooling. The lamps last a lot longer that way. The lights are powered by an outlet strip I screwed to the back of the light box. My air compressor is a cheap HF compressor that I will replace when it dies. My drier is two HF filter/dryer units in series. That setup works pretty well, although sometimes I get a little moisture. I just have to remember to drain the collectors every so often when I'm working. Siphon blasters aren't particularly sensitive to water. Pressure pots are very sensitive. I'll try to get out and take some pictures. It's super cold here right now (18 deg F), so the blaster sits idle. JT
  14. Graniteguy

    Help me pick a logo

    Yeah, you can tell when their eyes glaze over that your explanation is more than what was wanted. However, being the geek that I am, I would like to know what sublimation Dawn is. JT
  15. Graniteguy

    Help me pick a logo

    I really like your logo. As for you describing what you do, develop your "elevator speech". Say who you are and what you do in 10 to 15 seconds. Write it down and practice it so you can sell it. Pick what you want to do and sell that. "My business is called 'Repurposed Stone'. I take excess marble and granite from counter top makers and upcycle it into useful items such as pet memorials, garden stones, pavers and home decor."-that's mine. You're off to a great start with that logo. JT JT JT