> Here in Seattle I find use for a blaster almost daily - thinking about an
> Eastwood unit.  Looking forward to your next episode.
> 
> Charles "Luke" Lukey

Well a bit of an update, I too thought about the Eastwood units but 
liked the design of the TIP deadman valve better, the TIP unit has a 
"built in" funnel on top with a faster (instant) closure, and the TIP price 
is better comparitively.  So of course I could not resist and today 
ran out and bought everything to set it up.  I bought a moderate 
price Milton micro filter to permanently mount on the air intake of 
the unit itself and ran it temporarily off a smaller 3hp compressor 
and 3/8" line with measely 1/4 NPT fittings.  Some major observations.

1. THIS IS FREAKIN INCREDIBLE, I've owned a fairly nice siphon unit 
but ladies and gents, never EVER buy anything less than a pressure 
pot, they are so much faster and better its amazing.

2. As a result, they get sand EVERYWHERE compared to even a siphon 
unit.

3. TIP is ludicrous on their abrasives $$, called around today and local 
supplier sells "Black Beauty" (a glass slag?) for $5 for the 100 
POUND BAG!!!!, at this kind of price I'm inclined to only take modest 
recycling steps.  I like the Black Beauty as well, cuts faster than 
sand by a far shot and no danger of silicosis, gets the big 0, 0, 0, 
0 on the MSDS frame, I like that.  I can get "clean" blasting sand 
for roughly the same price but I'll stick to the Black Beauty, a bit 
coarse but seems OK on steel, on aluminum maybe not.

4.  The TIP unit is very well thought out, very nicely made, very 
efficient, running 80 psi, and a 7/64 ceramic tip I could clean 
severly rusted scaled steel (the '81 propane tank) as fast as I could 
comfortably move and control the gun.  Will easily do the 1/2 square 
foot per minute they claim at the lower pressure.

All in all I'd rec the TIP 70S to anyone, I'm 100% happy I spent the 
little more for their unit instead of the Harbor Freight.  The 70S is 
going to be a little small, probably will wish I'd gone with the 
99'er model instead later, but the $80 I saved which I applied toward 
glass beads which I need for my cabinet blaster, and the "acessory 
kit" is worth it for me.  BTW the acessory kit is probably worth the 
price, the custom screen pan that fits the blaster I would not want 
to live without, and the price is basically even to that of the added 
parts (gun wear items, 3 more nozzles, etc.)

Things I don't like, they could have included a nicer blast hood, 
they tell you freely the one provided is a 1 day temp piece of crap, 
still a nicer one thrown in for a slight increase in price would be 
good.  But as I'm a bit respiratory sensitive anyway and have been 
meaning to spring for an air supplied hood for painting recently, I'm 
not to concerned.  A thing I guess I don't like about pressure pots 
in general is that for a few seconds when you open the valve you get 
monstrous sand flow with no velocity that has been stuck in the hose 
until the pressurized accelerated abrasive gets there, and when you 
are shutting down and letting off the pressure, you dump major 
abrasive as well.  The siphon units by virtue of not accelerating the 
stuff till it hits the gun avoid this.

Anyway to anyone looking I'd go with the TIP unit without 
reservation, I note they have just jacked the prices a little across 
the board, the 70S lists in HMN this month for $329 BUT they still 
have it at the old price on a "spring special".  These might sell at 
the big shows for a bit less, I meant to check Carlisle last fall but 
missed it, TIP is always there.  The unit comes with a 5 yr warranty 
and a 1 year warranty on gun wear items (except nozzles of course), 
and lifetime rebuild support whereby they charge only parts no labor 
if you ship it in for rebuild, of dubious value to me, but that makes 
some people happy.

Over all WAY positive impressive experience, stripped half the 
propane tank in maybe 5 minutes tops, dad had been tinkering with it 
and an angle grinder with wire brush for about an hour previously, no 
comparison.  No comparison to my old siphon unit either, last Bus I 
stripped parts of I could have done at least 4-5 times faster.

John
vwbus@netbiz.net