IS YOUR AIR COMPRESSOR BIG ENOUGH?
Eastwood’s Nick Capinski says you’ll need at least 7 cfm @ 80 psi for continuous blasting of soda or
heavier, more abrasive media which is right in the range of many home DIY compressors.
Compressors should have a label showing their capacity. This compressor is rated at 2.6 scfm
(standard cubic feet per minute, a measurement correcting for altitude and temperature) @ 90 psi. That’s
less than what Nick recommends, but it’s the only air compressor we’ve got. It’ll still do the job, provided
you don’t mind the blast-a-little, wait-a-little routine.
If you’re shopping for a compressor, the cheapest may not be the best deal. It might be worth spending
a little more to get one that’ll keep up with the job. Time spent waiting on the compressor to catch up is
time wasted.
7
Slide the other end of the hose onto the pickup tube, and
push the tube down into the media, staggered end first.
8
Set the regulator (the gauge on the left) to 80 psi. This controls the force of the airstream. The gauge on the
right shows how much pressure is stored up in the tank. You’re ready to go now.
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We’re going to blast a selection of different items. On the left is a screw
from the headlight assembly that received an unfortunate repaint. The
middle screw is from the door mirror that has heavy corrosion from
exposure to the elements. On the right is a standard fender bolt that
shared the unfortunate paint job. We’re also going to blast this core
Ford 2V carb.
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