Since Harbor Freight was doing a sale, I decided to drop by and pick up a few things. Mini sandblaster/etching tool. Now, those stubborn black gunk in the burner crevices will come off and shine. As well as get more detail on letterings. Torx mini star wrench Of course it would not be complete if I did not get a 2lb. 220 grit aluminum oxide. I wanted to get this A hydraulic crimp tool which had different sizes so I could do a professional finish on most adaptors but stopped short of getting it at this time. It will always be there at HF so when I truly need it, I know where to get one. Interestingly there are a lot of tools I drool but no space to store Sale ends Dec 31. Ron
Cool. Those are nice tools. I especially like the "blaster" ... I need one of those. HF is a good resource. I discovered recently that the crimping tool for coaxial cable is just about the right size to crimp a sleeve onto a fuel line. If you already have one you're in luck. You can take an RG6 cable female end fitting and cut the nut plus center sleeve off of it. What you are left with is a nice ferrel. When I did it the ferrel was just a little loose after crimping so I wrapped it in several layers of aluminum tape to act as a shim and then crimped it again. It worked!
Hi Ron brilliant little selection of tools for stove restoration the mini sand blaster will come in very handy i wonder if it will work well for derusting any parts of a stove that is steel. At a quick glimpse i thought it was a air brush they all so are use full any stoves or lanterns that need paint work they are ideal and they give a great finish and in most cases it works out cheaper well done there Ron
I need a Torx like you show, so many sizes, I don't want to buy 6 to get the size I need. Thanks Ron. Duane
Hi Brian, the small blaster is just so you can just blast the rust spots on the stove tin, hardened gunk on the burner or crevices, glass etching - for under $25 plus another $9 for 2lb aluminum oxide 220 grit. Hey Duane, really now, the piece I bought costs $5.50, betcha the one piece you need would cost more buddy. Ron
Hi Ron For under $25.00 thats a bargain i expected you to pay more for such a good piece of kit, even the oxide grit could be re used if collected
Hey Brian, I opted for detailing, but there was one sold for only $15 and $20 see pics, but its for larger capacity or wider swath blasting. You can check it out HERE for the $15 item or HERE for the $20 item Brian, you said "good piece of kit" well, it remains to be seen since its all "made in China/Taiwan" Ron Photos from Harbor Freight website
Hey Ron, Thanks for showing the mini sandblaster - I never knew it existing. You bet I'm going to buy one. My solution for the star wrench is this set of all kinds of "unusual" tips: Yonadav
Hey Yonadav, nice set of bits They always come in handy alright for those odd screw heads. Ughhhhh! I need to organize again my stuff Ron
I set up the blaster and tried it on a penny that had some black substance on it. Attached 3 pictures Before sandblasting After sandblasting Washed and cleaned with 1000 ss wool Notice that the detail of Abe is nice and sharp. I would say the "eraser" does get the job done The lower portion of the coin that has not been sandblasted is where the lip of the locking pliers gripped the coin. Ron
200 aluminum oxide it pretty aggressive IMHO. Try walnut shells. They leave a much more polished surface if that "gun" will handle them. Mike
Mike, it will only take 220 grit so if there are walnut shells that's 220 grit the I will give it a go. I wonder if the shells have residual oils that give it the shine. Ron
It's not the oils. It's simply that walnut shells are harder than paint, but won't abrade metal surfaces and only take off the gunk. Aluminum oxide is harder than any metal I'm aware of, so I wouldn't use it on any polished surfaces. You'll spend more effort getting the shine back than you save blasting away gunk. Now, for rust and metal that you're gonna paint, you'll be very happy with the results. Mike
